Ed Bradley: CBS’ first black correspondent

A true legend in the journalism world, Ed Bradley (1941-2006) went from an average child in Philadelphia to being one of the nation’s first black correspondents for CBS.
A graduate from Cheney State College, Bradley started off as just a voice on the radio reporting from basketball games and spinning a few records at the station. In the mid 1960s, when riots were formed in Philadelphia, Bradley offered to cover the stories for local radio station WDAS.
Bradley’s hard work paid off and he found himself working at WCBS radio in New York reporting issues dealing with the black community. After covering several stories, Bradley decided that he no longer was only going to cover situations in the black community, but all types of stories. From that point forward, Bradley knew that this was his passion and he built upon it.
“I knew that God put me on this earth to be on the radio,” said Bradley in an interview with WDAS.
He later accepted a job with CBS News. In 1973, he reported from the Vietnam War. After being injured in Vietnam, he returned to the states and became a White House correspondent during President Jimmy Carter’s tenure.
Briefly after that, Bradley took a job as the anchor on CBS Reports. Although CBS Reports was a big break in his career, 60 Minutes was the show that really sent him over the top.
Throughout his career he never forgot where he came from. According to cbsnews.com, he spent most of his free time conversing with many young minority journalists. He even provided an award for a promising minority journalist to receive $10,000 by the Radio and Television News Directors’ Association.
“Knowing how someone got to where they are should make a difference. Ed Bradley should be an example, inspiration and a role model to several people in the minority community to get to that level of excellence, to get where you need to be,” said Bobby Taylor, a Southern University graduate student from Zachary.
Bradley, with his intense interrogations of several interviewees, had begun to become a legacy in the journalism world without having any knowledge of his doings. He earned two Emmy Awards within his first few seasons on 60 Minutes.
“More people should take his contributions, same drive and passion to make a difference in society,” said Keyontae Hamilton, junior mass communications major from New Orleans.
Bradley continued building his revenue and grasping major stories such as the murder of author Jack Henry Abbott, the jailhouse interview with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and many other interviews.Throughout his investigative career, Bradley received a total of 20 Emmys and honorable mention from many of journalism’s most prestigious awards.
He was also awarded several other awards such as the George Foster Peabody Award, the Overseas Press Club Award and the Alfred I Dupont-Columbia University Award.
With all of his works, Bradley set a trend for many up-and-coming minority correspondents and will always be known as a great legend as well as a positive role model and motivation for all minorities considering the media career field.
“Doors are opening more and more for African Americans as times are changing. We are beginning to have more black anchors in the media overall,” said Hamilton.