Share

Steve Kroft biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

Best Known For

Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes.

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Synopsis

Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes. As a young man, Kroft served in Vietnam and was assigned to escorting TV crews while they documented the front-lines. Inspired by their work, Kroft signed on with the paper Stars and Stripes. After the war, he worked for a local news station, studied journalism at Columbia, and eventually landed a job at CBS.

Early Life

Journalist. Born August 22, 1945, in Kokomo, Indiana. Steve Kroft's father, Fred Kroft, was a metallurgist who worked for the Union Carbide Corporation, a prominent chemicals company. Kroft's father was also an enthusiastic and talented golfer who had starred on Purdue University's golf team, and the sport became Steve's childhood obsession. "I started playing when I was 12," he recalls. "My father was a very good golfer and he got me started early. My grandfather played too. It was just something that the Kroft family did."Kroft played on the golf team at Kokomo High School and, upon graduating in 1963, he enrolled at Syracuse University, where he also played the sport competitively. While at Syracuse, Kroft also developed a new passion—journalism. Kroft began studying the subject at the famed journalism department of Syracuse's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.


Vietnam

After graduating with his bachelor's of science in 1967, Kroft was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in the Vietnam War. He was assigned to the information office of the 25th Infantry Division, where his tasks included escorting television crews while they documented the front-lines. While on duty, Kroft met many prominent journalists, including his 60 Minutes predecessor Morley Shafer. "I ran into Morley very briefly in Cu Chi in 1970," Kroft later recalled. "He does not remember, but his mere presence scared the daylights out of all the brass. I'm sure they must have had something to hide." While still on active duty, Kroft began working as a correspondent and photographer for Stars and Stripes, the independent newspaper operating within the Defense Department. Kroft gained a lot of field experience at Stars and Stripes, including a chance to cover the Vietnam War, an event which he referred to as "the biggest story of my generation."

News Correspondent

After leaving the army in 1971, Kroft returned to Syracuse, New York, where he worked for local television news station WSYR-TV. After several years in that job, Kroft decided to return to school for further journalism training. He attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and graduated with a master's degree in 1975. "I knew I wanted to become a network correspondent eventually," he later remembered, "and thought a year in New York at Columbia would improve my credentials if, and when, the opportunity presented itself." After graduating from Columbia, Kroft moved to Florida, where he worked as a reporter for two prominent local news channels: Miami's WPLG-TV and Jacksonville's WJXT-TV.

ADVERTISEMENT
22050 22050
profile id: 22050
profile name: Steve Kroft
profile occupation:
related profile id: 22050
related profile name: Steve Kroft
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/K/Steve-Kroft-22050-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/steve-kroft-22050
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups

    See all related groups

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!