John McWethy served as the chief national security correspondent for ABC News from 1984 until his retirement in 2003
How Deep is America's Crisis?
A Conversation with Lee Hamilton
John F. McWethy ‘69 served as the chief national security correspondent for ABC News from 1984 until his retirement in 2003. McWethy was at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, when the building was struck by an American Airlines passenger plane. He was heavily involved in ABC News coverage of the aftermath, which included the U.S. war on terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. McWethy went to Tora Bora in Afghanistan – traveling with U.S. special operations teams there – as the hunt for Osama bin Laden continued.
McWethy joined ABC News in 1979 as chief Pentagon correspondent, covering the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. McWethy has received five National Emmy Awards for his participation in World News Tonight coverage of Sept. 11, 2001, ABC News millennium coverage and individual reporting on Ross Perot, the Persian Gulf War and the Soviet military. He also received an Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award, Overseas Press Club Award and other honors.
McWethy was graduated from DePauw in 1969 with a major in English composition, and he received an honorary Doctor of Journalism degree from the University in 2002. He also holds a master’s degree from Columbia University Pulitzer School of Journalism.
