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Barbara Walters – A Lifelong News Reporter

Barbara Walters - A Lifelong News Reporter

Barbara Walters broke through a glass ceiling in television news. A ruthless competitor, she was obsessed with her goal of landing big-ticket interviews.

After studying at Sarah Lawrence College, she began her career as a writer-producer on NBC’s Today show. She eventually became a co-host, the first woman to hold such a position on network television.

Her Impact-Walters

In a career that spanned over 60 years, Barbara Walters became one of the most famous television news reporters in the world. She was a trailblazer in the field of women’s media, and even after retiring from her regular position as host of ABC’s eponymous show, she maintained an active presence on the airwaves with her interview series, 60 Minutes, and later 20/20. She also made headlines in her interviews of high-profile public figures, including Vladimir Putin, Fidel Castro, and Michael Jackson.

Walters’ path to prominence was not without obstacles, however. She battled sexism from the beginning of her career, particularly from her first co-anchor, Harry Reasoner, who reportedly scowled at her presence on camera and tracked how many words she spoke during an interview.

Nevertheless, Walters worked hard to secure exclusive interviews with celebrities and political figures. She was able to negotiate conversations with Russia’s Boris Yeltsin, China’s Premier Jiang Zemin, Great Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Libya’s Moammar Qadaffi, and more. She was also the first American journalist to talk with Fidel Castro, and she arranged the very first joint interview between Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel. She interviewed everyone from Katharine Hepburn to the controversial Michael Jackson. Her ability to ask questions that seemed casual yet uncovered a lot of information made her one of the most respected and successful interviewers in history.

Her Legacy

In a career that began in 1961 at WNBT-TV, NBC’s New York City affiliate, Walters worked as a writer and producer on a news-and-information program aimed at female viewers. She soon landed a job on the Today show as a writer and segment producer. At first her assignments were light — a day in the life of a Playboy bunny or a fashion report on the latest vinyl trends.

But Walters quickly became known for her probing interview style. She developed long-form interviews that blended news and entertainment, featuring subjects as varied as Fidel Castro and Monica Lewinsky. Walters also made history as the first woman to co-host a network evening news show, ABC’s 20/20, in 1974.

Walters’s success was fueled by her relentless drive and refusal to take no for an answer in an industry dominated by men, says historian Robert Thompson. She fought to cover meatier topics, despite the resentment she sometimes encountered from male colleagues. When “Today” host Frank McGee demanded that she be limited to “girlie” interviews, Walters refused, insisting that she deserved equal time with the guests who appeared in the studio.

As she established her reputation in broadcast journalism, Walters became the role model for other women in the business. In an interview with CBS Radio’s David Moshowy, journalist Liz Smith said of Walters, “There is no foreign president who doesn’t call her Barbara. She’s very generous, has a social conscience and is totally dedicated to New York. She’s on the best-dressed list and has enough money to entertain.”

Her Style

Walters, seen here with co-anchor Harry Reasoner in 1976, was the first woman to co-host a network evening news program, for ABC. She landed the role in 1974, and though her salary was not huge by today’s standards, it made her a household name.

At the time, the hunt for an exclusive interview with a celebrity, world leader or disgraced politician was nearly a blood sport. Walters’ interviews with Fidel Castro, Baby Doc Duvalier and Israel’s Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat became major events on the cultural landscape. She moved in a bold-face social set, and cultivated a friendly relationship with many of her subjects that was reflected in the amiable tone of her questions.

But Walters was also a tough journalist, not afraid to call out a sexist or biased comment. She was able to bring out the best in even the most difficult interview subjects.

As a longtime anchor of Good Morning America and 20/20, and later the daytime talk show The View, she carved out a niche for herself as a female advocate in a field that can be strangely cutthroat. She grew into a mentor to women broadcasters who came after her, and she has spoken fondly of their sense of loyalty and camaraderie. But she has also been very candid about her own rocky relationships with some of them.

Her Personality

Walters had the savvy to tap into her audience’s interest. Her interviews drew the subjects into interesting and sometimes provocative moments of self-revelation. Walters was also a tenacious pursuer of elusive figures. A four-hour interview with Dean Rusk helped her earn an imprimatur as a serious journalist when she pressed him on his response to the public’s criticism of the Vietnam War.

By the time of her death in 2014, Walters had interviewed every U.S. president, as well as international leaders and celebrities. She was a frequent guest host of the talk shows The Today Show and 20/20 and starred in her own annual special, Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People.

Page’s biography delves into the many facets of Walters’ life and career, from her upbringing with an entertainment booking agent father and a developmentally disabled sister who acted as a “mom-on-call” to her fierce competitiveness that brought her awards and sparks with rivals such as Diane Sawyer.

MOSLEY: One of the things that I found really fascinating about your book was the way you talked about her early experiences with entertainment and celebrities, and how it kind of made her fearless as an interviewer, because she didn’t hold them in awe the way other interviewers might. It was like she had been there, backstage. She’d rubbed shoulders with the gamblers and the mobsters.

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