Advertisement

Longtime CNN Anchor Passes Away Following Illness

Advertisement

OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Former longtime CNN anchor Bernard Shaw has died of pneumonia not related to COVID-19.

The announcement came from his family on Wednesday that the network’s first chief anchor had died at the age of 82, CNN reported.

“CNN’s beloved anchor and colleague, Bernard Shaw, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington Anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980,” CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht said. “He was our lead anchor for the next twenty years from anchoring coverage of presidential elections to his iconic coverage of the First Gulf War live from Baghdad in 1991. Even after he left CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family providing our viewers with context about historic events as recently as last year. The condolences of all of us at CNN go out to his wife Linda and his children.”

“During his storied career, Shaw reported on some of the biggest stories of that time — including the student revolt in Tiananmen Square in May 1989, the First Gulf war live from Baghdad in 1991, and the 2000 presidential election,” CNN said.

“In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Bernard Shaw Scholarship Fund at the University of Chicago. The Shaw family requests complete privacy at this time,” former CNN CEO Tom Johnson said for the family.

Advertisement

Johnson said the anchor “exemplified excellence in his life” and will be “remembered as a fierce advocate of responsible journalism.”

“As a journalist, he demanded accuracy and fairness in news coverage. He earned the respect of millions of viewers around the world for his integrity and independence. He resisted forcefully any lowering of ethical news standards or any compromise of solid news coverage. He always could be trusted as a reporter and as an anchor,” he said.

“Bernie was my personal friend and colleague for more than 55 years. I will miss him enormously,” he said.” My wife Edwina and I extend our most genuine condolences to Bernie’s wife Linda and to his family.”

There have been many changes to CNN in recent months.

On Monday he announced two new hires, including a former New York Police Department official as chief law enforcement analyst, Mediaite reported.

John Miller, who was NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism and worked for CBS News and ABC News, is the new chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

“John will help deliver on CNN’s commitment to tackle complex issues while presenting audiences with independent, objective news and meaningful analysis across platforms,” the boss said. “As both a brilliant journalist and experienced, compelling subject matter expert, he brings to the network an incredible breadth of knowledge.”

“I’ve worked closely with Chris Licht and share his editorial vision: speed, but not at the expense of accuracy, passion but not at the expense of objectivity,” the former police official said. “I am especially proud to join CNN at a time when covering the news, getting it right and delivering it in a straightforward way has never been more vital to the American public.”

Advertisement

It comes after some major firings at CNN.

The staff at CNN is terrified as the new CEO, Chris Licht, appears to be doing some house cleaning by getting rid of the most partisan talents at the network.

Brian Stelter, the former host of “Reliable Sources,” which was also cancelled, was terminated last month and White House correspondent John Harwood had his contract cut short after backing President Joe Biden’s anti-“MAGA Republicans” speech.

It was Harwoods termination that was seen as a possible change in strategy of the network by getting rid of those who could be considered woke, The Washington Post reported.

Test your skills with this Quiz!

Mere hours after he praised President Joe Biden’s anti-MAGA Republican speech, CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood was gone from the news network.

CNN has been undergoing changes with the idea of getting to a more centrist news style and away from partisan leaning, and that has meant that some CNN personalities have to go.

Neither the network nor Harwood said if he was fired, quit or it was a mutual decision, but the timing had many wondering if his praise of President Biden’s divisive speech was the cause.

Advertisement