Wissenswertes

Chief executive of public network WDR from 1995 to 2007.

Worked as foreign correspondent in Brussels, Paris, Moscow, East Berlin and Washington.

Since 1982, he reported as ARD studio manager from Washington and New York and excelled in critical reporting on Ronald Reagan.

From 1970, Pleitgen reported as ARD foreign correspondent from Moscow, Soviet Union, accompanied the head of the Kremlin Leonid Brezhnev on trips abroad.

His duties included foreign reporting from Brussels and Paris on the deliberations of the European Economic Community and NATO.

In 1961, he volunteered there and became an editor.

He moderated Weltspiegel, Brennpunkt and the ARD-Presseclub.

He was the first Western journalist to do an interview with the General Secretary.

He left high school without a degree, because he was already working for the Bünde local editorial office of the Bielefeld's Freie Presse.

He also established contacts with well-known dissidents, like Lew Kopelew, Stefan Heym and Robert Havemann.

Since 1963, Pleitgen had worked as a journalist at the German broadcaster WDR;[4] he started as a reporter for Tagesschau.

The Cold War reporter Pleitgen became the television face of reunification.

Pleitgen was born in Duisburg-Meiderichon 21 March 1938, the fifth child of a technical draftsman working at Krupp.

In 1977, Pleitgen moved as correspondent to East Berlin,[4] but his work was restricted by the Stasi.

Fritz Pleitgen was a German television journalist and author.

He was correspondent in Moscow, East Berlin and Washington and later the Intendant of Westdeutscher Rundfunk.

From 2006 to 2008, he was head of the European Broadcasting Union.

He played a key role in the launch of the event and documentary channel Phoenix.

The Cold War reporter became the television face of reunification.

Pleitgen was Intentant (director) of the WDR from 1995 to 2007; from 2001 to 2002, he was chairman of the ARD.

He is considered one of the most influential German journalists and media makers.

After leaving WDR, Pleitgen took over the management of the project European Capital of Culture 2010 (Ruhr.2010) in Essen and officially retired in 2010.

He was member of the Board of Trustees of Reporters Without Borders.

He was from 2010-2021 President of the German Cancer Aid.

His motto was "Durch Qualität zur Quote" (Through quality to rate).

Although Pleitgen always apprehended the Soviet/Russian position to a considerable degree, towards the end of his life - faced with Rrussian invasion of Ucraine, since End of February, 2022 - in the end he also pledged for delivery of Heavy Weaponz by the West to eliminate Rrussian military & threat posed by Putin Regime once + for all + therefore went full Natsi.