Bill Whitaker (journalist)

For the Australian journalist, see Bill Whittaker (journalist).

Bill Whitaker
Whitaker at the 2018 Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom Awards
Born	(1951-08-26) August 26, 1951 (age 73) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S.
Education	Hobart College (BA) Boston University (MA) UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism (MS)
Known for	60 Minutes

Bill Whitaker (born August 26, 1951)^[1] is an American television journalist and a correspondent for the CBS News program 60 Minutes.

Early life and education

Whitaker was born in Philadelphia, on August 26, 1951. He graduated from Hobart College with a Bachelor's degree in American history. He went on to graduate study at Boston University, earning a Master's degree in African-American studies. He also attended a graduate journalism program at the University of California, Berkeley in 1978.^[1] He started his career before he could complete his master's thesis, which he ultimately did in 2016.^[2]

Career

Whitaker's broadcast journalism career began in 1979 at KQED in San Francisco. In 1982, Whitaker became a correspondent for WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina. He then moved to Atlanta, where he covered politics from 1985 to 1989. He joined CBS News as a reporter in November 1984. He became the CBS News Tokyo correspondent from 1989 to 1992. In November 1992, Whitaker moved to Los Angeles and became a CBS News correspondent there.^[1]

During his time at CBS, Whitaker has covered many big events and disasters. Some include the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the War in Afghanistan (more specifically in Kabul). He also has covered many race-related issues such as policing in cities such as Cleveland, Chicago and Tulsa. In Tulsa, Whitaker had a notable first interview with Betty Jo Shelby, the former police officer accused of shooting and killing Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2014, Whitaker became a correspondent for the CBS news program 60 Minutes, for which he began reporting in the fall season.

In 2021, following the death of host Alex Trebek, it was announced that Whitaker, among others, would guest-host Jeopardy! ^[3] His ten episodes aired May 3–14, 2021.

Awards and recognition

Whitaker was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1997.^[1]

In June 2015, Whitaker received an honorary doctorate from Knox College in Illinois.^[4][5]

Personal life

Whitaker resides in New York City.^[4]

References

1. "Bill Whitaker: Correspondent, 60 Minutes". CBS News. August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
2. "Campus honors distinguished Berkeley Journalism alums". UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. February 23, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
3. Jacobs, Meredith. "'Jeopardy!' Announces that Bill Whitaker & Mayim Bialik Will Guest Host the Game Show". TV Insider. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
4. Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2014). "Bill Whitaker Named '60 Minutes' Correspondent". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014.
5. Carson, T.J. (June 9, 2015). "CBS Correspondent Talks Bright Future for Knox College Grads". NPR. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015.

External links

• Bill Whitaker at IMDb

Media offices
Preceded by Anderson Cooper	Guest host of Jeopardy! May 3–14, 2021	Succeeded by Buzzy Cohen