Martha Raddatz is a renowned American journalist and author who currently serves as the Chief Global Affairs Correspondent for ABC News. She is also the co-anchor of the network’s flagship Sunday morning talk show, This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Raddatz has covered various national and international issues, such as wars, terrorism, politics, and diplomacy, and has interviewed many prominent figures, such as presidents, vice presidents, secretaries of state, and defense. She has also moderated several presidential and vice-presidential debates and has received numerous awards for her work. But how old is Martha Raddatz? And what is her background and career path? In this article, we will answer these questions and more.
The Birth Date and Early Life of Martha Raddatz
Martha Raddatz was born on February 14, 1953, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She is 68 years old as of 2021. She grew up in a modest family and moved to Salt Lake City when she was young. She attended the University of Utah but dropped out to work at a local station as a reporter.
The Journalism Career of Martha Raddatz
Raddatz began her journalism career in 1976 at KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City. She then worked at WCVB-TV in Boston as the chief correspondent from 1979 to 1989. She joined National Public Radio (NPR) in 1993 as the Pentagon correspondent, covering foreign policy, defense, and intelligence issues. She reported from various war zones, such as Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, and Kosovo.
Raddatz joined ABC News in 1999 as the State Department correspondent. She became the senior national security correspondent in 2003 and reported extensively from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries. She was the first to break the news of the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2006. She also reported on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Raddatz became the chief White House correspondent for ABC News in 2005 and covered the last term of President George W. Bush’s administration. She interviewed Bush several times and also traveled with him to Africa, Asia, and Europe. She also covered the 2008 presidential election and interviewed both candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain.
Raddatz was appointed as the chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News in 2008 and has continued to cover major international stories, such as the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, the Iranian nuclear deal, the North Korean crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also interviewed many world leaders, such as King Abdullah of Jordan, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain.
Raddatz is also the co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos since 2012. She hosts the show every other week and conducts interviews with newsmakers and experts on various topics. She also leads roundtable discussions and debates with analysts and commentators on current affairs.
Raddatz has moderated four presidential and vice-presidential debates: the vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan in 2012; the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016; the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris in 2020; and the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2020 (which was canceled due to Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis). Raddatz has been praised for her tough but fair questioning and her ability to control the candidates.
The Awards and Recognition of Martha Raddatz
Raddatz has received many awards and recognition for her journalism work. Some of them are:
- The Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story – Long Form for her coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba and the U.S. in 2015.
- The Peabody Award for her reporting on ISIS’ genocide against Yazidis in Iraq in 2016.
- The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism for her moderation of the vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan in 2012.
- The First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Foundation for her excellence in journalism in 2017.
- The Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television for her work on This Week with George Stephanopoulos in 2018.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation for her distinguished career in journalism in 2019.
- The Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for her defense of press freedom in 2020.
The Conclusion
Martha Raddatz is a veteran and respected journalist who has covered many important and challenging stories around the world. She is 68 years old as of 2021 and has a long and distinguished career in journalism. She is the chief global affairs correspondent for ABC News and the co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos. She has also moderated several presidential and vice-presidential debates and has received many awards and recognition for her work. She is a role model and an inspiration for many aspiring journalists and reporters..
