Bernard Kalb, Founding ‘Reliable Sources’ Host and Journalist, Dies at 100

The veteran journalist also worked for the U.S. State Department under the Reagan administration

Bernard Kalb
Montgomery College/YouTube

Bernard Kalb, a veteran journalist and the first anchor of the CNN series “Reliable Sources,” died on Sunday at the age of 100.

Kalb died at his home in Maryland. The Washington Post first reported his death from complications after a fall.

Kalb was the founding anchor and panelist on CNN’s weekly series “Reliable Sources” when it launched in 1993, remaining in the post until 1998. He was succeeded by Howard Kurtz, who was then succeeded by Brian Stelter until the show was canceled in August 2022.

Before “Reliable Sources,” Kalb built an esteemed career as a journalist, working for the New York Times, CBS News and NBC News with a particular interest in international affairs.

After traveling with Henry Kissinger on diplomatic missions alongside his brother, journalist Marvin Kalb, the Kalb brothers wrote the 1974 biography “Kissinger, A Biography.”

Kalb was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in 1984 for the U.S. State Department under Ronald Reagan’s administration. Kalb later quit when Bob Woodward revealed a secret plan from the White House that aimed to plant false information in the U.S. media in order to weaken Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, saying he knew nothing of it.

Kalb spent his later years as a moderator and lecturer.

Comments