Radio and television While completing his law degree and doctorate, Kleber worked as a freelance radio reporter and news anchor. After earning his doctorate, he entered journalism full time, first in public broadcasting and later as a foreign correspondent. During the 1980s, he served as the Washington correspondent for the German public broadcaster
Deutschlandfunk (DLF), covering U.S. politics and international affairs. In 1989, he returned to Germany to become chief editor of RIAS, a Berlin-based broadcaster then operated by the
United States Information Agency. From 1990 to 2002, Kleber worked for ARD as a senior correspondent and bureau chief. In 2014, he interviewed U.S. President
Barack Obama. In June 2021, he announced his departure from ZDF at the end of the year.
Documentaries speech at the
Victory Column in Berlin Kleber has produced documentary films in partnership with
Angela Andersen, including
India – Unstoppable which was released for the DVD market in 2006. They later also made documentaries for broadcasting, such as
The Bomb (2009), about nuclear threats in the 21st century;
Machtfaktor Erde (2011) on climate change; and
HUNGER! and
DURST! (Thirst), a two-part documentary (2014) that explored the global challenge and efforts to feed 10 billion people by 2050. In 2017, their 90-minute report on human rights,
Unantastbar (Inviolable), won the Silver Award at the
New York Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary at the
Monaco International Film Festival. In 2021, ZDF aired "We have the better story," a 40-minute conversation between Kleber and U.S. President Barack Obama discussing his achievements and shortcomings.
Books Kleber's book
Amerikas Kreuzzüge ('America's Crusades') won the 2005
Corine Literature Prize for Best Non-Fiction. Shortly before the
2008 presidential election, Kleber published an updated edition reflecting more recent developments and candidates. In 2012, Kleber published
Spielball Erde about the global strategic consequences of
Climate Change.
Further information Since 2015, Kleber has been an Honorary Professor at his
alma mater, the
University of Tübingen. He is a member of
Atlantik-Brücke, an organization promoting cultural, economic, and military cooperation between Germany and the United States. == Recognition ==