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Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life
Peter Jennings was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death from cancer in 2005. For many Americans, he was the voice and face that gave shape and meaning to every day's news. But who was Peter Jennings really? In this absorbing biography, readers will get to know Jennings through the memories of his friends, family, competitors, colleagues, and interview subjects. Their stories are full of surprises. Jennings, we learn, was a high school dropout who spent the rest of his life in pursuit of knowledge. He traveled the world in search of stories, a notebook perpetually thrust through his back belt loop. In his front pocket, he carried a miniature copy of the Constitution, a testament to his love for the United States; a Canadian by birth, Jennings acquired American citizenship in 2003. Peter Jennings was a celebrity, of course—a dashingly handsome and elegant man, famous for his ability to charm women and world leaders alike—but in these pages he is remembered as a loyal friend and a devoted family man, who loved nothing more than to canoe with his kids and listen to jazz with his friends in the Hamptons. Not that he was the relaxing sort. Jennings was a task-master, who ripped other reporters' pieces to shreds, forcing them to rewrite from the ground up. He was a perfectionist, too, who drove his fellow correspondents crazy with his ad-libbed questions on the air. It was all about standards. Throughout his life, Peter Jennings was driven by a passion to seek the truth and convey that truth accurately, simply, cleanly, and elegantly to his American audience. He was our voice.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2007
19 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
About the author
Kate Darnton
4 books3 followersKate Darnton is an American writer, author and parent. She lives in New Delhi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
November 13, 2025
The editors took interviews with many (82) people that had been conducted in preparation for a memorial for Peter on TV soon after his passing, at age 67. They mixed and matched quotes from these folks, ordering the mass into a chronological sequence of his life. It works much better than it sounds.
Jennings comes across as a true superstar. Son of Charles Jennings, considered by many the Edward R. Murrow of Canada, he had the genes and connections for success, but an affinity for mischief and a disinterest in school left him a high school dropout. He bounced around a bit, but found his way back to broadcasting very young, and by age 26 was anchoring. It is clear that he not only had a boundless curiosity, but the charm to satisfy it. He was, of course, a ridiculously handsome man, athletic, charming, extremely bright and had an unerring talent for compressing news into informative, short pieces and presenting those to his viewers in a mature, sympathetic way. He was not only an excellent journalist, honing his reportorial skills with many years as a foreign correspondent, but was a pretty good person to know, unless, that is, you were one of his wives. He seems to have been unable to hold on to marriage for more than six or seven years. That was no doubt a result of his extreme womanizing. This became public knowledge when Don Imus took some high caliber shots at him at the Radio/TV Correspondents Dinner in 1996.
Jennings made a considerable contribution to American television journalism by being willing to tell all sides of a story. For instance, having had first hand experience in the Middle East, he was eager to tell not only the Israeli perspective on that conflict, but the Palestinian side as well. He realized early that AIDS was a serious public health issue and pressed the matter. He was also instrumental in covering the Serbian ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia and probably forced the US government to take action there by doing so. He found religion fascinating and did several specials on the subject. Jennings had wide ranging interests and used his power as one of the big three anchors to promote good journalism. He was also a major control freak, constantly rewriting his reporters’ work, to both their chagrin and ultimately their appreciation. I wonder though, how many really believed that his incessant corrections really made the work better, and how many said that merely as a courtesy when he passed. He is also reported to have been a major good guy in terms of wanting to listen to people, to helping the needy and not seeking coverage for this, remembering names, actually caring about people. He sounds almost saint-like to hear some tell it.
Finally, Peter Jennings was a real person, who lived a remarkable life, had an impact on many, many people through his work, and whatever his personal flaws, deserved the stardom that he achieved. I will always remember with deep affection and great appreciation his even-tempered coverage of 9/11. Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life is a fascinating read, well worth the time.
Jennings comes across as a true superstar. Son of Charles Jennings, considered by many the Edward R. Murrow of Canada, he had the genes and connections for success, but an affinity for mischief and a disinterest in school left him a high school dropout. He bounced around a bit, but found his way back to broadcasting very young, and by age 26 was anchoring. It is clear that he not only had a boundless curiosity, but the charm to satisfy it. He was, of course, a ridiculously handsome man, athletic, charming, extremely bright and had an unerring talent for compressing news into informative, short pieces and presenting those to his viewers in a mature, sympathetic way. He was not only an excellent journalist, honing his reportorial skills with many years as a foreign correspondent, but was a pretty good person to know, unless, that is, you were one of his wives. He seems to have been unable to hold on to marriage for more than six or seven years. That was no doubt a result of his extreme womanizing. This became public knowledge when Don Imus took some high caliber shots at him at the Radio/TV Correspondents Dinner in 1996.
Jennings made a considerable contribution to American television journalism by being willing to tell all sides of a story. For instance, having had first hand experience in the Middle East, he was eager to tell not only the Israeli perspective on that conflict, but the Palestinian side as well. He realized early that AIDS was a serious public health issue and pressed the matter. He was also instrumental in covering the Serbian ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia and probably forced the US government to take action there by doing so. He found religion fascinating and did several specials on the subject. Jennings had wide ranging interests and used his power as one of the big three anchors to promote good journalism. He was also a major control freak, constantly rewriting his reporters’ work, to both their chagrin and ultimately their appreciation. I wonder though, how many really believed that his incessant corrections really made the work better, and how many said that merely as a courtesy when he passed. He is also reported to have been a major good guy in terms of wanting to listen to people, to helping the needy and not seeking coverage for this, remembering names, actually caring about people. He sounds almost saint-like to hear some tell it.
Finally, Peter Jennings was a real person, who lived a remarkable life, had an impact on many, many people through his work, and whatever his personal flaws, deserved the stardom that he achieved. I will always remember with deep affection and great appreciation his even-tempered coverage of 9/11. Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life is a fascinating read, well worth the time.
April 28, 2010
I was saddened by the death of Peter Jennings. I had watched him for many years and I felt he was an honest reporter. If I ever became famous, I wanted him (and no one else) to interview me. When he died, I looked for a biography, but there wasn't one. I was surprised by that, but then something shiny caught my attention and I moved on to other things. Then last December when I was in Barnes and Noble looking for a birthday present for Krista, I saw Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life. I bought it without a second thought.
It's not a "traditional" biography. Instead, it's "lightly edited" transcripts of the interviews that were done for the special about his life that ABC aired very soon after his death. It is people's verbatim remembrances of their experiences with Peter Jennings and their thoughts about him as a man and a reporter. I thought it was a very interesting biography, and I learned quite a few things about Jennings and about world history. And the book, though it was about Jennings, was also about being a reporter and how much that has changed since the 50s and 60s.
The one thing that I did not like is that, since it was a bunch of people sharing memories and many of those memories were about the same thing, sometimes I felt hammered over the head with a point. Six people in a row would say "blah" and by the third person you got it, you didn't need to keep hearing it. So I think that is perhaps a flaw of the editing of the book. You didn't read one person's interview from start to finish and then read the next person's; instead the book was divided into chapters about a certain aspect of Peter Jennings' life and career, and the relevant parts of each person's interview was included in the chapter. But this hammering over the head didn't happen much, and didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I think Peter Jennings was an excellent reporter. I learned that the network wasn't influencing the stories that he did. Instead, he said he wanted to do a story on Bosnia or tobacco and he did it. That's what we as viewers saw--the things that he felt it was important for us to know about.
He was very concerned about international reporting. He felt that we couldn't function within the world if we didn't know what was going on in it. He fought for years to be able to include more international stories in the half-hour broadcast. And he usually won. If he was doing a story on Sarajevo, he went to Sarajevo, learned about the issues and then told viewers about what was going on there and why. He didn't just read the teleprompter or tell us what other people had told him. He went to a story and immersed himself in it until he knew all sides of the issue and then he reported back. He cared about being fair and being truthful, not about ratings.
And we certainly don't have that kind of journalist anymore; reading this book really made me realize that. We have hour long shows about how to catch a predator or about some other stupid thing, and it's more about production value and scandal than it is about educating the public about an issue. Jennings did tons of hour long documentaries that were all about educating us on the issues he felt we should know about (tobacco, AIDS, violence in America, healthcare, etc.). He wasn't a fluff reporter and he didn't kowtow to the politicos. That is something that I very much miss about him.
Two interesting things I learned about him: one, he was the only non-sports reporter at the Olympic games in Munich. His bosses sent him over there because he was in the area and they wanted him to cover the games from a non-sports angle. And of course while he was there the hostage situation happened. So he got a huge exclusive on that story, and since he had such a background in Middle East issues (he'd spent many years there as a foreign correspondent) he was able to offer a lot of insight into the situation, explaining who he thought was behind it (he was right) and why that particular group was doing this. Two, when Saddam Hussein went on trial after his capture a few years back, they were not letting any non-Iraqi press/media in the courtroom. None. But somehow Peter Jennings got in the courtroom and did a report via his cellphone. It was quite the news coup.
I enjoyed his newscasts very much, and I'm sad that he's no longer with us. I hope that we somehow get back to the type of news and journalism that he valued and that he practiced. We need it.
It's not a "traditional" biography. Instead, it's "lightly edited" transcripts of the interviews that were done for the special about his life that ABC aired very soon after his death. It is people's verbatim remembrances of their experiences with Peter Jennings and their thoughts about him as a man and a reporter. I thought it was a very interesting biography, and I learned quite a few things about Jennings and about world history. And the book, though it was about Jennings, was also about being a reporter and how much that has changed since the 50s and 60s.
The one thing that I did not like is that, since it was a bunch of people sharing memories and many of those memories were about the same thing, sometimes I felt hammered over the head with a point. Six people in a row would say "blah" and by the third person you got it, you didn't need to keep hearing it. So I think that is perhaps a flaw of the editing of the book. You didn't read one person's interview from start to finish and then read the next person's; instead the book was divided into chapters about a certain aspect of Peter Jennings' life and career, and the relevant parts of each person's interview was included in the chapter. But this hammering over the head didn't happen much, and didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
I think Peter Jennings was an excellent reporter. I learned that the network wasn't influencing the stories that he did. Instead, he said he wanted to do a story on Bosnia or tobacco and he did it. That's what we as viewers saw--the things that he felt it was important for us to know about.
He was very concerned about international reporting. He felt that we couldn't function within the world if we didn't know what was going on in it. He fought for years to be able to include more international stories in the half-hour broadcast. And he usually won. If he was doing a story on Sarajevo, he went to Sarajevo, learned about the issues and then told viewers about what was going on there and why. He didn't just read the teleprompter or tell us what other people had told him. He went to a story and immersed himself in it until he knew all sides of the issue and then he reported back. He cared about being fair and being truthful, not about ratings.
And we certainly don't have that kind of journalist anymore; reading this book really made me realize that. We have hour long shows about how to catch a predator or about some other stupid thing, and it's more about production value and scandal than it is about educating the public about an issue. Jennings did tons of hour long documentaries that were all about educating us on the issues he felt we should know about (tobacco, AIDS, violence in America, healthcare, etc.). He wasn't a fluff reporter and he didn't kowtow to the politicos. That is something that I very much miss about him.
Two interesting things I learned about him: one, he was the only non-sports reporter at the Olympic games in Munich. His bosses sent him over there because he was in the area and they wanted him to cover the games from a non-sports angle. And of course while he was there the hostage situation happened. So he got a huge exclusive on that story, and since he had such a background in Middle East issues (he'd spent many years there as a foreign correspondent) he was able to offer a lot of insight into the situation, explaining who he thought was behind it (he was right) and why that particular group was doing this. Two, when Saddam Hussein went on trial after his capture a few years back, they were not letting any non-Iraqi press/media in the courtroom. None. But somehow Peter Jennings got in the courtroom and did a report via his cellphone. It was quite the news coup.
I enjoyed his newscasts very much, and I'm sad that he's no longer with us. I hope that we somehow get back to the type of news and journalism that he valued and that he practiced. We need it.
May 21, 2014
Told through brief interviews by the people who knew him best, we glean a little bit more about the man, the son, the brother, the father, the journalist, the reporter, the anchor, the editor, the mentor, the colleague and the friend all of whom encompass Peter Jennings.
Below are some of the things that struck a chord with me:
Peter Jennings was as complex as the world around us.
Regarding the War on Terror, the President said "if you are not with us, you're against us". Jennings believed that the "world is really more complicated" and that "nothing is black and white".
He had integrity; he was the consummate professional.
He was passionate about his role(s) in life.
He was very well read -- if he wasn't familiar with a topic or didn't know much about a country, its people or its politics; he did his homework until he was well versed in the subject matter.
He didn't believe that he could adequately convey an event unless he understood why something was happening.
He loved world politics, especially those relating to the middle-east. He often looked at the bigger picture (the world).
He was like a kid in a candy store when he was reporting abroad.
News on the home front was important, but world news was at the top of the food chain.
He hated to fly.
He was a perfectionist and as such he expected a great deal from those around him.
No tabloid journalism for Peter Jennings. He hated doing stories on O.J., Brad & Angelina, etc. There was a place for these stories and it wasn't "World News Tonight". He could almost be described as a purist -- his advice to one young journalist ... "Be clear, be fair and don't use adjectives". The type of journalism described above required adjectives. "He wanted raw facts as simply and as quickly as possible."
He was an emotional man and he worked hard to stay professional in front of the camera. The one time that he really came close to losing it was during 9/11 when he turned around to the desk behind him and found a notes that his children had called. He turned around and encouraged the public to "call their children" to make sure they were alright.
He cared greatly about his children.
Jennings loved doing documentaries -- Gretchen Barbarovic, Jennings longtime Executive Assistant said that "the nightly news was his platform, but the documentaries were his substance".
Through meticulous research, he tackled such topics as: AIDS, Children's Issues, Religion, the Tobacco Industry and more.
He liked neckties.
Somebody once asked him if it is possible to be objective. He answered "probably not, but we can be fair".
If I had to choose one word to describe this man, it would be: compassionate.
Finally, Don Hewitt, Creator of CBS News' "60 Minutes" said that there is a special talent to being an anchor. Hewitt hates the word "anchor" and he coined it. In an interview for this book, he talks about being in Chicago during the 1952 political convention where he and others were sitting around talking. They had this new kid, Walter Cronkite and they were trying to figure their strategy during the convention. They decided it would be like a relay team. "You'll hand the baton off, but Cronkite will run the anchor leg." That's where anchor came from. There are anchors today who don't have the slightest idea why they're called anchors; they think it has something to do with boats.
Peter Jennings was the ultimate anchor. He was in a class with Walter Cronkite. There is no higher compliment.
Below are some of the things that struck a chord with me:
Peter Jennings was as complex as the world around us.
Regarding the War on Terror, the President said "if you are not with us, you're against us". Jennings believed that the "world is really more complicated" and that "nothing is black and white".
He had integrity; he was the consummate professional.
He was passionate about his role(s) in life.
He was very well read -- if he wasn't familiar with a topic or didn't know much about a country, its people or its politics; he did his homework until he was well versed in the subject matter.
He didn't believe that he could adequately convey an event unless he understood why something was happening.
He loved world politics, especially those relating to the middle-east. He often looked at the bigger picture (the world).
He was like a kid in a candy store when he was reporting abroad.
News on the home front was important, but world news was at the top of the food chain.
He hated to fly.
He was a perfectionist and as such he expected a great deal from those around him.
No tabloid journalism for Peter Jennings. He hated doing stories on O.J., Brad & Angelina, etc. There was a place for these stories and it wasn't "World News Tonight". He could almost be described as a purist -- his advice to one young journalist ... "Be clear, be fair and don't use adjectives". The type of journalism described above required adjectives. "He wanted raw facts as simply and as quickly as possible."
He was an emotional man and he worked hard to stay professional in front of the camera. The one time that he really came close to losing it was during 9/11 when he turned around to the desk behind him and found a notes that his children had called. He turned around and encouraged the public to "call their children" to make sure they were alright.
He cared greatly about his children.
Jennings loved doing documentaries -- Gretchen Barbarovic, Jennings longtime Executive Assistant said that "the nightly news was his platform, but the documentaries were his substance".
Through meticulous research, he tackled such topics as: AIDS, Children's Issues, Religion, the Tobacco Industry and more.
He liked neckties.
Somebody once asked him if it is possible to be objective. He answered "probably not, but we can be fair".
If I had to choose one word to describe this man, it would be: compassionate.
Finally, Don Hewitt, Creator of CBS News' "60 Minutes" said that there is a special talent to being an anchor. Hewitt hates the word "anchor" and he coined it. In an interview for this book, he talks about being in Chicago during the 1952 political convention where he and others were sitting around talking. They had this new kid, Walter Cronkite and they were trying to figure their strategy during the convention. They decided it would be like a relay team. "You'll hand the baton off, but Cronkite will run the anchor leg." That's where anchor came from. There are anchors today who don't have the slightest idea why they're called anchors; they think it has something to do with boats.
Peter Jennings was the ultimate anchor. He was in a class with Walter Cronkite. There is no higher compliment.
July 1, 2012
I revisited this book after an interruption of a few years and the gap made the contents of this heartfelt tribute to reporter and late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings even more poignant and distressing. Compiled after Jennings' 2007 death from lung cancer, the book virtually consists entirely of quotes from Jennings, his family members, friends and colleagues. What emerges is a portrait of an extraordinary man who quit high school to work in a bank but because of his innate understanding of how broadcasting used to work and an insatiable curiosity rose to arguably be one of the most influential journalists in North America. He's attributed with bringing the world's attention to the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, shining a spotlight on the AIDS epidemic and homelessness and seriously discussing the role that religious belief plays in shaping the world. It's doubtful any journalist will ever again enjoy the clout that Jennings had, to force networks to choose coverage of international news rather than the OJ Simpson trial (which, ironically, is when ABC News first started losing viewers). Jennings intense and nomadic lifestyle no doubt played a role in the failure of three marriages but his last one, by all accounts, was very happy. He was a devoted father who cried when talking about his kids (actually, despite his on air professionalism, he cried a lot). He was a tough taskmaster, a compulsive editor (even to neighbourhood newsletters) and a demanding boss but was also loved and respected. He knew the names of the homeless people in his affluent neighbourhood because Jennings was INTERESTED. He never gave up his habit of scribbling notes in a reporter's notebook and would likely be very dismayed to see what's happening to network news today.
May 29, 2012
Friends and colleagues share recollections of this magnificent man, telling of his gracious manner, charm, sincerity, fairness, resoluteness, and insatiable curiosity (and the list could go on much longer). His father was one of Canada's most prominent broadcasters, but Peter dropped out of high school, being interested more in comic books and girls than what he learned in the classroom. He spent the rest of his life making up for his lack of formal education by constantly seeking the stories that define our lives. In my mind he was unmatched, possessing a rare balance of empathy and critical thought. His intense drive to get it right could be a pain for those he worked with, but certainly enriched their work and our viewing. What a brilliant life!
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March 16, 2012"The truth is that life - which is in a corny way... The truth of the matter is that how our consciences guide us every day in the littlest of things - not the grandest of things..."~ Peter Jennings
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Robert Brault
Those little things create some memorable moments that make our life more fulfilling. Did I pay any attention to little things today?
It's been a slow read, in a good way!! The author presented the words from Peter and his friends & family make me more closer to Peter's life. There were many times, those words make me stop and think...
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Robert Brault
Those little things create some memorable moments that make our life more fulfilling. Did I pay any attention to little things today?
It's been a slow read, in a good way!! The author presented the words from Peter and his friends & family make me more closer to Peter's life. There were many times, those words make me stop and think...
September 8, 2014
I'm learning so much about Peter Jennings. The oral history approach is a bit repetitive, though. I'd like a straight biography better.
September 7, 2019
Peter Jennings was the anchor of ABC World News Tonight for almost three decades before his death from lung cancer in 2006. This book is an oral biography made up primarily of quotes from Peter's friends and co-workers that were gathered to be used in a TV special honouring jennings shortly after his death. Not only is it a fascinating retrospective of the life of an experienced foreign correspondent and anchor, it is also at times a scathing critique of what the news media has become in the 21st century.
The books follows Jennings' upbringing in Canada as the son of a well-known CBC broadcaster, and his first assignments in radio and TV in Canada (including time spent as a teen in a private boys school in my town in Ontario!) Jennings' move to the US is chronicled, including his first ill-fated role as ABC's national anchor in the mid-60s, followed by successful years as a foreign correspondent, news anchor, documentary producer and live events anchor. Entire chapters are devoted to his coverage of the Millenium and to 9/11.
He comes across as someone willing to fight for what he believed in when it came to the news. As a foreign correspondent, he battled editors to ensure coverage of important world events that others thought Americans wouldn't care about. As a documentary producer, he pushed for hour-long and two-long documentaries on important topics that again editors thought most people wouldn't be interested in. But most of the time Jennings' instincts proved correct.
Some of the quotes in the book are from Jennings himself where he gives honest assessments of the direction news journalism is going, including objectivity (It's probably unrealistic to expect total objectivity, but we can be fair), civil discourse (he felt there was too much confrontation, that much of our discourse about politics and government had become a shouting match), and religion ("In the overwhelming majority of newsrooms in America there is an appalling ignorance of religion and faith.")
Reading this book made me wish Jennings was still around. His voice would be a sorely needed voice of calm, intelligence and fairness in what is fast becoming a media circus. A highly recommended read for anyone remotely interested in TV news journalism and political discourse.
The books follows Jennings' upbringing in Canada as the son of a well-known CBC broadcaster, and his first assignments in radio and TV in Canada (including time spent as a teen in a private boys school in my town in Ontario!) Jennings' move to the US is chronicled, including his first ill-fated role as ABC's national anchor in the mid-60s, followed by successful years as a foreign correspondent, news anchor, documentary producer and live events anchor. Entire chapters are devoted to his coverage of the Millenium and to 9/11.
He comes across as someone willing to fight for what he believed in when it came to the news. As a foreign correspondent, he battled editors to ensure coverage of important world events that others thought Americans wouldn't care about. As a documentary producer, he pushed for hour-long and two-long documentaries on important topics that again editors thought most people wouldn't be interested in. But most of the time Jennings' instincts proved correct.
Some of the quotes in the book are from Jennings himself where he gives honest assessments of the direction news journalism is going, including objectivity (It's probably unrealistic to expect total objectivity, but we can be fair), civil discourse (he felt there was too much confrontation, that much of our discourse about politics and government had become a shouting match), and religion ("In the overwhelming majority of newsrooms in America there is an appalling ignorance of religion and faith.")
Reading this book made me wish Jennings was still around. His voice would be a sorely needed voice of calm, intelligence and fairness in what is fast becoming a media circus. A highly recommended read for anyone remotely interested in TV news journalism and political discourse.
January 11, 2025
Pros :: 4.5. Been a fan of Peter Jennings and even shook his hand at an event. This book was an in-depth look at his life, career, his passions and a bit about his family. The friends and family that report in this book say he was a man of curiosity, hard work, self taught, professionalism and grace, empathy and connection.
He wanted to know why an event was happening. He pushed for more foreign news, making this world a smaller place. He had a reputation for being a straightforward story teller who was focused on people. He gave dignity to people and compassion to their plights. He let there be silence on the air so the viewer could hear the horse hoofs clipping in the funeral march. Diane Sawyer said he had a Ph.D in curiosity.
Jennings did tv specials on the tobacco industry, religion and stayed on the air 24 hours on December 31, 1999 watching the world celebrate. He also guided America through 9/11. He cared for people who experienced homelessness and raised money with his jazz@jennings fundraiser.
Cons :: The beginning of the book was repetitive and it was hard to fall into a groove. Do like how Peter’s words were italicized.
Cover art 5 out of 5.
He wanted to know why an event was happening. He pushed for more foreign news, making this world a smaller place. He had a reputation for being a straightforward story teller who was focused on people. He gave dignity to people and compassion to their plights. He let there be silence on the air so the viewer could hear the horse hoofs clipping in the funeral march. Diane Sawyer said he had a Ph.D in curiosity.
Jennings did tv specials on the tobacco industry, religion and stayed on the air 24 hours on December 31, 1999 watching the world celebrate. He also guided America through 9/11. He cared for people who experienced homelessness and raised money with his jazz@jennings fundraiser.
Cons :: The beginning of the book was repetitive and it was hard to fall into a groove. Do like how Peter’s words were italicized.
Cover art 5 out of 5.
August 15, 2023
This is an oral history of Peter Jennings written shortly after he passed from lung cancer. It is made up totally of quotes from those who came to his memorials. It sounds like it would be choppy that way but it was less so than I had feared. Still, it was not as satisfactory as a plain prose nonfiction biography of his life.
Peter was apparently a remarkable man who matured after high school as he mostly fooled around while in school. He never attended college and always felt "less" because of that. Still, he was constantly asking questions and talking to all kinds of people throughout his career ti educate himself.
I liked this book, but still would prefer a plain biography instead.
Peter was apparently a remarkable man who matured after high school as he mostly fooled around while in school. He never attended college and always felt "less" because of that. Still, he was constantly asking questions and talking to all kinds of people throughout his career ti educate himself.
I liked this book, but still would prefer a plain biography instead.
March 7, 2022
A Book of Excellence
This work is the story of what made Peter Jennings a truly great anchor person and journalist. The story is provided from interviews from friends, family, ABC News team members and national figures. It told a story about a man who was curious about other people and regions. Was a dropout from high school. An ABC anchor at 26 and had to step back from that job to gain more perspective by becoming a worldwide journalist. And then becoming the face of ABC News and documentaries. This was a great book, about a thorough and demanding, but kind leader. It was difficult to put down . Provided a very informational reading experience.
This work is the story of what made Peter Jennings a truly great anchor person and journalist. The story is provided from interviews from friends, family, ABC News team members and national figures. It told a story about a man who was curious about other people and regions. Was a dropout from high school. An ABC anchor at 26 and had to step back from that job to gain more perspective by becoming a worldwide journalist. And then becoming the face of ABC News and documentaries. This was a great book, about a thorough and demanding, but kind leader. It was difficult to put down . Provided a very informational reading experience.
May 30, 2022
I liked Peter Jennings’s as an anchorman and thought he was an excellent reporter. This was a biography made up, almost entirely, of quotes of those who knew him - both through his work and family and friends - with some quotes from Mr Jennings included.
The format was not what I was expecting, and I can’t say I liked the steady stream of quotations. I did like learning more about Peter Jennings; he was an interesting man. And I wish there had been more of his own words.
Also, some of it became repetitive, because various people said the same things about him over and over. Some editing and more selective choices about which quotes to include would have helped.
The format was not what I was expecting, and I can’t say I liked the steady stream of quotations. I did like learning more about Peter Jennings; he was an interesting man. And I wish there had been more of his own words.
Also, some of it became repetitive, because various people said the same things about him over and over. Some editing and more selective choices about which quotes to include would have helped.
January 13, 2018
A wonderful look at someone who really represent true journalism and had style, grace, humility and the consummate gentleman. The fairness, humor and making you feel he was reporting the news to you. I enjoyed his broadcasts on ABC World News and I enjoyed this book.
October 19, 2025
A solid 3.5. Peter Jennings was very much a broadcaster for an era. He would've been a nightmare to work with at times, but I learned something from the interview transcripts in here. For fellow journalists, it's a good reminder to be diligent and curious.
September 7, 2018
Absolutely superb.
March 19, 2019
The ideas expressed within this book, and the words and spirit of the late Peter Jennings are priceless but in some ways this book suffers from being essentially a partly reformated TV script.
February 6, 2023
It sounds like Peter Jennings was the Mister Rogers of news and cultural anthropology 💕
July 1, 2024
Just made me miss him all over again.
August 24, 2013
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over eight years since the world lost the late Peter Jennings. In these 296 pages, the legendary ABC anchorman’s widow, Kayce Freed Jennings and others help us remember who and what we lost.
An ABC correspondent, Lynn Sherr apparently had a lot to do with the creation of this printed memoir. Sherr first suggested to her friend, Kayce, that she publish a book based on an ABC News special that aired three days after Jennings’ death. This retrospective on her husband’s life was inspired by the eighty-one interviews ABC news used in assembling the program, Peter Jennings: Reporter.
So it is, in this volume, more than eighty of Jennings’ friends, family members, and colleagues as well as competitors share their most intimate and compelling memories about the impact the Canadian-born broadcast journalist had on their lives. We hear from some household names like Alda, Bacall, Brokaw, Clinton, Cronkite, Donaldson, Gibson, Giuliana, Hewitt, Koppel, Powell, Raddatz, Rather, Roberts, Ross, Sawyer, Scalia, Sharpton, Stephanopoulos, Vargas, Walters and Woodruff. Persons both living and deceased.
All those contributors help form Jennings’ biography and cover his Canadian childhood. They give us a portrait of the man as boy anchor, as a talking trench coat, as a roving anchor. We get a tour of the ABC World News Tonight set. There’s a catalog here of Jennings’ enthusiasms. We remember his role as a healer following the September 11 attack on his adopted country. We see Jennings as a new American citizen late in life. Finally, we see Jennings the lung cancer patient. How he faced his own end is worth the $27.95 to purchase your own copy.
Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life is all about leaving a legacy. Truth be told, when he was alive, I was not aware of the impact Jennings was making not only on his viewing public but on the craft of journalism in general and broadcast journalism in particular. You’ll find very little here in the way of gossip or criticism. From that perspective, Kayce has painted her late spouse almost too perfectly and larger than life. You could call it the world’s longest, written eulogy. That said, just for Jennings’ many insights on how TV news reporting should be done makes this required reading for any aspiring journalist anywhere.
An ABC correspondent, Lynn Sherr apparently had a lot to do with the creation of this printed memoir. Sherr first suggested to her friend, Kayce, that she publish a book based on an ABC News special that aired three days after Jennings’ death. This retrospective on her husband’s life was inspired by the eighty-one interviews ABC news used in assembling the program, Peter Jennings: Reporter.
So it is, in this volume, more than eighty of Jennings’ friends, family members, and colleagues as well as competitors share their most intimate and compelling memories about the impact the Canadian-born broadcast journalist had on their lives. We hear from some household names like Alda, Bacall, Brokaw, Clinton, Cronkite, Donaldson, Gibson, Giuliana, Hewitt, Koppel, Powell, Raddatz, Rather, Roberts, Ross, Sawyer, Scalia, Sharpton, Stephanopoulos, Vargas, Walters and Woodruff. Persons both living and deceased.
All those contributors help form Jennings’ biography and cover his Canadian childhood. They give us a portrait of the man as boy anchor, as a talking trench coat, as a roving anchor. We get a tour of the ABC World News Tonight set. There’s a catalog here of Jennings’ enthusiasms. We remember his role as a healer following the September 11 attack on his adopted country. We see Jennings as a new American citizen late in life. Finally, we see Jennings the lung cancer patient. How he faced his own end is worth the $27.95 to purchase your own copy.
Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life is all about leaving a legacy. Truth be told, when he was alive, I was not aware of the impact Jennings was making not only on his viewing public but on the craft of journalism in general and broadcast journalism in particular. You’ll find very little here in the way of gossip or criticism. From that perspective, Kayce has painted her late spouse almost too perfectly and larger than life. You could call it the world’s longest, written eulogy. That said, just for Jennings’ many insights on how TV news reporting should be done makes this required reading for any aspiring journalist anywhere.
February 18, 2022
I can not write enough praise for this thoughtfully written biography of Peter Jennings. Until I absorbed the truth of being the Chief Editor at ABC Nightly News, I did not know what Jennings experienced. He was not a nice guy when it came to proof-reading reports from his team of journalists. He spent hours marking up their reports with red pens, fixing punctuation marks, and improving sentences. This editor meant business and demanded excellence from his journalists.
What made me impressed was Jennings did not graduate from a college. When flying (which he had to be sedated or drunk), Jennings traveled with books over the topics at hand. When faced with real reporting, Jennings went to the source of books. He spent hours reading and then impressed people he interviewed. He called a fellow journalist friend who agreed to meet him to discuss something he wanted to learn more about. The journalist met with Jennings. That meeting lasted for four straight hours. Jennings felt he had to be thorough with his information.
After working full time, every evening Jennings would jump on a NY truck that fed hungry people. I found a picture of Jennings with a child with Cerebral Palsy to portray the soft, fatherly character everybody delighted in sharing.
Before Jennings death, he became a U.S. citizen. Becoming a U.S. citizen was one of his dreams. I definitely needed a box of tissues!!! What impresses me so much about Jennings' success is that he simply did not land his career as a journalist by being a journalist's son. Jennings spent hours working in grueling conditions. He studied his subjects far beyond 9 am to 5 pm.
One of the friendships I enjoyed reading about happened when one of Jenning's rival/friend asked him for a phone number for a woman he was going to interview. He gave his friend the number knowing the friend would not ask the right questions!!
What made me impressed was Jennings did not graduate from a college. When flying (which he had to be sedated or drunk), Jennings traveled with books over the topics at hand. When faced with real reporting, Jennings went to the source of books. He spent hours reading and then impressed people he interviewed. He called a fellow journalist friend who agreed to meet him to discuss something he wanted to learn more about. The journalist met with Jennings. That meeting lasted for four straight hours. Jennings felt he had to be thorough with his information.
After working full time, every evening Jennings would jump on a NY truck that fed hungry people. I found a picture of Jennings with a child with Cerebral Palsy to portray the soft, fatherly character everybody delighted in sharing.
Before Jennings death, he became a U.S. citizen. Becoming a U.S. citizen was one of his dreams. I definitely needed a box of tissues!!! What impresses me so much about Jennings' success is that he simply did not land his career as a journalist by being a journalist's son. Jennings spent hours working in grueling conditions. He studied his subjects far beyond 9 am to 5 pm.
One of the friendships I enjoyed reading about happened when one of Jenning's rival/friend asked him for a phone number for a woman he was going to interview. He gave his friend the number knowing the friend would not ask the right questions!!
July 5, 2012
To say Peter Jennings lived a full and exciting life would be an understatement. Flipping through the pages of Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life, one can quickly piece together the fascinating narrative that Jennings lived. Born in Canada -- and a proud Canadian -- Jennings was a high school drop out, yet found work in the United States as a broadcast journalist. After not finding success as America's youngest news anchor, he earned his stripes through traveling the world to cover stories and then eventually came back to New York City to anchor World News Tonight.
Organized in chapters by topic, this biography is unlike others due to its writing style. Instead of one voice telling the story of Jennings' life, the book is comprised by quoted paragraphs from many individuals who knew Peter personally. These reoccurring individuals tell stories as if you are sitting with them over a cup of coffee and allow for the smallest details of Peter's life to creep their way onto the pages. In this regard, Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life becomes more of a curation of information.
With fascinating stories and an inspiration to journalists everywhere, this book helps to appreciate Peter Jennings' life and dedication to journalism, honesty, integration and people in general. Definitely a recommended read, particularly to aspiring journalists.
Organized in chapters by topic, this biography is unlike others due to its writing style. Instead of one voice telling the story of Jennings' life, the book is comprised by quoted paragraphs from many individuals who knew Peter personally. These reoccurring individuals tell stories as if you are sitting with them over a cup of coffee and allow for the smallest details of Peter's life to creep their way onto the pages. In this regard, Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life becomes more of a curation of information.
With fascinating stories and an inspiration to journalists everywhere, this book helps to appreciate Peter Jennings' life and dedication to journalism, honesty, integration and people in general. Definitely a recommended read, particularly to aspiring journalists.
December 1, 2014
As someone who works as a reporter, I have always held Peter Jennings in high regard. He had a straight-forward style that is seldom seen today. His oral biography, told by himself and those that worked with him or knew him, is a great read. At times, it can be confusing trying to correlate how people worked with him (producers, cameramen, etc.) The chapters on September 11, international reporting and his succumbing to cancer are excellent and present principles of reporting that are missed today like listening to subjects more, his lack of demeaning people he disagreed with and how he talked to children to name a few.
A great read for anybody, but it should be required reading for my fellow journalists.
A great read for anybody, but it should be required reading for my fellow journalists.
February 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this biography. It's not written in a typical fashion. Excerpts from interviews with more than 80 people (mostly done shortly after Peter's death) were taken and put together into a narrative. Interspersed are also quotes through the years from Peter himself. It sounds odd, but it really works well here.
Read
January 21, 2008This book is interesting because it discusses Peter Jennings' personal and professional life from the perspective of the people who worked with him. He was essentially a self-taught journalist, since he did not go to College. He was a Canadian who travelled around the world covering news and finally earning the top job in TV news, in the United States. After reading this book, I felt that I had a better understanding of what it takes to be an accomplished journalist and news Anchor. Everyone quoted in the book opined that Peter Jennings was a rare person with natural talent, who worked very hard and was accomplished in both.
April 3, 2009
This was a really good book that I got from my sister for Christmas. It's a biography of Peter Jennings, but it's comprised of snippets of interviews with people who knew him, which makes it really interesting to read. You hear from people he worked with, other well-known news anchors, and his family and friends. It was really cool to get to learn about his earlier life and how he got into the news business, and also what he was like off camera. You also get a glimpse of how the news industry changed over the several decades that he was a reporter or anchor. It's a really compelling read, even if you're not a news junkie.
March 7, 2008
Told in a series of interview clips from his friends, family, and colleagues, this book details the amazing story of Peter Jennings, the son of a famous Canadian radio newsman, who became an intrepid reporter and then anchor of ABCs World News Tonight.
With a curiosity and intellect that belied his status as a high school drop out, Jennings brought a specific Canadian sensibility to mainstream American news - a philosophy that Americans need to understand the world around them and their place in that world, even at the expense of ratings.
With a curiosity and intellect that belied his status as a high school drop out, Jennings brought a specific Canadian sensibility to mainstream American news - a philosophy that Americans need to understand the world around them and their place in that world, even at the expense of ratings.
November 12, 2009
I am fascinated by journalists and Peter Jennings was undoubtedly one of the greatest. The book has great stories from a variety of colleagues and his family. You finish the book having great respect for someone who challenged American viewers to have interest in international news. It is ironic that this man who had a fascination with the Middle East was born and raised in Canada and would go onto to become an American citizen after working years as an anchor for the evening news in the States.
January 6, 2011
Peter Jennings was an amazing anchorman and reporter, and this book barely scratches the surface of what he's done. In a small way this book captures, truly, how inspiring this man was. Instead of sitting down and having someone research all of the facts about Peter's life, the book tells you about Peter directly from Peter and the people that knew him best. The book contains many excepts of what people have said about Peter. When reading the book one gets the feeling that one is reading a documentary, which I think is something that Peter would've appreciated.
March 10, 2016
Peter Jennings' closest friends and colleagues put together this book that weaves their interviews through Peter's journalism career and life that ended when he died of lung cancer in 2005. He is a man with incredible passion, enthusiasm and work ethic. His philosophy in journalism is something that I can completely identify with - tell the truth no matter what, ask tough questions, believe your audience is smart and realize every person has a story that matters. It was an inspiration and uplifting book.
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