Barbara Walters: Broadcasting Pioneer
Barbara Walters embodied news broadcasting excellence. She was a pioneer for women in the industry. She shattered the glass ceiling to become the first woman network news anchor.
Walters amazed her male counterparts with her knack for landing “big-get” interviews. Those included Fidel Castro, Katharine Hepburn, and Monica Lewinsky. Moreover, she reshaped daytime television with the first women-centric talk show, “The View.”
Trailblazing Career and Impact
Barbara Walters, an iconic broadcast journalist who broke down barriers for women in media, died Friday, according to ABC News. She was 93.
In a career that spanned more than five decades, Walters established herself as one of the most prominent and respected broadcasters on television. She made history when she became the co-host of “ABC Evening News” in 1976, marking the first time a woman co-hosted an evening news network on national television.
(Huffington Post, December 30, 2022)
Personal Struggles and Legacy
But she invested practically all her self-worth in her TV work. Only this explains her peers bemoaning the resentment and bitterness she expressed. She reportedly felt the (male-dominated) news industry did not show her due appreciation. And that they did not give her the awards she deserved.
Sadly, even close friends of over 50 years are eulogizing her with dismay as much as praise. Most notable among them is Sally Quinn of the Washington Post. Their dismay stems from how Walters reportedly ghosted them when she was no longer a TV star.
She chose to live out her final years as a resentful and embittered recluse. But her lasting imprint on the world of journalism will never be forgotten.
Farewell, Barbara.