Michael Getler (November 13, 1935 – March 15, 2018) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

Biography

Getler was

ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

for the

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educa ...

in the United States. He was the first holder of this post, and the first ombudsman to be appointed at any of the major American

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid ...

s. His previous posts included ombudsman at the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' from 2000 to 2005 and executive

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

at the ''

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...

'' from 1996 to 2000. Prior to those positions, he was a reporter (covering defense and military affairs), foreign correspondent, foreign editor, assistant managing editor and deputy managing editor for the ''Washington Post'' from 1970 to 1996. According to the Family Jewels documents, he was under surveillance by the CIA in 1971 for having "run a story which was an obvious intelligence leak". Prior to the start of his journalism career, Getler was a United States naval aviator. Getler died of

bile duct cancer Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stool ...

in Washington, D.C., at the age of 82.

References

External links

PBS biography
* 1935 births 2018 deaths American male journalists Journalists from New York City Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. 20th-century American journalists Deaths from cholangiocarcinoma The Washington Post journalists PBS people International Herald Tribune people Writers from the Bronx Military personnel from New York City United States Naval Aviators {{US-tv-journalist-stub