Marcus Weisgerber ’04 says what first drew him to covering the Pentagon was that fact that he could work in the nation’s capital.
“At first, it was just a journalism job in Washington,” says Weisgerber. “I knew little about the military and absolutely nothing about the bureaucracy that runs it, but it seemed like an incredibly important beat, particularly at a time when two wars were being fought. It didn’t take long before I realized my stories were having an impact and influencing policy decisions inside the Pentagon.”
Weisgerber, the global business reporter for Defense One, is the 2016 Donald M. Murray Journalist. He will give a talk titled “How ISIS is Changing the Way Journalists Cover War” on Tuesday, March 1 at 5 p.m. in MUB I.
While on campus he will visit journalism classes and meet with the staff of The New Hampshire.
The biggest challenge of his job, says Weisgerber, is “tracking down information within an establishment that is culturally secretive. Getting people trust you and building trusted relationships with sources is key to success. Also, learning new information every day. There are so many layers to the military, learning the subcultures, which means learning new things every day.’
He adds that one of the best things about his job is “Getting to write articles that have impact on everything from foreign policy to military spending levels – all issues that could impact millions of people. And because no two days are ever alike. Getting to see corners of the world I would never have dreamed of seeing isn’t so bad either.”
The Journalism Program alum has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, and often travels with the defense secretary and other senior U.S. military officials. He writes about global military operations, arms sales and policy.
He is the vice president of the Pentagon Press Association. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NPR, BBC World Service, WABC, WBAL, WJLA, Monocle 24 and other nationally syndicated television and radio programs.
Before joining Defense One, Weisgerber was senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News and chief editor of Inside the Air Force.
While at Foster’s Daily Democrat, Weisgerber embedded with the New Hampshire National Guard covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans.
His work has been published in Newsday, Yahoo! Sports, Air Force Magazine and Flight International.
Weisgerber lives in Washington where he still plays hockey.
