The queen of television news, Barbara Walters, an Emmy-winning journalist and celebrity interviewer, passed away on Friday night at her New York City home. She was 93.
Walters interviewed the most notable individuals in politics and entertainment, including Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, Monica Lewinsky, and Katharine Hepburn.
Walters paved the way for women in TV news and was once the highest-paid television journalist, making up to $12 million annually at ABC, where she worked from 1976 until she retired from “The View” and ABC News in May 2014. Prior to that, she worked for NBC’s “Today” show for 12 years.
For her work on “The View,” Walters won numerous Daytime Emmy nods for best talk show host, winning in 2003 and 2009; she also garnered numerous Primetime Emmy nominations for her specials, winning in 1983. She also shared a News and Documentary Emmy for her work at ABC in covering the beginning of the century in 1975, winning a Daytime Emmy for “Today,” and won an Emmy for News and Documentary for her work at ABC covering the century.
The largest audience ever for a journalist interview was 74 million viewers who watched Walters’ interview with Lewinsky on March 3, 1999. When Walters questioned Lewinsky about what she would tell her kids about the situation, Lewinsky responded, “I think Mommy made some mistakes.” The show came to a dramatic finish when Walters turned to face the audience and said, “And that is the understatement of the century.”
In an article, the American media company Variety wrote in an article on her retirement, “Walters’ longevity was notable in that she was a driving force in the rise of the superstar TV news personality, and she has endured into an era when that kind of authoritative star power is waning.”
The interview with Barbara Walters was regarded as being conclusive. Walters, who is extremely affable and endearing but has a steely core, has withstood criticisms over the softness of her interrogation method with celebrities and occasionally important political leaders as well. She received criticism in part because she was a successful woman in a field where men journalists prided themselves on going for the kill. Walters did obfuscate the distinctions between journalism and entertainment to the point where the two occasionally blended together.
Frequently cited examples include asking Audrey Hepburn what sort of tree she would be and concluding a conversation with Jimmy Carter by saying, “Be kind to us, be intelligent with us.” The first incident didn’t happen exactly as the story goes: Hepburn said she felt like a very sturdy “tree” in her old age during Walters’ 1981 interview with the movie icon. What type of tree are you, Walters pressed? Hepburn said that she would rather be an oak than an elm in order to prevent Dutch elm disease. Personal revelations came up naturally during the interview because to Walters’ ability to raise the subject’s level of comfort.
Success in the world of celebrities meant getting interviewed by Walters. She was trusted to interview world leaders, including Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, and Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin (in their first joint interview).
Both for who she was and for what she stood for, Walters was significant. She overcame that obstacle for women by becoming the first long-term co-host of “Today.” That glass ceiling was broken when she momentarily sat next to Harry Reasoner on the ABC Evening News. She continued to work past retirement age and contributed to the elimination of ageism against women in television.
Numerous female co-hosts of “Today” have come and gone, including the actor Maureen O’Sullivan, who unexpectedly left the show in 1964. Walters was given a chance by the network at Downs’ recommendation, though she wasn’t promoted to co-host until 1974. Sally Quinn had arrived earlier on CBS’ “The Morning Show” by that point.
But Walters quickly gained popularity, and she also made appearances on “The Tonight Show” and served as a commentator on “Emphasis” on NBC Radio. The well-received book “How to Chat With Practically Anyone About Practically Anything” was published by Walters under a pen name in 1970. She also presented the syndicated talk show “For Women Only.”
