Gerd Ruge

Gerd Ruge (9 August 1928 – 15 October 2021) was a German journalist, author and filmmaker. As a journalist he was associated with public broadcasters Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk (NWDR), ARD and WDR. Through his career spanning over 50 years, he reported from many countries including the former Soviet Union, China, the United States, and Afghanistan. He was the first German journalist with a visa to work in Yugoslavia, and the first correspondent for national television ARD in Moscow. He was ARD correspondent in the U.S. from 1964 and 1969, where he reported after the assassination of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Ruge summarised his reports in books such as Sibirisches Tagebuch ("Siberia Diary") and Russland: Portrait eines Nachbarn ("Russia: Portrait of a Neighbour") and Unterwegs: politische Erinnerungen ("On the way: political memories") Ruge co-founded the German chapter of Amnesty International in 1961. He was professor of television journalism at Munich's University of Television and Film. He received awards for journalism, peace movement and national merit including the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2014.