Martin Bashir

An international broadcast journalist known for his focus on salacious stories of the day and a deceptively genteel demeanor, Martin Bashir rose to prominence by landing two of the most coveted, exclusive interviews at the turn of the millennium. Bashir first gained international attention with his momentous tell-all interview with Princess Diana for the British news program "Panorama" (BBC, 1953- ) in 1995. After delving into dozens more scandalous stories in the U.K., he garnered even more notice - as well as considerable criticism - for his two-hour documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" (ABC, 2003), characterized by more than one pundit as a shamelessly self-serving ambush attack on an all-too-trusting celebrity. So damaging was the interview to the King of Pop's already tarnished image, that the Jackson camp made the unprecedented move of firing back with a documentary of their own, "The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See" (Fox, 2003). By then one of the more recognizable names in television news, Bashir joined "Nightline" (ABC, 1980- ) in 2005, then jumped to a competing network for duties on "Dateline" (NBC, 1992- ), in addition to a show of his own, "Martin Bashir" (MSNBC, 2011- ), in 2010. Equal parts investigative reporter, agent provocateur and self-promoter, Bashir firmly established himself alongside the likes of Geraldo Rivera on the landscape of American broadcast journalism.