Gordon Peterson is the dean of Washington anchors. He has more than 37 years of experience covering news in the nation’s capital and is currently senior correspondent and anchor of ABC7/WJLA-TV's News at 6 p.m. He’s also moderator and producer of the nationally-distributed political roundtable 'Inside Washington.' Peterson came to ABC7 from WUSA-TV9, where he covered each of the Democratic and Republican National convention and major presidential primaries since 1972, as well as a number of presidential debates. Peterson is an award-winning news anchor, reporter, writer, and producer whose documentary work has taken him to Northern Ireland, Israel, South Africa, Nicaragua, El Salvador, France, Rome, Cambodia, and Kuwait. He has several Emmy Awards for writing and producing documentaries and series such as 'Journey to Normandy,' marking the 50th Anniversary of D-Day; 'The Cambodian People: No Place to Call Home,' dealing with Cambodian refugees and 'Faces of Israel,' about the impact of war in Lebanon on Israelis and Palestinians. Peterson’s award-winning series, 'Triana, Alabama: A Bad Case of the DDT's,' chronicled the struggle of a small, predominantly African-American community exposed to DDT by a local chemical plant. A former U.S. Marine Officer, Peterson often reports on problems and challenges facing the U.S. military and veterans, including the case of a blind veteran who committed suicide after his benefits were cut off. Peterson has reported, too, on the financial struggles enlisted personnel face in trying to house their families in the Washington area and on U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq after combat without the appropriate body and vehicle armor. Peterson is the recipient of the Veteran's Administration Involvement award and has been the guest of honor at the Marine Corps War Memorial Sunset Parade. Prior to his television career, Peterson covered news and sports for then CBS-owned WEEI radio in Boston, Massachusetts and for CBS radio. Prior to that, he was News Director for the CBS-affiliate WNEB radio in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and attended Georgetown University. Peterson’s Emmy Award-winning 'Children of Belfast,' studied the youngest and most vulnerable generations at the height of conflict in Northern Ireland in the late 1970s. Peterson returned two decades later to examine the impact of the cease-fire on their children. 'Lessons of Peace' garnered three Emmy Awards. Peterson's productions have won first place awards in the Chicago International Film Festival as well as a CINE Golden Eagle award. He's also received a number of Society of Professional Journalists Dateline awards. A member of the 'Society of Professional Journalists' Hall of Fame, Peterson is the recipient of the prestigious Ted Yates Memorial award as an 'Outstanding Journalist of Exceptional Merit,' an award given only by unanimous vote of the board of directors of the Washington Chapter of the National Academy of the Television Arts and Sciences.
2007 Gordon Peterson
Gordon Peterson / ABC7/WJLA-TV