Barbara Walters, unfortunately, passed away on December 30, 2022. Barbara was an inspiring American broadcaster for all women. Even after her death, she is still an inspiration to many, with her incredible story and determination.

Before she began her amazing career, Walters attended Sarah Lawerence College in Yonkers, New York, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1951.

Although Barbara mainly was known for her television interviews, she had to work long and hard to make it to where she was. After a lot of hard work and dedication, she was hired as a news and public affairs producer/writer by the CBS television network. In 1941, she became a writer for the NBC morning show called Today, where she did on-air feature stories. In 1976 Walters made headlines by signing a five-year contract with ABC that made her the first woman to co-anchor an evening network news program. So many people were inspired and amazed by her remarkable interview skills that in 1982 and 1983, she won Emmy awards for being the best interviewer.

Even with all her success, she was still being ignored and mistreated by the men in the journalism industry, since she was the only woman in the news during this time. For example, her fellow journalist, Peter Jennings, would cut her off, and never say “thank you” or “that’s interesting.” Her colleagues were not the only ones unaccepting of her, some of the viewers were as well, saying stuff like the so-called hard news, a woman can’t do it, and she couldn’t ask the tough questions. Although all that criticism can result in giving up, she kept going and working to make her dream come true. 

Barbara Walters’s legacy and achievements will never be forgotten. She helped mold the journalism industry to become what it is today.