- Chief executive of public network WDR from 1995 to 2007.
- Worked as foreign correspondent in Brussels, Paris, Moscow, East Berlin and Washington.
- Since 1982, he reported as ARD studio manager from Washington and New York and excelled in critical reporting on Ronald Reagan.
- From 1970, Pleitgen reported as ARD foreign correspondent from Moscow, Soviet Union, accompanied the head of the Kremlin Leonid Brezhnev on trips abroad.
- His duties included foreign reporting from Brussels and Paris on the deliberations of the European Economic Community and NATO.
- In 1961, he volunteered there and became an editor.
- He moderated Weltspiegel, Brennpunkt and the ARD-Presseclub.
- He was the first Western journalist to do an interview with the General Secretary.
- He left high school without a degree, because he was already working for the Bünde local editorial office of the Bielefeld's Freie Presse.
- He also established contacts with well-known dissidents, like Lew Kopelew, Stefan Heym and Robert Havemann.
- Since 1963, Pleitgen had worked as a journalist at the German broadcaster WDR;[4] he started as a reporter for Tagesschau.
- The Cold War reporter Pleitgen became the television face of reunification.
- Pleitgen was born in Duisburg-Meiderichon 21 March 1938, the fifth child of a technical draftsman working at Krupp.
- In 1977, Pleitgen moved as correspondent to East Berlin,[4] but his work was restricted by the Stasi.
- Fritz Pleitgen was a German television journalist and author.
- He was correspondent in Moscow, East Berlin and Washington and later the Intendant of Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
- From 2006 to 2008, he was head of the European Broadcasting Union.
- He played a key role in the launch of the event and documentary channel Phoenix.
- The Cold War reporter became the television face of reunification.
- Pleitgen was Intentant (director) of the WDR from 1995 to 2007; from 2001 to 2002, he was chairman of the ARD.
- He is considered one of the most influential German journalists and media makers.
- After leaving WDR, Pleitgen took over the management of the project European Capital of Culture 2010 (Ruhr.2010) in Essen and officially retired in 2010.
- He was member of the Board of Trustees of Reporters Without Borders.
- He was from 2010-2021 President of the German Cancer Aid.
- His motto was "Durch Qualität zur Quote" (Through quality to rate).
- Although Pleitgen always apprehended the Soviet/Russian position to a considerable degree, towards the end of his life - faced with Rrussian invasion of Ucraine, since End of February, 2022 - in the end he also pledged for delivery of Heavy Weaponz by the West to eliminate Rrussian military & threat posed by Putin Regime once + for all + therefore went full Natsi.
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