David Franz Schoenbrun (March 15, 1915 – May 23, 1988) was an American
broadcast journalist.
Biography
Schoenbrun was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1915. He began his career teaching French and Spanish after graduating from City College in 1934.
Schoenbrun enlisted in the Army in 1943 and became a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
correspondent covering North Africa through to the liberation of France, for which he was decorated with the
Croix de Guerre and the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. Schoenbrun was recruited to
Camp Ritchie for his knowledge of French and is considered to be one of the
Ritchie Boys.
After the war, from 1947 to 1964, Schoenbrun worked for
CBS, serving primarily as the network's bureau chief in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he met and interviewed the President
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
a number of times. He was one of the reporters known as
Murrow's Boys.
In 1959, at the age of 44, Schoenbrun received the
Alfred I. duPont Award.
From the 1960s through the 1980s, Schoenbrun served as a news analyst for WNEW Radio in New York (now
WBBR) and other
Metromedia broadcast properties, and later for crosstown
WPIX Television and its
Independent Network News operation. In the mid-1970s, he served as a foreign affairs analyst for a short-lived public television channel in Los Angeles.
Schoenbrun is the author of ''On and Off the Air'', a personal account of the history of CBS News through the 1970s. Schoenbrun also wrote several books concerning World-War-II-era France and other works drawn from his experiences as a newsman.
Schoenbrun died of a heart attack in New York City, at the age of 73.
Bibliography
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See also
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Appeal of June 18
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoenbrun, David
1915 births
1988 deaths
American radio journalists
American television journalists
American reporters and correspondents
American broadcast news analysts
American male journalists
United States Army personnel of World War II
Ritchie Boys