Mark Knoller, 73, Longtime CBS News White House Correspondent, Passes Away

Washington D.C. – Mark Knoller, the revered longtime White House correspondent for CBS News, died on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at the age of 73. Knoller was widely known for his meticulous record-keeping of presidential activities, earning him the moniker "the unofficial presidential historian and statistician" among his colleagues and the press corps. The news of his passing was shared by journalist Yashar Ali on social media, who stated, "Mark Knoller, the longtime White House correspondent and presidential record/data keeper, has died. He was 73."

Knoller's distinguished career in journalism spanned five decades, with a significant portion dedicated to CBS News from 1988 until his departure in 2020. He began his career at WNEW Radio in New York and later worked for the Associated Press Radio Network before joining CBS. As a CBS Radio correspondent, he covered eight presidential administrations, from George H.W. Bush to Donald Trump.

He gained widespread recognition for his self-imposed task of documenting every detail of presidential life, from speeches and travel to golf outings. Knoller explained his process: "I keep a daily log of everything the president does. I keep a list of speeches. I keep a list of travel — foreign travel, domestic travel. A list of outings. A list of golf." This extensive database, compiled through his diligent work, was generously shared with fellow reporters, historians, and even White House aides.

Tributes poured in from across the media landscape, highlighting his dedication and generosity. Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, stated, "Mark Knoller was the hardest-working and most prolific White House correspondent of a generation. Everyone in America knew his distinctive voice and his up-to-the-minute reporting across eight Presidential administrations." Colleagues like Norah O'Donnell and Major Garrett remembered him as a legend who defined White House coverage.

Knoller had been in ill health and suffered from diabetes, though a specific cause of death was not disclosed. In his final decade at CBS, as vocal issues affected his radio work, he successfully transitioned to Twitter (now X), where he amassed nearly 300,000 followers by continuing to share his invaluable White House insights and statistics.