Family members, friends and our PBS NewsHour family — past and present — said goodbye to co-founder Jim Lehrer on Friday.
Jim was a journalist, author, Marine, father, husband, granddad and friend, who touched the lives of many more who watched him each night on television. He died on Jan. 23 at the age of 85.
"On the NewsHour, my dad was serious, serious about things that matter, as he would say, when in fact he had such a merry spirit, he was quick to delight," said Jim's daughter, Amanda Staples Lehrer Nash. "And it showed instantly in his eyes and smile. One of his gifts was the way he could express emotion and so plainly tell his family and his friends how much he loved us and he was able to fully receive our love as well."
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss, a friend, remembered Jim as a newsman who built "monumental" television programs, and as a witness to history.
Perhaps most notably, as a young reporter for the Dallas Times Herald, Jim was assigned to cover the arrival of President John Kennedy at the Dallas Love Field airport — the day the president was assassinated.
Robert MacNeil, Jim's journalism partner and fellow co-founder of the NewsHour, spoke to Jim's undying dedication to journalism and to avoiding even the appearance of bias. Jim did not vote nor was he registered to vote.
"His determination to be fair and not to reveal his own biases and prejudices in his questions are all wrapped up in his now famous 10 principals of journalism," MacNeil said.
Beschloss said Jim provided "Americans night after night with facts and arguments that allowed them to function in what Harry Truman always called their most important role, citizens in a democracy — that's what future generations will recall."
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Canvas supported by
Knight Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The NBA has banned Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports…
The new film "Civil War" is stirring debate and provoking conversation about where a divided nation could lead. It topped…
A movie weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by…
PEN's response to Israel's invasion of Gaza has been widely criticized by writers who believe the organization has failed to…
Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her…
Entrepreneur and author Derrick Fennell has been a flight attendant for more than 14 years. Many of his passengers know…
The Italian-born designer became renowned in the early 1970s for his animal prints and a sexy Italian style that remained…
More than 4,000 library book bans were attempted in public and school libraries in 2023, according to the American Library…
The decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up…
In the summer of 2022, historic flooding in eastern Kentucky washed away homes and entire communities, claiming more than 40…
Her latest album, the epic "Act ll: Cowboy Carter," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her…
Narsiso Martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and often invisible labor performed by farmworkers. Martinez's work is…
The conviction stemmed from an altercation last March in which Majors' then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari accused him of attacking her in…
Some people see older buildings as revered artifacts that have stood the test of time, but others see them as…
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' by Mark Twain is one of the cornerstones of American literature. "James," a new novel…