NEW YORK — Called urgently from his comfortable couch to report on a plane accident in Washington last week, CNN’s Pete Muntean swiftly arrived to deliver his first of 24 live updates over the span of just 48 hours. Utilizing a model airplane and helicopter for illustrative purposes at one point, he also labeled former President Trump as “unhinged” for suggesting that workplace diversity played a role in the incident.
While many may be familiar with Muntean’s face now, some viewers might still ask: Who exactly is Pete Muntean?
In his capacity as CNN’s aviation correspondent and a pilot himself, Muntean has flown near the very location of the recent tragedy that claimed 67 lives. His journey embodies the evolution of a once crucial specialty in journalism. The landscape has changed significantly, evidenced by a decline in reporters who specialize exclusively in this intricate and technical beat. The transformation is attributed to the changing nature of the news industry and the general improvement in aviation safety.
Bill Adair, a previous reporter who penned a book titled “The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Crash Investigation” about a 1994 crash that resulted in the loss of 132 lives, explains, “I realized that planes weren’t crashing and I needed a new beat. That’s a good thing.” Adair later pivoted to covering politics and later founded the fact-checking site PolitiFact.
Muntean, 36, was destined for this line of work, being the son of two pilots. The unfortunate passing of his mother, Nancy Lynn, in a plane crash at a Virginia air show when Muntean was just 18 years old, only solidified his connection to aviation. He was serving as the MC for the show at that time. Shortly after the tragedy, he successfully completed his first solo flight and currently keeps an aircraft at a small airport in Maryland, flying whenever he can. “I don’t think I could ever leave it,” Muntean expressed. “I love flying more than anything, and the next best thing is talking about it.”
Part of his role involves translating complex aviation jargon into plain language that the general public can understand. Muntean is aware of the heavy responsibility he carries when covering aviation-related tragedies. He humorously noted, “I feel like I’m the guy who makes people afraid of flying, which is a real drag.”
Though aviation is his primary focus, Muntean’s beat has expanded to encompass broader transportation topics. Similarly, other seasoned journalists in the field also juggle multiple areas; for example, Tom Costello of NBC News covers both aviation and cybersecurity, while Jon Scott of Fox News is primarily an anchor but actively engages in significant aviation stories. Additionally, the New York Times allocates responsibilities among various reporters focusing on aviation, transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, and consumer airline issues.
The reduction of specialized journalists comes amidst wider job cuts in the news field. Jon Ostrower, who has reported on the aviation industry for prominent outlets and currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Air Current, observes, “There are a lot of good reporters that cover aviation, but they are fewer than ever.”
The economic pressures faced by the news industry have resulted in fewer specialists in various sectors. As the last major commercial plane crash in the U.S. occurred back in 2009, the decreased frequency of such events translates into limited opportunities for specialized coverage. Adair sympathizes with editors who must allocate restricted resources, noting, “If you have limited resources, there is not a lot of merit in putting a reporter on a beat where things are working well.”
A trend toward consolidation in airline ownership has led to fewer well-informed reporters at regional newspapers as they are often relegated to covering the local branch of the larger airline. Furthermore, the availability of extensive flight-tracking resources such as Flightradar24 has led to an influx of amateur investigators online, often diluting informed reporting. That’s coupled with a lack of training resources for journalists covering aviation, which used to be provided by companies like Boeing and Pratt & Whitney.
Experts suggest that the reduction in specialized aviation journalists won’t be immediately evident following the Washington crash but will become apparent in the months to follow as investigators delve into mechanical issues and safety policies that require scrutiny to avert future incidents.
As veteran science reporter Miles O’Brien puts it, “We’ve witnessed the dismantling of the department store approach to news. Everyone has a little boutique now. You can find experts, but it is incumbent upon the consumer to find trusted sources.”
Both O’Brien and Ostrower, who have faced layoffs at CNN, share a unique connection, as O’Brien has been following Muntean’s progress as his former intern. Though cutbacks have limited O’Brien’s regular job, he continues to contribute to news coverage when needed. Recently, he made appearances related to the Washington crash. O’Brien, who lost his left arm in an accident in 2014, has been actively engaging in conversations around disability representation in the aerial industry and resumed flying this year.
