Arthur Kent
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| Arthur Kent | |
| Born | December 27, 1953  Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada |
|---|---|
| Occupation | TV news journalist, politician |
Arthur Kent (born December 27, 1953 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian television journalist. He rose to international prominence during the 1991 Persian Gulf War during which he acquired the nickname "The Scud Stud". He is the brother of journalist Peter Kent.
Kent graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and worked as an independent journalist and later with Canadian media outlets during the 1980s.
He worked at NBC as a foreign correspondent and host of Dateline NBC from 1989 to 1992. After a contract dispute with NBC, he was fired in August 1992. He subsequently sued NBC for breach of contract, fraud, and defamation, a case that was settled in March 1994.[1] Under the terms of the agreement, NBC paid Kent an undisclosed amount, and retracted prior statements about Kent and the dispute. Kent also won the right to publish testimony and evidence from the discovery phase of the suit in his book, Risk and Redemption: Surviving The Network News Wars.[2] He subsequently returned to Canada to host the CBC's Man Alive. He also established his own film company, Fast Forward Films, in Britain.
Kent also has been working for BBC, The Observer and Maclean's for over twenty years. He has also hosted many History Channel shows such as History's Mysteries. One of his most notable documentaries is Afghanistan: Captives of the Warlords, shot secretly using a hidden camera. It shows life in Afghanistan under the repressive Taliban, contrasted against life under the much more lenient Northern Alliance. First broadcast by PBS in June 2001, an updated version received extensive broadcast on PBS affiliates and on the CBC following the September 11, 2001 attacks.[3] It received the Gold WorldMedal at the New York festivals, and a Golden Eagle award from CINE.[4]
In 2007 Kent launched Sky Reporter, an outlet for new & archived documentaries and short films. Composed of 1-2 minute pieces from Afghanistan, London, Bosnia, Iraq, and other places, Sky Reporter features Kent's independent reportage and commentary direct from the field.
He is a member of various media agencies:
- International Federation of Journalists
- Britain's National Union of Journalists
- PEN Canada
- Writer's Union of Canada
- Director of the Military Reporters and Editors of America
- co-founder of TVNewscan, a project of The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs
In November 2007, Kent was chosen by local party members as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the Alberta provincial riding of Calgary Currie. In the March 3, 2008 election he lost to incumbent Dave Taylor.
In 2008, Kent sued the makers of Charlie Wilson's War claiming that the movie used material Kent produced in the 1980s without permission[5].
[edit] References
- ^ Hilton, Andrew. "The Scud Stud has Come Home", Spring 1994. Ryerson Review of Journalism. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ Canadian Research Media Consortium. Arthur Kent: Biography. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Filmakers Library. Afghanistan: Captives of the Warlords. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ AEI Speakers Bureau. Arthur Kent. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
- ^ Globe and Mail, "Charlie Wilson's intellectual-property war" April 26, 2008
