Bernard Shaw, the former chief anchor of CNN, passed away Wednesday at the age of 82.
His family told CNN that Shaw died of events unrelated to the coronavirus.
Shaw was CNN’s first major anchor when the network launched in June 1980, remaining in that position until her retirement in February 2001.
Beloved CNN host and colleague Bernard Shaw passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Bernie was a CNN original and our DC host when we started on June 1, 1980,” Chris Licht, CEO and President of CNN, said in a statement.
Licht added:
From the news of the presidential election to the iconic news of the First Gulf War, it was our host for the next two decades, broadcasting live from Baghdad in 1991. Even after Bernie left CNN, he remained a close member of our CNN family. contexts for our audiences to historical events of the past year. All of us at CNN offer our condolences to his wife, Linda, and their children.
In addition to the Gulf War, Shaw has also covered the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the death of Princess Diana in 1997, and the presidential and vice presidential debates.
The show is known for asking tough questions to politicians it interviews or moderates debates.
One of Shaw’s most notable moments came when he ran the second debate in the 1988 presidential election.
In the first question of the debate, he asked Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis a very tense question about the death penalty, naming his wife’s name.
“Governor, if Kitty Dukakis was raped and killed, would you want a permanent death sentence for the murderer?” she asked.
Without wasting a second, Dukakis replied, “No, Bernard. And I think you know I’ve been against the death penalty my whole life.”
Many believe Dukakis’ deaf response to Shaw’s question was key to allowing George W. Bush to become president in 1988.
Shaw takes pride in asking tough questions. politics aforementioned.
“As journalists, we didn’t do our job unless we asked the hardest question.”
Shaw added:
I can not do this. I’m from the Chicago School of Journalism. I believe in difficult questions. This whole process is very convenient for politicians. They travel the country to ask for votes and they have to stand up and say how they really feel. Otherwise, voters are deceived.
According to CNN’s Shaw fact sheet, he was born in Chicago in 1940 and grew up on the south side of the city. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1959 to 1963, before graduating from the University of Chicago in 1969.
Before becoming CNN’s first major anchor, Shaw worked as a political correspondent for CBS and later as a correspondent for ABC in Latin America.
The show leaves behind a wife, Linda, and two children.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at: @EthanLetkeman.
Source: Breitbart
