Robert Zelnick

Robert (Bob) Zelnick''' is Chairman of the Department of Journalism at Boston University and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. From 1978 to 1998, he worked in various correspondent roles at ABC News.

In 1976 Robert Zelnick was "signed on as executive editor for British talk show host David Frost’s televised interviews with disgraced former president Richard Nixon." The Nixon interviews were a huge success and led to a play and a major Hollywood motion picture in 2008 titled "Frost Nixon" in which the Zelnick character was played by Oliver Platt.

In May 2003, Zelnick accused former ABC anchor Peter Jennings of "attempt[ing] to insert his left of center editorial slant into correspondents’ news copy."

In 1999, Zelnick wrote the book Gore: A Political Life (Regnery Publishing, ISBN 0895263262). Zelnick claimed that a dispute over the book forced him to leave ABC News.

In December 2001 Zelnick wrote that "the press does have its role to play in a democracy, even during a time of war. That role is different from those of political or military institutions. The press cannot cease to ask questions and must view bland accounts of progress with skepticism. It cannot become a willing agent of disinformation in what the military euphemistically calls 'the information war.'"

Affiliations

 * Citizens' Initiative on Race and Ethnicity, Committee member. (This group is a joint project of two conservative think tanks, the Hoover Institution and the Manhattan Institute).

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Pentagon military analyst program

Biographical Notes

 * Boston University College of Communication, "Robert Zelnick: Professor of Journalism", Boston University, accessed April 2008.
 * "Robert Zelnick: Profile", Guardian Unlimited, undated, accessed April 2008.

Articles by Zelnick

 * "Robert Zelnick", Guardian Unlimited, undated, accessed April 2008. (This is an archive of Zelnick's articles).
 * "By Robert Zelnick", Hoover Institution, accessed April 2008. (This is an archive of Zelnick's articles).
 * Zelnick, Robert The War This Time: Should war with Iraq come, how will it differ from the last conflict in the Persian Gulf?, Hoover Digest, 2003, Number 1.
 * Zelnick, Robert War with Iraq: Aftermath. The military campaign? That was the easy part, Hoover Digest, 2003, Number 2.
 * Zelnick, Robert Iraq: More at Stake Than Vietnam. How Not to Lose This War, Hoover Digest, 2004, Number 3
 * Zelnick, Robert Baker's recipe for disaster: The Iraq Study Group's proposals would lead to savage fighting and continued political meltdown, Guardian Unlimited, November 30, 2006.
 * Zelnick, Robert Iraq: Last Chance, Real Clear Politics, January 9, 2007.
 * "Government Curries Favor With Military News Analysts" (transcript), PBS Online NewsHour, April 24, 2008. Includes debate between Zelnick and John Stauber about the Pentagon military analyst program.