I wouldn't jump to conclusions about Wolf Blitzer's real name from information that was deleted from Black Science forum. The information may have been deleted from the website because it is wrong. At least two other websites,
answerbag.com and
americanprofile.com indicate that Wolf Blitzer's real name is... Wolf Blitzer. And
here's what Wolf Blitzer told the Boston Phoenix when asked last August:
Q: Tell me about your name.
A: My maternal grandfather’s name was Wolf, and my mother and father named me after him. So it’s my real name; I did not make it up.
Q: Tough name as a kid?
A: There were moments in Buffalo, New York, where the other kids would say, "What’s your real name?" and I’d say, "Wolf," and the bigger kids didn’t like that answer. It wasn’t that tough. Would I recommend a name like that, or a weird name? I’ve been asked this; especially after the first Gulf War, all these pregnant women were writing me, "I love your name. Should I name my son Wolf?" And I consistently said, "I think it’s tough enough growing up with a normal name, let alone with a weird name." Although if you take a look at Barack Obama, he didn’t do too bad with a weird name himself.
Q: And Wolf Blitzer’s a great name for a journalist.
A: It’s a good name now. As a kid growing up in Buffalo, not necessarily a fabulous name.
That's not to say reporters haven't used pseudonyms today or in the past. The founder of the New York Post, Alexander Hamilton, used the name "Publius" when publishing the Federalist Papers (along with Messrs. Jay and Madison). Samuel Clemens used Mark Twain as his nom be plume. As others have posted, Larry King's real name is
Larry Zeigler. And, according to
Snopes Geraldo Rivera's given birth name is Gerald Riviera (not Jerry Rivers, as the urban legend goes).