NBC's David Bloom Dies in Iraq

NBC correspondent David Bloom, who spent the past month reporting on the conflict in Iraq, died on Sunday after suffering a pulmonary embolism. He was 39.

Bloom, who traded his Today show desk job for battle fatigues last month, was embedded with the Third Infantry division about 25 miles south of Baghdad when he collapsed from an apparent blood clot. The reporter was airlifted to a nearby medic base but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Dehydration and being unable to stretch his legs for long periods of time have been suggested as the cause of the clot, which obstructed the pulmonary artery in his lungs.

The news shocked NBC network execs who expressed their grief on Sunday.

"On behalf of everyone at NBC, we are greatly saddened by death of David Bloom, and our hearts go out to his wife Melanie and their three children," said NBC chairman and CEO Bob Wright. "In times like these, a journalist's contribution to his country is measured in terms of illustrious commitment and sacrifice. There was no one more devoted to his calling than David Bloom, and for that, we are both grateful and humbled."

NBC News prez Neal Shapiro expressed admiration for Bloom's dedication, stating, "his courage, passion and unerring devotion to his craft was unparalleled. Over the past few weeks, we marveled as he demonstrated a tireless devotion to this story."

The journalist filed reports from the Iraqi desert to NBC, MSNBC and CNBC at least 13 times a day during a 19-hour stretch.

Although his death was not combat-related, Minnesota-born Bloom is the sixth journalist to die in Iraq since the start of the war. Last Thursday, Atlantic Monthly editor-at-large and Washington Post columnist Michael Kelly died when the tank he was riding in rolled into a canal.

Other than his recent dispatches from the frontlines, Bloom is best known as co-anchor of the Today show's weekend edition, reporting from New York's Rockefeller Plaza opposite Soledad O'Brien.

Just last week, the show scored its highest first quarter ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research, attracting 5.1 million viewers for the Saturday edition and 4.6 million viewers on Sunday.

Bloom began his career as a government reporter in La Crosse, Wisconsin, going on to work in local markets in Kansas and Florida before joining NBC in Chicago in 1993. The reporter was promoted to White House correspondent in 1997, covering the Clinton administration.

Upon hearing the news of Bloom's passing, former President Bill Clinton released the following statement: "David Bloom was a smart, energetic professional whose enthusiasm for the job was evident in every question he asked and every story he covered. He was a really fine man and his integrity and good humor will be missed."

"Hilary and I offer our thoughts and prayers to David's family and friends at this difficult time," added Clinton.

Meanwhile, a moment of silence for was held for Minnesota's native son before Sunday's night NHL game in Saint Paul between the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The outpouring of sympathy prompted Bloom's family to issue a statement saying Bloom "touched so many people throughout his life and his work, but none more than his family. We will miss him forever." Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced today, while a service is likely to be held in New York at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, embattled war correspondents Geraldo Rivera and Peter Arnett are making headlines again, as Rivera apologized for revealing military movements and Arnett has been tapped for war coverage by international outlets.

Rivera was kicked out of Iraq last week when the Pentagon flipped its lid over the reporter drawing a map of top-secret troop movements in the dirt.

In an interview Sunday on Fox, Rivera said he "should have been more careful."

"Last weekend, after my reports from Iraq with the men and women of the 101st Airborne, I was told I violated one of the rules set up by the Pentagon for reporters embedded with the military. My network and I decided it would be best to voluntarily withdraw to Kuwait to review the situation."

"The review showed that I did indeed break one of the rules related to embedment. I'm sorry that it happened, and I assure you that it was inadvertent. Nobody was hurt by what I said. No mission was compromised."

Meanwhile, Arnett appears to be bouncing back on a global scale. NBC fired the journalist for giving an unauthorized interview to Iraqi state television suggesting the U.S.-led war effort had initially failed in the face of Iraqi opposition. Since then, the Pulitzer winner has been hired to report for Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid, Taiwan's TVBS cable news, the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya, Belgian TV network VTM and state-run Greek television channel NET.