Born in Augsburg in 1948, Wolf Blitzer began his professional trajectory in the early 1970s at the Reuters bureau in Tel Aviv.
Early Education and Career
Blitzer is the son of Polish Jewish refugees who arrived in the United States under the Displaced Persons Act. Raised in Kenmore, New York, he graduated from Kenmore West Senior High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University at Buffalo in 1970. He later received a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. During his graduate studies, he attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, acquiring fluency in Hebrew. He launched his career in journalism with Reuters in 1972 before accepting a role as a Washington correspondent for The Jerusalem Post in 1973, where he remained until 1990.
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During his tenure at The Jerusalem Post, Blitzer covered American politics and Middle East developments. He also worked as an editor for the Near East Report, a publication of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. His coverage of the 1977 negotiations between Egypt and Israel established his reputation in political reporting. He documented these relations in his 1985 book, Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook. In 1986, he conducted an exclusive interview with Jonathan Pollard, a naval analyst convicted of spying for Israel. This investigation resulted in the 1989 book Territory of Lies.
Broadcasting at CNN
Blitzer joined CNN in 1990, initially reporting on military affairs during the first Gulf War. He served as the network's White House correspondent between 1992 and 1999, receiving an Emmy Award for his reporting on the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. His transition to anchoring included programs such as Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, The World Today, and Wolf Blitzer Reports. Since 2005, he has anchored The Situation Room, a program he began co-hosting with Pamela Brown in 2025. He has led the network's coverage of every U.S. presidential election since 2004.
Fast facts
- Born: 1948, Augsburg, Germany
- Citizenship: United States; Germany
- Education: University at Buffalo; Johns Hopkins University
- Early Employer: Reuters (1972)
- Notable Employer: The Jerusalem Post (1973-1990)
- CNN Tenure: 1990-Present
- Languages: German; English; Hebrew
- Member: White House press corps
Questions readers ask
What is the origin of his name?
He has explained that his name is ancestral. Wolf is the name of his maternal grandfather, and Isaac is his paternal grandfather's name.
Did he write under different names?
Yes, while working for Hebrew-language newspapers, he wrote under the names Ze'ev Blitzer and Ze'ev Barak.
Achievements
- Affiliated with CNN, The Jerusalem Post and Reuters
- Educated at University at Buffalo, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Johns Hopkins University
- Worked as journalist, program host and television presenter
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