Sharyl Attkisson

Sharyl Attkisson
Attkisson on USAF B-52 in 1999, one of the first journalists to fly on combat mission over Kosovo
Born	1961 Sarasota, Florida
Education	University of Florida
Occupation	CBS News Investigative Correspondent

Sharyl Attkisson (born 1961)^[1] is an American investigative correspondent in the Washington bureau for CBS News. She has also substituted as anchor for the CBS Evening News.

Early life

Attkisson was born in Florida.^[2] Her step-father is an orthopedic surgeon and her brother is an emergency room physician. Attkisson graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1982.^[3]

Career

Attkisson began her broadcast journalism career in 1982 as a reporter at WUFT-TV, the PBS station in Gainesville, Florida. That was followed by jobs as anchor and reporter at WTVX-TV Fort Pierce/West Palm Beach, Florida from 1982-85, WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio from 1985-86, and WTVT Tampa, Florida (1986-90).^[4]

1990s

From 1990 to 1993, Attkisson was an anchor for CNN. She also was a key anchor for CBS space exploration coverage in 1993.^[5] Attkisson left CNN in 1993,^[6] moving to CBS, where she anchored the television news broadcast CBS News Up to the Minute and became an investigative correspondent based in Washington D.C.^[7] In addition, Attkisson served on the University of Florida's Journalism College Advisory Board (1993-97) and was chairman in 1996.^[7] The University of Florida gave her an Outstanding Achievement Award in 1997. From 1997 to 2003, Attkisson simultaneously hosted CBS News Up to the Minute and the PBS Health news magazine HealthWeek.^[8]

2000s

Attkisson received an Investigative Reporters and Editors (I.R.E.) Finalist awards: Dangerous Drugs in 2000.^[9] In 2001, Attkisson received an Investigative Emmy Award nomination for Firestone Tire Fiasco from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.^[10] In 2002, Attkisson co-authored a college textbook titled Writing Right for Broadcast and Internet News .^[11] That same year, Attkisson won a 2002 Emmy Award for her Investigative Journalism about the American Red Cross.^[7] The award was presented in New York City on Sept. 10, 2002.^[12] Attkisson was part of the CBS News team that received RTNDA-Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2005 for Overall Excellence.^[9]

In 2006, Attkisson served as Capitol Hill correspondent for CBS.^[13] That lead to her being one of a small number of female anchors covering the 2006 midterms.^[14] Attkisson was part of the CBS News team that received RTNDA-Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2008 for Overall Excellence.^[9] In 2009, Attkisson won an Investigative Emmy Award for Business and Financial Reporting for her exclusive reports on TARP and the bank bailout.^[9] The award was presented on December 7th at Fordham University's Lincoln Center Campus in New York City.^[15]

2010s

Attkisson returned to the University of Florida as a key-note speaker at the College of Journalism and Communications in 2010.^[3] That same year, Attkisson received an Emmy Award nomination for her investigations into members of Congress, and she also received a 2010 Emmy Award nomination for her investigation into waste of tax dollars.^[16] In July 2011, Attkisson was nominated for an Emmy Award for her Follow the Money investigations into Congressional travel to the Copenhagen climate summit, and aid to Haiti earthquake victims.^[17][9]

In 2012, CBS News accepted an Investigative Reporting Award given to Attkisson's reporting on ATF's Fast and Furious gunwalker controversy. The award was from Accuracy in Media, an American, non-profit news media watchdog group, and was presented at a Conservative Political Action Conference.^[18] In June 2012, Attkisson's investigative reporting for the Gunwalker story also won the CBS Evening News the Radio and Television News Directors Association's National Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video Investigative Reporting. The award will be presented October 8, 2012 in New York City.^[19] Additionally, in July 2012, Attkisson's Gunwalker: Fast and Furious reporting received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism.^[20]

Attkisson's reporting on vaccines has been criticized by medical experts such as David Gorski and Steven Salzberg as promoting pseudoscientific theories about an alleged link between autism and vaccines.^[21][22][23]

Personal life

Attkisson has reached third degree black belt in taekwondo.^[2] She's married and has a daughter.^[24]

References

Further reading

• C-SPAN Q&A interview with Attkisson, March 29, 2009

External links

• Official CBS News bio

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