Chris Liebold
Berlin, December 18, 2025 — On Deutschlandradio Kultur, retired media professor Martin Löffelholz from Technische Universität Ilmenau, spoke about the significance of the recently deceased, internationally renowned war reporter Peter Arnett.
During the live interview, Löffelholz discussed Arnett's journalistic achievements and his role in reporting on the Second Gulf War in 1991. This war marked a turning point in how wars were portrayed in the media. Löffelholz emphasized that Arnett's live reports from Baghdad were the first round-the-clock war reports. These reports played a decisive role in CNN's rise and the beginning of the 24/7 news cycle.
He also discussed the structural challenges of modern war reporting and the influence of social media and artificial intelligence. The interview makes clear that Arnett should be understood less as an individual and more as a key figure in a fundamental change in war and crisis reporting—a change whose consequences continue to shape journalism today.