Trailblazing female journalist Barbara Walters dies at 93

Esteemed TV journalist Barbara Walters has died at the age of 93. Walters is remembered for being a trailblazer for women across the country.  

Walters began her career as a panel member for NBC’s Today show in 1961: her first national broadcasting job. She received a promotion in 1974, becoming an official co-host of the show. Two years later, she became the first female anchor on the evening news for ABC news. 

ABC became her home as she created “The Barbara Walters Specials” and “10 Most Fascinating People.” She continued to rise up, becoming a co-host for 20/20 in 1984. She interviewed many notable people throughout her time and is known for remarkable, hard-hitting interviews. 

Walters spent her career hosting and producing groundbreaking programs. Female journalists across the globe look up to Walters for breaking glass ceilings as her skills as a broadcaster reached far beyond the confines of gender.  

Walters was a hard worker; she was consistently landing the biggest interviews. World leaders, celebrities, politicians, you name them – Walters was interviewing them (and probably bringing them to tears). Some of her most notable interviews include Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin, Monica Lewinsky, Barbara Streisand, Richard Nixon, and many more. She was never one to avoid a scandal and handled every one with grace, always asking the tough questions as respectably as possible.  

This hard work was always evident as fellow journalists everywhere praise her. CEO of ABC’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger says, “Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself.” He goes on to say, “I had the pleasure of calling Barbara a colleague for more than three decades, but more importantly, I was able to call her a dear friend.” Walters will be forever remembered for her effect on the people around her in addition to her life-changing work.  

As a news staff of 90% women, The Print looks up to Walters’ work, even watching her interviews in Journalism 1 to improve our own interview skills. Reporter Chloe McCarthy says, “Walters has been serving the journalism world and inspiring young women to come into this male-dominated field. I look up to her a lot.” Reporter Raley Elliott adds, “She has opened up a new level of journalistic careers for women.”