Prior to joining the network, the veteran journalist and renowned media reporter served as the host of CNN's weekly media criticism program, "Reliable Sources," since 1998. He was also the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for The Daily Beast and Newsweek writing on the intersection of politics and media. Previously, he spent 29 years at The Washington Post in various capacities. He became the media reporter for the paper in 1990 and wrote the weekly Media Notes column, which was one of the most widely read media columns in the industry for decades. He joined The Washington Post in 1981, after being hired by Bob Woodward, and went on to serve as a Justice Department and congressional reporter, New York bureau chief and deputy national editor before covering the media beat as a reporter, columnist, and blogger.
Kurtz is the author of six books, including his most recent Media Madness in 2018 as well as Reality Show – Inside the Last Great Television News War (2007), Media Circus (1993) and the New York Times bestseller Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine in 1998. A graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he also contributed to several magazines ranging from Vanity Fair to New York. He has received multiple awards for his extensive work in covering the media industry, including the National Press Club Award for Media Criticism in 2006. He also holds a B.A. in English and psychology from the University of Buffalo (SUNY).