National Association of Black Journalists mourns the loss of Ed
Bradley
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/
-- The National Association of Black Journalists mourns the loss of
journalism pioneer and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley. He
died on November 9 of leukemia at the age of 65.
"Ed Bradley was a consummate
professional who defined investigative journalism for a generation,"
said NABJ President Bryan Monroe, vice president and editorial
director for Ebony and Jet magazines in Chicago. "His interviewing
skills were second to none. As a member and a friend, we will miss
him greatly."
Bradley joined CBS News' 60
Minutes during the 1981-1982 season. He was a broadcast journalism
icon who won nearly 20 Emmy awards.
"Ed was style and substance," said
Barbara Ciara, NABJ Vice President for Broadcast. "He helped shatter
the color barrier at CBS, but he defined cool when he decided to
sport an earring on the hallowed airwaves of 60 Minutes."
It was with his freelance coverage
of the 1965 Philadelphia riots that Bradley landed his first job as
a radio reporter at WDAS-FM. He would later move on to join WCBS
Radio in New York City.
"It doesn't seem like it was a
lifetime ago when we held the first meetings in New York---just a
small band of brothers and sisters new to this business of
journalism," Bradley shared during his acceptance speech of the 2005
NABJ Lifetime Achievement Award. "There weren't many of us then but
we knew we needed to be together. It gives me great pleasure to know
that I was there at the gestation of one of the early black
journalists association."
In 1976, after Bradley's coverage
of President Carter's election campaign, he was assigned to cover
politics in the nation's capital and became the first African
American White House correspondent.
Bradley's career also included
stints as an anchor for CBS Sunday Night News and CBS Reports.
In addition to the 2005 NABJ
Lifetime Achievement Award, Bradley also received two NABJ Salute to
Excellence Awards for his story on the life of Ray Charles and his
expose, "The Murder of Emmett Till". At the 2006 Salute to
Excellence Awards, he was recognized for his report "Bridge to
Gretna".
An advocacy group established in
1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of
journalists of color in the nation, with more than 4,000 members,
and provides educational, career development and support to black
journalists worldwide.
Source:
National Association of Black
Journalists