By Oyintari Ben
US television legend Barbara Walters passed away on Friday at her home in New York, according to Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. She was 93.
“She had no regrets about the way she lived. She was a trailblazer for all women, not just female journalists,” a statement from her publicist Cindi Berger said.
As a trailblazing news presenter and interviewer, Walters broke down boundaries for women in the media and rose to prominence. She is now regarded as one of the most recognized and significant individuals in journalism.
Walters began her journalism career on NBC’s “The Today Show” in the 1960s as a writer and segment producer. She was born on September 25, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the end, she rose through the ranks to co-host the show for the first time as a woman in 1974.
She was the first female network news anchor to be hired by ABC in 1976, and her $1 million annual salary at the time made headlines.
Walters spoke with some of the most well-known individuals in business, entertainment, and politics, including every president of the United States since Richard Nixon.
She was renowned for asking pointed, direct questions and for her capacity to elicit open, frank, and enlightening responses from her subjects.
“I’m not nervous when I’m interviewing, I have no fear!” Walters told The Associated Press in 2008.
She created and appeared in a daytime ABC chat program as an extremely successful side project, “”The View.” In May 2014, she taped her final appearance on “The View” to mark the end of her career on television, but she hosted occasional specials after that.
A large number of television newswomen she had paved the way for posed with her for a group photo during a commercial break, including Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Robin Roberts, and Connie Chung.
Walters said, “I have to remember this on the terrible days. This is the greatest.
According to the network, she won 12 Emmy awards, notably 11 while working for ABC News. With the words, “Without Barbara Walters, there wouldn’t have been me—or any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news.” Oprah Winfrey, a fellow television legend, paid tribute to Walters on Instagram.
“She truly was a Trailblazer.
Grateful that she was such a powerful and gracious role model,” Winfrey added.
She is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline Danforth.
