At the age of 93, surrounded by loved ones in her home, Barbara Walters passed away on Friday. Her spokesperson, Cindi Berger, said in a statement to CNN, "She was a trailblazer not only for female journalists, but for all women."
Walters, a pioneer in the television journalism industry, began her career in 1961 when she accepted a position on the panel of NBC's "Today" show, before accepting a promotion to co-host in 1974. Only two years later, she found herself as the first female anchor on an evening news program on ABC News, alongside Harry Reasoner.
In 1979, she began her stint working with ABC's newsmagazine 20/20, which she continued amongst other projects until 2004. She also found her way onto ABC's 20/20 news show, as correspondent and co-host, in 1984 after the success of her projects, "The Barbara Walters Specials" and "10 Most Fascinating People" that she had produced for the network.
Along the way, she made a habit of interviewing every US president since Richard & Pat Nixon, but her biggest contribution to US politics wouldn't come until 1997, with the premiere of "The View." Paving the way for American talk shows such as "The Talk" and "The Chew", as well as Britain's "Loose Women" and Norway's "Studio 5", "The View" worked its way into the homes and hearts via television connection through the United States and, as of 2019, has become the United States' most important political show, according to the New York Times.
While she left "The View" in 2014, Walters remained a part-time ABC news correspondent for two additional years.
Born on September 25, 1929, Barbara grew up in Boston, MA where her father, Lou, was a nightclub owner and theatrical impresario. This made for a star-studded childhood, growing up in the midst of celebrity---one of the reasons that the interviewer never appeared fazed by the importance of her subjects.
One of the reasons for Walters' impressive resumé is her "dogged pursuit of the 'get' interview", according to colleagues recounting her competitive nature. It was that competitive nature that caused the long-running rivalry with another ABC news star, Diane Sawyer, which lasted until her [Walters'] passing, with the most recent incident being the jockeying that occurred to secure the first interview with Caitlyn Jenner. Unfortunately, that was one of the few "L's" that Walters ever gained, with Sawyer conducting the interview in 2015.
But it in no way dims the jewels in her crown, such as her 1999 interview with Monica Lewinsky and her historic sit-down with Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin in 1977.
Additionally, she was was constantly parodied by "Saturday Night Live"---an honor in American culture---and richly honored with multiple Emmy's, a Peabody, and star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
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