Mourning the death of Ed Bradley

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) mourns the loss of journalism pioneer and CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley. He died on November 9 of leukemia at the age of 65.

“Ed Bradley was a consummate professional who defined investigative journalism for a generation,” said NABJ President Bryan Monroe, vice president and editorial director for Ebony and Jet magazines in Chicago. “His interviewing skills were second to none. As a member and a friend, we will miss him greatly.”

Bradley joined CBS News’ 60 Minutes during the 1981-1982 season. He was a broadcast journalism icon who won nearly 20 Emmy awards.

“Ed was style and substance,” said Barbara Ciara, NABJ Vice President for Broadcast. “He helped shatter the color barrier at CBS, but he defined cool when he decided to sport an earring on the hallowed airwaves of 60 Minutes.”
It was with his freelance coverage of the 1965 Philadelphia riots that Bradley landed his first job as a radio reporter at WDAS-FM. He would later move on to join WCBS Radio in New York City.

“It doesn’t seem like it was a lifetime ago when we held the first meetings in New York-just a small band of brothers and sisters new to this business of journalism, ” Bradley shared during his acceptance speech of the 2005 NABJ Lifetime Achievement Award. “There weren’t many of us then but we knew we needed to be together. It gives me great pleasure to know that I was there at the gestation of one of the early black journalists association.”

In 1976, after Bradley’s coverage of President Carter’s election campaign, he was assigned to cover politics in the nation’s capital and became the first African American White House correspondent.
Bradle’s career also included stints as an anchor for CBS Sunday Night News and CBS Reports.

In addition to the 2005 NABJ Lifetime Achievement Award, Bradley also received two NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards for his story on the life of Ray Charles and his expose, “The Murder of Ernmett Till”. At the 2006 Salute to Excellence Awards, he was recognized for his report “Bridge to Gretna”.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with more than 4,000 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide. Pictured Above: Ed Bradley (June 22, 1941 - November 9, 2006)