Despite battling debilitating panic attacks for over two decades, ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman has built a distinguished career covering some of the world’s most perilous and compelling stories. His struggle reached a breaking point after a live on-air episode led to suspension and a personal reckoning, prompting him to seek help and explore the science behind anxiety.
Gutman’s journey led him through a range of treatments—from traditional therapy and cognitive-behavioral techniques to unconventional approaches such as ayahuasca and psilocybin. With candor and insight, he now shares a message of resilience and hope for those facing similar challenges. While there is no single cure, his story reveals a path toward peace of mind, offering invaluable guidance for anyone navigating inner battles.
As a journalist, Gutman has spent the last decade reporting on many of the world’s biggest stories for ABC News. He provides audiences with a rare insider perspective on events that continue to shape global affairs, including terrorism, mass shootings, immigration, and climate change. His expertise is especially deep in the Middle East, where he spent nearly ten years before joining ABC, and Venezuela, where he was once detained by the country’s secret police. Sharp, spirited, and doggedly committed to uncovering the truth, Gutman leaves audiences informed, inspired, and energized.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Gutman reports across ABC News platforms, including World News Tonight with David Muir, Good Morning America, 20/20, and Nightline. He has filed reports from nearly 50 countries. His career highlights include coverage of mass shootings, catastrophic storms, terror in Europe, political upheaval in the U.S., and the controversy over immigration at the southern border. He has also covered triumphs such as four Olympic Games and the miraculous 2018 rescue of the Thai soccer team trapped in a cave, the subject of his bestselling book The Boys in the Cave.
In September 2023, Gutman published No Time to Panic, a deeply personal book chronicling his struggle with panic attacks. Both memoir and practical guide, it offers wisdom and actionable insights for readers confronting anxiety—charting not a definitive cure, but a journey toward a truce with the mind and the pursuit of peace.
Gutman’s reporting has also brought him face-to-face with the dangers of authoritarian regimes. In late 2016, while covering Venezuela’s hospital crisis, he was detained for five days by secret police, witnessing firsthand the corrosive power of repression. Earlier, he and his Miami-based ABC News team won awards for their investigative reporting on the Trayvon Martin shooting. He also gained national attention during the 2010 Gulf oil spill, documenting BP’s efforts to contain the disaster and its catastrophic environmental impact.
Before joining ABC News in 2008, Gutman worked for seven years as a Jerusalem-based reporter, covering nearly every major conflict in the Middle East, from the Palestinian intifada to the Iraq War. In December 2003, while reporting in Mosul, Iraq, he heard from a shepherd that Saddam Hussein had been cornered in Tikrit—a story the shepherd claimed he had just seen on Al Jazeera.
Beyond television, Gutman has appeared on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, NPR, CNN, and other major media platforms. His reporting combines deep field experience with a gift for storytelling, making him one of today’s most respected journalists.
A graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, Gutman is married and the father of two.
Graduate of Williams College, Massachusetts, studied liberal arts with focus.
Served nearly decade reporting Middle East conflicts before joining ABC.
Lived abroad extensively, reporting across Europe, Middle East, and Americas.
Transitioned from ABC Radio correspondent to national television broadcaster.
Reported from nearly fifty countries across multiple global assignments.
Covered terrorism, mass shootings, immigration debates, and catastrophic storms.
First reporter inside New Orleans floodwaters after Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
Anchored live from Japan’s tsunami zone during nuclear disaster crisis.
Led coverage from Iraq, Afghanistan, and tumultuous Middle Eastern regions.
Covered four Olympic Games, highlighting international triumphs and cultural celebrations.
Reported Venezuelan crisis, detained five days by secret police.
Delivered award-winning coverage of Trayvon Martin investigation from Florida.
Hosted ABC’s Sea Rescue, awarded Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Series.
Reported historic Thai cave rescue, subject of bestselling 2018 book.
ABC News Chief National Correspondent, appearing across flagship network programs.
Multiple Emmy Awards, including 2016 win for Sea Rescue.
Recognized by RTDNA for excellence in national broadcast reporting.
Society of Professional Journalists honored him for outstanding investigative journalism.
Authored bestselling book The Boys in the Cave in 2018.
Released 2023 memoir No Time to Panic exploring anxiety.
Named among most respected journalists covering crises, conflicts, global tragedies.
Praised by President Obama for community-level reporting and persistence.
Appeared on Daily Show, Colbert Report, NPR, CNN, others.
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