August 8
Washington DC– The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) extends its sympathies to the family and friends of Peter Jennings, who died yesterday at age 67 from lung cancer. He was survived by his by his wife, Kayce Freed, his two children, Elizabeth, 25, and Christopher, 23, and his sister, Sarah Jennings.
Jennings led a distinguished career as journalist and anchor, through out which he reported extensively on issues concerning the Middle East and Arabs. In 1968, he established the first American television news bureau in the Arab world. Over the next seven years he served as bureau chief for Beirut, Lebanon, often providing the most comprehensive reports about the Lebanese civil war and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Later, his extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs would bring a unique perspective to his coverage of the Gulf War and war on Iraq.
ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said “Peter Jennings has made exceptionally valuable contributions to the field of journalism, and his work should serve as a role model for other journalists. ADC and the Arab-American community are saddened by this loss. I also commend ABC for supporting Peter Jennings’s commitment to balanced reporting, and hope that the network will continue in this tradition in its news coverage.”
Jennings joined ABC news in 1965 as the anchor of “Peter Jennings with the News.” In 1975, after his stint in the Middle East, he returned to Washington to become news anchor of ABC’s morning program “A.M. America”. Shortly thereafter, he was named ABC‘s Chief Foreign Correspondent, and then in 1978 went on to become foreign desk anchor for “World News Tonight.” In 1983, he was named anchor and senior editor of the news show, where he continued to serve for more than twenty years. For more information on Peter Jennings life and career visit
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1015438&page=1