Bernard Shaw Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Here is a look at the life of Bernard Shaw, acclaimed journalist and one of the first CNN anchors.

Personal

Birth date: May 22, 1940

Death date: September 8, 2022

Birth place: Chicago, Illinois

Birth name: Bernard Shaw

Father: Edgar Shaw, railroad employee and house painter

Mother: Camilla (Murphy) Shaw, housekeeper

Marriage: Linda Allston (March 30, 1974-September 8, 2022, his death)

Children: Amar Edgar and Anil Louise

Education: University of Illinois at Chicago, B.A., History, 1966

Military Service: US Marine Corps (1959-1963)

Other Facts

He was one of the “Boys of Baghdad,” who covered the beginning of the Persian Gulf War on January 16, 1991, from a hotel room in Iraq, with Peter Arnett and John Holliman.

Shaw covered some of the biggest stories in recent history, including the student revolt in Tiananmen Square in May 1989, the 1994 California earthquake, the 1997 death of Princess Diana and the 2000 presidential election.

Timeline

1971-1977 – Works as a political reporter for CBS.

1977-1979 – Works as a Latin America correspondent for ABC.

June 1, 1980 – CNN airs for the first time. Shaw is the network’s first chief anchor.

October 13, 1988 – Moderates the second presidential debate between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, becoming the first African American presidential debate moderator.

April 27, 1991 – The University of Illinois Foundation establishes the Bernard Shaw Endowment Fund, creating scholarships at the Chicago campus.

July 1991 – Receives the Eduard Rhein Foundation’s Cultural Journalistic Award, the first time that the award is presented to a non-German.

1999 – Shaw is Inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

November 10, 2000 – Shaw announces that he will be leaving CNN.

2001 – Receives the Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcasting.

February 28, 2001 – Shaw retires from CNN.

2007 – Receives the Chuck Stone Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

September 8, 2022 – Shaw’s family announces Shaw has died of pneumonia unrelated to Covid-19.

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