Pioneering television journalist Barbara Walters died Friday at 93. Walters' history in media largely coincided with women's involvement in the industry, with Walters breaking many of the barriers female journalists faced.
Walters was born September 25, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Sarah Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in English in 1951.
Walters began working in advertising before landing a job at NBC's New York affiliate WNBT-TV (now WNBC), where she wrote press releases.
She joined NBC's The Today Show in 1961, first as a writer before appearing as a 'Today Girl,' where she presented news pieces that were seen as lighter topics. She began doing more serious pieces, and though she was famously prohibited from asking questions to guests until her male cohosts asked their questions, she was finally made cohost of the show in 1974.
In 1976, she moved to ABC, where she cohosted ABC Evening News until 1978. In 1976, she moderated the final presidential debate between incumbent Gerald Ford and eventual winner Jimmy Carter.
Walter was known for conducting interviews with notable figures including Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, Jiang Zemin, and Monica Lewinsky.
In 1997, she co-created The View on ABC, and served as co-host until 2014.
She had her final ABC appearance in 2015 with an interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Her last public appearance was in 2016.
She died at home in Manhattan on December 30, 2022.
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