Bret Baier
Encyclopedia
Bret Baier is an American journalist and the host of Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel
. He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pentagon
correspondent.
affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina
. He sent an audition tape to Fox News in 1998, and was hired as the network's Atlanta bureau chief. On September 11, 2001, he drove from Georgia to Arlington, Virginia to cover the attack on the Pentagon
. He never returned to the Atlanta bureau and was instead tapped as the network's Pentagon correspondent, remaining at the post for five years and taking 11 trips to Afghanistan
and 13 trips to Iraq
. He became Fox News's White House
correspondent in 2007, covering the administration of George W. Bush. In the fall of 2007, he began substituting for Brit Hume
, then the anchor of Special Report, on Fridays.
On December 23, 2008, Brit Hume
anchored his final show and announced Baier would replace him as anchor of Special Report. He hosted his first show as permanent anchor on January 5, 2009.
A Freedom of Information Act request filed to investigate alleged anti-Fox News bias in the Barack Obama administration revealed an internal email from the White House communications office, dated October 23, 2009, that referred to Baier as a "lunatic." The aide who sent the email later apologized to Baier.
, a private Catholic high school in Atlanta, graduating in 1988. Baier then attended DePauw University
, graduating in 1992. He is a member of Sigma Chi
fraternity
.
Baier is a Roman Catholic and attends Holy Trinity Catholic Church
in Georgetown
.
Baier and his wife Amy have two sons, Paul and Daniel. Paul was born with heart
defects. Before Paul had open-heart surgery, President George W. Bush
invited Baier and his wife and son to the Oval Office
for a visit and had the White House physician
update him on Paul's progress.
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. He previously worked as the network's Chief White House Correspondent and Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
correspondent.
Career
Baier began his television career with the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He sent an audition tape to Fox News in 1998, and was hired as the network's Atlanta bureau chief. On September 11, 2001, he drove from Georgia to Arlington, Virginia to cover the attack on the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. He never returned to the Atlanta bureau and was instead tapped as the network's Pentagon correspondent, remaining at the post for five years and taking 11 trips to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and 13 trips to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He became Fox News's White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
correspondent in 2007, covering the administration of George W. Bush. In the fall of 2007, he began substituting for Brit Hume
Brit Hume
Brit Hume is an American television journalist and political commentator.For twenty years he was a correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, including Chief White House Correspondent. He then spent ten years as the Washington, D.C. managing editor of the Fox News Channel and the anchor...
, then the anchor of Special Report, on Fridays.
On December 23, 2008, Brit Hume
Brit Hume
Brit Hume is an American television journalist and political commentator.For twenty years he was a correspondent for the American Broadcasting Company, including Chief White House Correspondent. He then spent ten years as the Washington, D.C. managing editor of the Fox News Channel and the anchor...
anchored his final show and announced Baier would replace him as anchor of Special Report. He hosted his first show as permanent anchor on January 5, 2009.
A Freedom of Information Act request filed to investigate alleged anti-Fox News bias in the Barack Obama administration revealed an internal email from the White House communications office, dated October 23, 2009, that referred to Baier as a "lunatic." The aide who sent the email later apologized to Baier.
Personal life
Baier attended Marist SchoolMarist School (Georgia)
Marist School is an independent private Roman Catholic college preparatory school located in the Brookhaven area of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, north of the city of Atlanta...
, a private Catholic high school in Atlanta, graduating in 1988. Baier then attended DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
, graduating in 1992. He is a member of Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
Baier is a Roman Catholic and attends Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Holy Trinity Church of Georgetown
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, was established in 1794 and is located at 3513 N Street, N.W. between 35th and 36th Streets, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., in the United States...
in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
.
Baier and his wife Amy have two sons, Paul and Daniel. Paul was born with heart
Human heart
The human heart is a muscular organ that provides a continuous blood circulation through the cardiac cycle and is one of the most vital organs in the human body...
defects. Before Paul had open-heart surgery, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
invited Baier and his wife and son to the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
for a visit and had the White House physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
update him on Paul's progress.