Los Angeles Times Features Fox News Anchor Bret Baier '92

August 9, 2015

Of Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier, today's Los Angeles Times notes, "The 45-year-old graduate of DePauw University in Indiana anchors Special Report, a serious, straight-ahead rendering of Washington news followed by a political panel discussion known for its civility in an arena famous for shouting matches. Baier, who is also chief political anchor, was never seen in Daily Show host Jon Stewart's polemics about Fox News' over-the-top talking heads."

The story by Stephen Battaglio details how Baier prepared for Thursday's debate between ten Republican presidential contenders, a session the 1992 DePauw graduate co-moderated.

"Judging from the ratings -- a record 24 million viewers watched the debate -- and positive reviews that came from well outside of the usual conservative fans of the channel, the preparation and perhaps the praying paid off," Battaglio writes. "Baier believed he had a 'blowtorch' to start off the debate when he asked for a pledge by all the candidates to not mount a third-party challenge if they were not chosen as the nominee. He ended up with an instant headline within a few minutes when Trump refused to make that pledge."

You'll find the complete article -- headlined "Fox anchor Bret Baier was prepared for the best and worst in GOP debate" -- here.

Also available is this recent summary.

An English (composition) and political science double major at DePauw, Baier captained the Tiger golf team and was among the first students to work in the then-new Center for Contemporary Media. While a DePauw student, he interned with Bernard Shaw at CNN and landed his first professional job at WJWJ-TV (PBS) in Beaufort, South Carolina. He also worked at WREX (NBC) in Rockford, Illinois, and WRAL (CBS) in Raleigh, North Carolina, before joining Fox. Baier authored Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage, and Love.

Bret Baier returned to DePauw for Old Gold Weekend on October 12, 2013. He spoke as part of the Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Series and received the University's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

The talk is summarized here; a video montage is embedded below.