Michael Brunson
{{Short description|British political journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Michael Brunson
| birth_name = Michael John Brunson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1940|08|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Norwich, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| nationality = British
| known_for = Fmr. ITN Political Editor
Fmr. ITN Diplomatic Editor
Fmr. ITN Washington Correspondent
Journalist and author
| education = Bedford School, Bedfordshire
(independent boarding school)
The Queen's College at the University of Oxford
| occupation = Journalist, correspondent, political presenter
}}
Michael John Brunson OBE (born 12 August 1940, in Norwich) is a British broadcasting political journalist of over thirty years' standing. He is a former Political Editor, Diplomatic Editor and Washington Correspondent of Independent Television News, and an occasional ITN newscaster.
Early life
Education
Brunson was educated at Bedford School, a boarding independent school for boys, in the county town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, and read Theology at The Queen's College at the University of Oxford.
Life and career
Brunson began his broadcasting career at the BBC. He joined ITN in 1968 and in 1971 covered the Bangladesh Liberation War and wrote a testimony about the death, starvation and suffering of refugees in West Bengal.{{cn|date=February 2025}}
In 1973, Brunson became ITN Washington Correspondent, where he remained until 1977, covering Watergate and the 1976 US presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He was ITN Diplomatic Editor from 1978 to 1986, attending every major international summit meeting.{{cn|date=February 2025}}
In 1986, Brunson became ITN Political Editor, a role for which he is perhaps best known,{{cite news |title=And finally Michael Brunson signs off from ITN |author=Jojo Moyes |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/and-finally-michael-brunson-signs-off-from-itn-724390.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=9 March 2000 |accessdate=8 September 2011}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and as an occasional ITN newscaster on the-then News at 5:45 and News at Ten.Who's Who on Television 1990. Publisher: Boxtree Ltd. and ITV Publications Ltd. Published: 1990. Retrieved: 22 January 2013.
Brunson retired from ITN in March 2000 after 32 years' service with ITN. Since then, he has regularly appeared as a political commentator on Sky News, GMTV and elsewhere. He was appointed OBE in 2000{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/793844.stm |title=Caine heads birthday honours list |date=17 June 2000 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=8 September 2011}} and lives in Letheringsett in Norfolk.{{cite news |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/historic_letheringsett_venue_set_for_centenary_celebrations_1_480366 |title=Historic Letheringsett venue set for centenary celebrations |first=Tracey |last=Gray |date=6 May 2010 |accessdate=9 September 2013 |work=EDP24 |publisher= Archant Community Media Ltd}}
Brunson's autobiography, A Ringside Seat, was published in 2000.{{cite news |author=Steve Richards |date=1 May 2000 |title=Ringside seat |newspaper=New Statesman |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200005010055 |url-status=dead |accessdate=8 September 2011 |archive-date=1 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101120521/http://www.newstatesman.com/200005010055 }}
Publications
- A Ringside Seat (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., London, 2000)
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{succession box | before=Glyn Mathias | title=Political Editor of ITN| years=1986–2000 | after=John Sergeant}}
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Category:Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford
Category:British political journalists
Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Category:People educated at Bedford School