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Obituaries

John McWethy | Ex-ABC reporter, 61

John McWethy, 61, a retired ABC News correspondent who had to flee the Pentagon after the 2001 attacks but continued reporting live, died Wednesday after a skiing accident in Keystone, Colo. Witnesses said Mr. McWethy was skiing fast on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into a tree, Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said. He died of blunt-force injuries, she said. Mr. McWethy and his wife, Laurie, moved to Boulder after he retired to be closer to ski slopes and golf courses, ABC News president David Westin said. Before then, Mr. McWethy had been ABC News' chief national security correspondent. He had to leave the Pentagon after a hijacked plane crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001, but he kept reporting from a nearby lawn, Westin recalled. "He was one of those very rare reporters who knew his beat better than anyone, and had developed more sources than anyone, and yet, kept his objectivity," Westin said. Mr. McWethy was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, DePauw University, and had a master's degree from Columbia University's journalism school. - AP

    Inquirer
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John McWethy, 61, a retired ABC News correspondent who had to flee the Pentagon after the 2001 attacks but continued reporting live, died Wednesday after a skiing accident in Keystone, Colo.

Witnesses said Mr. McWethy was skiing fast on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into a tree, Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said. He died of blunt-force injuries, she said.

Mr. McWethy and his wife, Laurie, moved to Boulder after he retired to be closer to ski slopes and golf courses, ABC News president David Westin said. Before then, Mr. McWethy had been ABC News' chief national security correspondent.

He had to leave the Pentagon after a hijacked plane crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001, but he kept reporting from a nearby lawn, Westin recalled. "He was one of those very rare reporters who knew his beat better than anyone, and had developed more sources than anyone, and yet, kept his objectivity," Westin said.

Mr. McWethy was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, DePauw University, and had a master's degree from Columbia University's journalism school.

- AP

    Inquirer