Howard Kurtz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Howard Kurtz
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Kurtz in 2012
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Howard Alan Kurtz
August 1, 1953 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University at Buffalo (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Tallmer (1979–?; 2 children) Sheri Annis (2003–2018; 1 child) |
Howard Alan Kurtz, born on August 1, 1953, is an American journalist and author. He is well-known for hosting the show Media Buzz on Fox News. Before joining Fox News in 2013, he worked as a media writer for The Washington Post and was the Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast. He has also written several books about how the media works.
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Early Life and Education
Howard Kurtz was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Leonard Kurtz, was a clothing executive, and his mother, Marcia, was a homemaker. He graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School in 1970.
After high school, he attended the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York. While in college, he worked on the student newspaper called Spectrum. He became the editor of the paper in his final year. In 1974, Kurtz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and English. He then continued his studies at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Howard Kurtz's Journalism Career
After finishing college, Kurtz began his career at the Record newspaper in New Jersey. He later moved to Washington D.C. to work as a reporter for a well-known columnist named Jack Anderson.
Kurtz then joined The Washington Star, an afternoon newspaper. When that newspaper closed in 1981, he was hired by The Washington Post. He was brought on by Bob Woodward, who was then the Metro editor. Over the years, Kurtz has also written for other publications like The New Republic, The Washington Monthly, and New York magazine.
Working at The Washington Post
Howard Kurtz worked at The Washington Post for 29 years, from 1981 to 2010. During his time there, he held several important roles. He was a national affairs correspondent, which means he reported on big national news stories. He also served as the New York bureau chief and a deputy national editor. From 1990 to 2010, Kurtz focused on covering the news media itself for The Washington Post.
Hosting Reliable Sources on CNN
From 1998 to 2013, Kurtz was the host of Reliable Sources, a weekly show on CNN. This cable television program looked closely at how the media works. It explored topics like the standards journalists follow, how well they perform, and any biases they might have.
On the show, Kurtz would question journalists from major news organizations, including those at CNN. He aimed to examine the fairness and objectivity of news reporting. The Reliable Sources show first started in 1992 as a special program to discuss how the media covered the Persian Gulf War.
Time at The Daily Beast
In October 2010, Howard Kurtz announced he was moving to The Daily Beast, an online news publication. He became the Washington bureau chief for the website. In this role, he wrote articles about media and politics until 2013.
Kurtz left The Daily Beast in May 2013. This happened after a disagreement where Kurtz made an incorrect statement about NBA player Jason Collins. Kurtz said his departure was planned for some time.
Joining Fox News
On June 20, 2013, Kurtz left CNN to join the Fox News Channel. He began hosting a weekend media program and writing a column for FoxNews.com. Kurtz's show, Media Buzz, took the place of the Fox News Watch program.
In October 2024, during an interview conducted by Kurtz, Donald Trump was directly questioned about some of his campaign statements.
Books by Howard Kurtz
Howard Kurtz has written several books that explore different aspects of the media world.
- Media Circus: The Trouble with America's Newspapers (1993): This book looks at problems faced by U.S. newspapers and suggests ways to improve them. It discusses issues like timid leadership, a growing focus on celebrities, and poor coverage of certain topics.
- Hot Air: All Talk, All the Time (1997): This book describes the weaknesses of talk shows and political talk shows. It points out problems like being too shallow, spreading lies, and having conflicts of interest.
- Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine (1998): This book explains the different ways the Clinton White House tried to control how the media reported on controversies and scandals. It also shows how they tried to shift media attention to other topics.
- The Fortune Tellers: Inside Wall Street's Game of Money, Media, and Manipulation (2000): This book talks about how people became very interested in stock market trading. It discusses how cable TV shows and internet sites helped this interest grow. It also looks at how people inside the stock market might try to manipulate the media and the public.
- Reality Show: Inside the Last Great Television News War (2007): This book tells the story of how TV networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS tried to make their evening news anchors more respected and popular. It focuses on anchors like Charles Gibson from ABC, Katie Couric from CBS, and Brian Williams from NBC.
- Media Madness: Donald Trump, The Press, And The War Over The Truth (2018): This book discusses the disagreements between Donald Trump and the news media during his first year as president. The book suggests that the media treated President Trump unfairly.
Personal Life
Howard Kurtz married Sheri Annis in May 2003. Sheri Annis is a media consultant and political commentator. She has worked on various political campaigns and initiatives.
Kurtz has chosen not to publicly state his political party. As a well-known media critic, people often discuss his political views and possible biases. Both liberal and conservative viewpoints have been seen in his writing.
