Peter Bergen is an award-winning American journalist and author renowned for being CNN’s National Security Analyst. He is also a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arizona and Vice President of the New America Foundation. Surprisingly, the media icon found his place in the limelight after Osama bin Laden’s first TV interview in 1997, where the militant leader revealed his plot to attack the United States. Berger has also interviewed American political figures such as Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Read on as we bring you his biography and other cool facts below.
The biography of Peter Bergen
Peter Bergen came into this world on the 12th day of December 1962. He was born to Sarah Elizabeth and her husband, Donald Thomas Bergen, in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and was raised Roman Catholic. . He spent his early years in London and completed his basic education at Ampleforth College located in North Yorkshire, London. He graduated there as one of the top students in his class, earning him a scholarship to study at New College, Oxford in 1981. He graduated there with a bachelor’s degree in modern history in 1985.
Shortly after graduation, Bergen began his journalism career at ABC News, working as a correspondent and analyst from 1985 to 1990. During his career at ABC, he traveled to Pakistan to cover a documentary about Afghan refugees. He has also anchored several documentaries on BBC Channel 4.
After leaving ABC in 1990, Peter Bergen was recruited by CNN where he held various positions; correspondent, analyst and producer. Besides CNN, he has also worked as a producer and presenter in other popular networks, such as Discovery, National Geographic and HBO. He has also been a guest writer for various mainstream publications, including Vanity Fair, Daily Telegraph, Washington Post, Time, New York Times, Guardian, and Wall Street Journal, among others.
5 essential facts you need to know
1. He produced his first TV interview in 1997
After joining CNN, Peter Bergen quickly rosethrough the ranks and in 1997 he was already a producer. He gained worldwide popularity after posting his first interview with Osama Bin Laden. Since then, he has produced a wide variety of documentaries, including Terror Nation, Kingdom of Cocaine, CNN and Time, and CNN Impact. For his unparalleled work, he was nominated for a number of Emmy awards and received the Edward R. Murrow Press Club Award in 1994.
2. He wrote seven books
In addition to his outstanding career in journalism, Peter Bergen is also a prolific writer. He is the author of seven books, including three New York Times bestsellers. He launched his first New York Times bestselling book, Holy War, Inc., in 2001. He later published a nonfiction book, The Bin Laden I Know, in 2006. Five years later, he publishes his third book, The Longest War: America’s Continuing Conflict with Al-Qaeda, which won him the Washington Institute’s Gold Award for Best Book on the Middle East.
His other publications include Manhunt, The Ten-Year Search for 9/11 Bin Laden in Abbottabad, United States of Jihad: An Investigation of American-Based Terrorists, Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy, and Talibanistan: negotiating the borders between terror, politics and religion.
3. He is currently Vice President of the New America Foundation.
Bergen has held several positions as a nonpartisan think tank in the United States. He currently serves as vice president of New America, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on national security studies, education, technology, health, asset building, and more. He is notably responsible for the Global Studies, International Security Program and Future of War Program.
4. He is married and has two children
Peter Bergen is married to a woman named Tresha Mabile. A graduate of American University, Tresha is both an American documentary and film producer and national security analyst. The pair reportedly met many years ago while visiting the Middle East. Together they have two children. a son named Pierre Bergen and a daughter named Grace Bergen.
5. His net worth
The award-winning journalist has been incredibly successful in his career, as evidenced by the many awards he has received. Because of this, Bergen would earn a salary that would be well over $300,000 a year. His net worth is further estimated to be in the millions, though the exact figure is not known.