I heard this tonight, and while I was not surprised by it, I have to take a minute to pay my respects.
I know there will be people here and elsewhere who will greet this with a meh or worse---see comments on the Huff Po regarding her death. SIGH. This is the price of everyone having a published opinion every day. It’s both very democratic and satisfying---as I call on it tonight for myself---and also frustrating.
Frustrating because I’m pretty sure many younger ones won’t remember what she accomplished. It’s a long list that will be repeated in the days to come, so I won’t do that here. Except to say, that if you were a woman coming of age, or already a young adult when she came to the fore, you would understand how she poked her way right through a glass ceiling that no female journalist had done before her.
I remember when she was finally given the job of the first female co-anchor on a nightly news broadcast. Co-anchoring mind you, don’t even think of actually solo anchoring as a woman. Not yet.
At that time, Walters co-anchored with Harry Reasoner---a very well respected newsman, in the neighborhood of Walter Cronkite like respect. Well, he treated her like shit. This is very well documented by her, and many others. He might have been a hell of a newsman, but he wasn’t ready to accept that a woman could be too. That was her much ballyhooed “million dollar contract.” God forbid a woman would earn that much! Even though I’d like to see what Reasoner was making.
But those were the days my friends, oh yes they were. And any woman in that business at that time is not going to disagree with me for a second. In the end, Walters didn’t last long in that untenable position, but she didn’t let that stop her.
She went on to do her thing, loudly, proudly, and like many a newsman before her, in the spirit of her spirit. Time was this was heralded in a man but often ridiculed in a woman. There was simply no safe place in those days for a woman’s point of view.
I think it’s safe to say that Barbara Walters could give any young woman today a master class in what it’s like to bite your lip and carry on and not let the bastard of being born into a time not yet ready for you bring you down. Because yes, although its gotten so much better, we are so not there yet. Hello, a country 246 years old, yet still unwilling to elect a woman as president. And yeah, I’m starting at the top and moving down here.
And despite where I didn’t agree with her, or eventually saw her to be a bit dated in her approach, I will always remember how she drove her tank through the frontline of misogyny, through the old boys club of journalism. Certainly, there were women of her time who were equally talented, maybe even more talented, but then who would know? Because I can’t think of one who got there before Barbara Walters.
So I think tonight, that she had a very good and long life. But it was a good life because it was so very hard fought. Hat tip to you, Ms. Walters.