Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Anchor for CNN, remembers her friend and mentorBarbara Walters, whodiedon Friday at age 93 in an exclusive essay.Barbara Walters amassed a body of work so impressive and so extensive that it will honestly never be replicated. She will forever be the queen of our profession — thequeen of broadcast news.She blazed a trail, she was a pioneer.It’s said that at least one of hermale colleagues snipedthat her hiring was “a gimmick” when she became the first female to co-anchor a network evening news broadcast.Well, decades later, Barbara Walters was still beating the pants off everyone and proving she was no gimmick.Vincent Tullo/The New York Times/ReduxI hugely respected Barbara, and I was incredibly fond of her. She was an early inspiration for me, even before I knew I wanted to be a journalist. It wasn’t just her great Hollywood interviews or her interviews with Presidents, first ladies, the ones I saw were the international scoops since I was growing up abroad. In particular, herincredible joint interview with Israeli Prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadatafter Sadat’s historic trip to Israel in 1977, when he became the very first Arab leader to visit. Watching Barbara pull off that exclusive was exhilarating. And later I decided,that’s the kind of thing I want to do.I was fortunate to eventually call her a friend. She was a mentor and gave wise counsel. I saw her at work and on social occasions. One of the events that stands out for me so prominently was when she was asked to roast me at a Museum of Broadcasting event. Not only did she accept, but she delivered this incredibly affectionate, witty, and ballsy roast, and I was just thrilled. I found it extraordinary that Barbara Walters was doing this for me!She was somebody who did not suffer fools easily. She was hugely competitive right to the very end, which I love.She didn’t retire until well into her 80s, and as she said, “I want to walk away while I’m still doing good work,” and I think that’s exactly what she did. The idea that she started and innovatedThe Viewon the verge of her 70s is an extraordinary accomplishment. It spawned so many imitators.For more on Barbara Walters, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.Just like Barbara herself spawned so many wannabes — but she kept the crown.Barbara was obviously someone who aroused a lot of jealousy and backbiting, and that’s just the nature of the game. When you’re first, the most prominent, and often the only, that’s the burden you bear. The fact that she succeeded — and triumphed — even with a slight pronunciation impediment, whichGilda RadneronSaturday Night Livesatirized as"BabaWawa,“was marvelous to behold!I think, she understood her role as the pioneer and as the warrior queen. She dressed the part, walked the part, talked the part, and even when she asked weird questions, like what kind of treeKatharine Hepburnwould like to be, it all caused water cooler moments. That was her superpower, for decades she was indispensable to the public square.
Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Anchor for CNN, remembers her friend and mentorBarbara Walters, whodiedon Friday at age 93 in an exclusive essay.
Barbara Walters amassed a body of work so impressive and so extensive that it will honestly never be replicated. She will forever be the queen of our profession — thequeen of broadcast news.She blazed a trail, she was a pioneer.
It’s said that at least one of hermale colleagues snipedthat her hiring was “a gimmick” when she became the first female to co-anchor a network evening news broadcast.
Well, decades later, Barbara Walters was still beating the pants off everyone and proving she was no gimmick.
Vincent Tullo/The New York Times/Redux
I hugely respected Barbara, and I was incredibly fond of her. She was an early inspiration for me, even before I knew I wanted to be a journalist. It wasn’t just her great Hollywood interviews or her interviews with Presidents, first ladies, the ones I saw were the international scoops since I was growing up abroad. In particular, herincredible joint interview with Israeli Prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadatafter Sadat’s historic trip to Israel in 1977, when he became the very first Arab leader to visit. Watching Barbara pull off that exclusive was exhilarating. And later I decided,that’s the kind of thing I want to do.
I was fortunate to eventually call her a friend. She was a mentor and gave wise counsel. I saw her at work and on social occasions. One of the events that stands out for me so prominently was when she was asked to roast me at a Museum of Broadcasting event. Not only did she accept, but she delivered this incredibly affectionate, witty, and ballsy roast, and I was just thrilled. I found it extraordinary that Barbara Walters was doing this for me!
She was somebody who did not suffer fools easily. She was hugely competitive right to the very end, which I love.She didn’t retire until well into her 80s, and as she said, “I want to walk away while I’m still doing good work,” and I think that’s exactly what she did. The idea that she started and innovatedThe Viewon the verge of her 70s is an extraordinary accomplishment. It spawned so many imitators.
For more on Barbara Walters, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Just like Barbara herself spawned so many wannabes — but she kept the crown.
Barbara was obviously someone who aroused a lot of jealousy and backbiting, and that’s just the nature of the game. When you’re first, the most prominent, and often the only, that’s the burden you bear. The fact that she succeeded — and triumphed — even with a slight pronunciation impediment, whichGilda RadneronSaturday Night Livesatirized as"BabaWawa,“was marvelous to behold!
I think, she understood her role as the pioneer and as the warrior queen. She dressed the part, walked the part, talked the part, and even when she asked weird questions, like what kind of treeKatharine Hepburnwould like to be, it all caused water cooler moments. That was her superpower, for decades she was indispensable to the public square.
source: people.com
