Sir James William Alexander Burnet (12 July 1928 – 20 July 2012), known as Alastair Burnet, was a British journalist and broadcaster, who had a career working in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with Independent Television News (ITN) as chief presenter of the flagship News at Ten; Sir Robin Day described Burnet as "the booster rocket that put ITN into orbit".

He began his career in journalism as a sub-editor and junior leader writer for the Glasgow Herald newspaper from 1951 to 1958. Burnet joined the weekly news and current affairs magazine The Economist in 1958 before becoming ITN's political correspondent in 1963 and working on a number of current affairs programmes such as This Week. Burnet was one of the first newsreaders of the half hour News at Ten bulletin in 1967. He left television broadcasting in 1974 to become editor of the Daily Express newspaper until 1976. Burnet rejoined ITN to read the news on the News at 5:45 bulletin and he returned to present News at Ten two years later. He retired from ITN in 1991.

Burnet was born on 12 July 1928 in Fulwood, Sheffield to Scottish parents Alexander Burnet (1882–1957) and Jessy (Schonaid), née Rose. His father was an electrical and mechanical engineer, while his mother came from a Scottish Highlands family and she was raised in Easter Ross. One of Burnet's uncles was the Edinburgh divine W. Adam Burnet. He was educated at The Leys School, a boys' Methodist public school in Cambridge, and was the editor of its magazine The Fortnightly. Burnet and the rest of the school were evacuated to Pitlochry in Perth during the Second World War. He later read history at Worcester College, Oxford, and played hockey. Burnet refused to collect his second class degree because he thought he was worthy of a first.

Upon graduating, Burnet began work as a sub-editor and junior leader writer with future The Guardian editor Alastair Hetherington for the Glasgow Herald newspaper in 1951 after he was employed by the newspaper's editor William Robieson. From 1956 to 1957, he travelled across the United States for a year to study American politics and elections across the political spectrum on a Harkness Fellowship from the Commonwealth Fund of New York. He left the Glasgow Herald in 1958, and was told of a vacancy at the weekly news and current affairs magazine The Economist, joining as a sub-editor, leader writer, and subsequently, associate editor under the editorship of Donald Tyerman.

In 1963, Burnet and his colleagues at The Economist were invited to present a programme on the BBC composed of journalists representing the major weekly magazines. His two reports on the Gorbals and driven grouse shooting impressed Independent Television News (ITN) editor Geoffrey Cox enough to be offered the job of political editor in place of Ian Trethowan. While reporting, Burnet became a relief newscaster and worked on ITN's current affairs programmes including Roving Report, Dateline, Dateline Westminster, What the Papers Say, Fleet Street, Face of Success, and the adult education series on money A Plain Man's Guide to Money. He was also the main anchor for the ITV network's coverage of the 1964, 1966 and 1970 United Kingdom general elections and the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969.

Burnet left ITN in 1965 to rejoin The Economist as editor following Tyerman's retirement, but continued broadcasting as a reporter and interviewer for Associated-Rediffusion's weekly current affairs programme This Week that he had presented from 1965 to 1970. He returned part-time to ITN in 1967 to launch the half-hour News at Ten bulletin that provided in depth reporting on the day's events, having campaigned for such a programme. Burnet hosted the first programme (during the show's thirteen-week pilot phase agreed to by executives who favoured a ten-minute bulletin) on 3 July alongside Andrew Gardner, and created the programme's "And finally ..." slot. He also presented the short-lived topical interview series Man in the News in 1970 and 1971. In 1972, he was signed by the BBC to present the current affairs programme Panorama from the middle of that November. Burnet reported and presented for Midweek, and anchored coverage of the February and October 1974 United Kingdom general election programmes, also covering the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips in November 1973, interviewing the couple shortly before the wedding. Furthermore, he continued to edit The Economist until 1974, where he raised the circulation by 60%.

He then was appointed editor of the Daily Express by Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook and Jocelyn Stevens to try and reduce the newspaper's decline in circulation, ending his television career for that period of time. Burnet began working in the role in late October 1974, but resigned at his own request 18 months later in March 1976 to rejoin ITN full-time, with the result being that the only major UK poll in which he was not involved in the UK TV coverage as lead presenter was the 1975 European Community (Common Market) Membership Referendum. His period at the newspaper saw its circulation decline by around 340,000 and lost his editorial independence promised to him over the newspaper and had no team loyal to him to renew it to his liking.

He rejoined ITN in June 1976, initially for a brief stint back on News at Ten, but in September 1976 he became the main presenter for the newly relaunched early evening bulletin News at 5:45. He moved from the News at 5:45 and returned to the restyled News at Ten on 17 April 1978. In 1980, Burnet began presenting a three-hour weekend phone-in news programme on the radio station LBC. In the following year, he became a member of the ITN board, and became an associate editor for overall editorial responsibility for News at Ten in September 1982. He continued to present coverage of political events including the 1979, 1983 and 1987 United Kingdom general elections, by-elections to the House of Commons, Budgets of the United Kingdom, the Democratic National Convention, the first inauguration of Ronald Reagan, the Elections to the European Parliament from 1979 to 1989, and every United States presidential election between 1972 and 1988.