Judy: Tonight we remember a
legendary newsman and pioneer,
Bernard Shaw.
He died from pneumonia yesterday
at the age of 82.
>> The number one challenge is
not just to tell you what and
why things happened, but to
explain what developments mean.
Judy: He was there from the
earliest days when CNN began
airing around the clock.
Bernard Shaw was CNN's first
chief anchor.
>> Bernie was always the
consummate news anchor.
Judy: Former bureau chief frank
says no worked with Shaw
starting in the 1980's.
>> There was Bernie.
He came over from a broadcast
network.
They took a gamble on this new
dream that Ted turner had that
there could be 24 hour news.
Judy: Always cool under
pressure, Bernie covered some of
the biggest stories of his time.
>> I will never forget how he
was almost doing play-by-play as
the Chinese authorities cut
CNN's coverage during the
tiananmen square candle --
scandal.
>> I am being told that
government officials are coming
into the control room now.
Judy: From the massacre at
tiananmen square, to the first
gulf war, Shaw was how many
learned about history making
developments around the world.
>> I am just crunching down on
the floor to get a better point
of observation.
The sky over Baghdad is black.
You can hear the occasional
truck or cargo by, but you would
not know that there is life
outside.
Judy: Shaw asked hard questions
of leaders around the world and
politicians from both parties in
the U.S.
In a 1988 presidential debate,
he surprised Massachusetts
governor Michael dukakis.
>> You have two minutes to
respond.
Governor, if kitty dukakis were
raped and murdered, would you
favor an irrevocable death
penalty?
Judy: Shaw set the standard for
unbiased reporting.
>> Integrity for himself,
integrity for the network and
story.
He was such a deep believer in
America and the role that
journalism played.
One-of-a-kind.
Judy: The first black anchor for
CNN, Bernie was a trail blazer,
inspiring a generation of black
journalists.
>> Diversity is not racial,
ethnic or gender encroachment.
Diversity is our national
survival.
Judy: Today we remember burning
Shaw as a pioneer and icon among
journalists and as a dear
friend.
Bernie retired from CNN over 20
years ago, but he and his wife
Linda stayed in touch.
I was fortunate to work
alongside him eight years there
as his coanchor on a program
called "Inside politics" and
many other ventures, including
election nights.
He was the consummate
professional newsman, a stickler
for facts who held himself to
the highest standards, but took
time to appreciate everyone in
the village it takes to report
news.
He was a pioneer.
At a time when there were few
black journalists at his level,
when I think about the two
people I was lucky to sit next
to as coanchor, for the longest