Mark Knoller, the longtime CBS News White House correspondent who became a legend among Washington journalists, died Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Washington, D.C. He was 73.
CBS News confirmed his death, noting that Knoller had been in ill health and suffered from diabetes. No specific cause of death was disclosed.
Knoller worked as a CBS News editor and radio reporter from 1988 to 2020, covering eight presidential administrations during his tenure. He reported on the final year of President George H.W. Bush’s term and both full terms of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as the first term of President Donald Trump.
Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, described Knoller as “the hardest-working and most prolific White House correspondent of a generation.” Cibrowski noted that everyone in America knew his distinctive voice and his up-to-the-minute reporting across eight presidential administrations.
Knoller earned recognition as the unofficial presidential historian and statistician among the White House press corps. Driven by frustration over the absence of a unified record of daily presidential activities, he took it upon himself to carefully log every action, movement, and remark made by the president, ultimately filling what colleagues saw as a major gap in the nation’s historical record.
The veteran correspondent maintained comprehensive daily logs of presidential activities, including speeches, travel schedules, outings, golf games, pardons, vetoes, and visits to various states. He also tracked every presidential vacation and visit to Camp David. Although he worked in the highly competitive field of journalism, Knoller freely offered his extensive database to anyone who asked, from reporters racing against deadlines to historians and even White House staff seeking to fill in gaps in their own administration’s records.
Born February 20, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York, Knoller set his sights on a journalism career from a young age. After graduating from New York University, he began his career as an intern and copy boy at WNEW Radio in New York, eventually working his way up to weekend reporter.
In 1975, Knoller joined the Associated Press Radio Network as a reporter, where he remained for 13 years. His career took a pivotal turn in 1988 during a trip to Helsinki and Moscow with then-Secretary of State George Schultz, when he met CBS News producer Susan Zirinsky. She offered him a position as assignment editor at the CBS News Washington Bureau.
However, Knoller found himself miserable in the assignment editor role, preferring to cover news rather than send others to do so. CBS News subsequently offered him what he considered his dream job as White House correspondent for CBS Radio, a position that earned him numerous prestigious journalism awards.
During his final decade at CBS News, Knoller’s career took an unexpected turn when vocal issues began affecting his radio broadcast capabilities. He adapted by embracing social media, particularly Twitter, where he became well-known for sharing White House news, statistics, and entertaining commentary. His following grew to nearly 300,000 followers on the platform.
Colleagues across the media landscape praised Knoller’s dedication and generosity. Major Garrett, CBS News’ chief White House correspondent, said Knoller set the standard for documenting and reporting on the presidency, calling him the most committed, persistent, and clear-minded journalist he had ever encountered.
Jim Axelrod, chief investigative correspondent for CBS News, emphasized that Knoller’s generosity toward colleagues surpassed even his impressive sweep of knowledge about the White House and presidency. He indicated that Knoller always responded with kindness, class, and a sincere desire to help.
CBS News senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell praised Knoller as unparalleled, calling him a legendary figure in White House journalism and a genuine pleasure to be around. She noted that his work was his life and praised his kindness, humor, and graciousness in sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the presidency.
Beyond CBS News, journalists from competing networks paid tribute to Knoller’s professionalism and dedication. ABC’s Jonathan Karl described him as a longtime pillar of the White House press corps and a true legend, noting that he reported facts without revealing personal political views. NBC News correspondent Kelly O’Donnell praised his impressive archive of presidential facts that truly serve history.
White House Correspondents Association President Weijia Jiang described Knoller as the heart and soul of the White House press corps, bringing unmatched passion to a beat he loved. She emphasized that he was not just one of the most trusted voices covering the presidency but also a colleague others could always count on for help, perspective, or humor.
Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary under President Bush from 2001 to 2003, called Knoller “a gem of a man and the definition of what a good reporter should be.” Fleischer noted that Knoller never betrayed any bias or personal views, representing what he considered the last generation of reporters who viewed their job as simply telling the news without revealing personal thoughts.
