For decades, Tom Brokaw served as a level-headed figure on nightly news broadcasts across the country. A Politico article from 2015 dubbed him “one of the country’s most respected voices, period.” Even after his time hosting the NBC Nightly News came to an end in 2004, Brokaw remained a prominent contributor to various NBC News programs, weighing in on a host of subjects relevant to national issues.
Brokaw’s long broadcast journalism career — though not his journalism career as a whole — appears to have reached its conclusion, after 55 years. CNN reports that NBC News has announced Brokaw’s retirement from all on-air duties. In a statement, the network said that “Brokaw will continue to be active in print journalism, authoring books and articles, and spend time with his wife, Meredith, three daughters and grandchildren.”
Brokaw’s time with the network began in 1966, and he gradually became more and more prominent, including a stint as co-host of Today. His time as anchor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw from 1982 to 2004 found him covering a host of seismic moments in history, including the September 11, 2001 attacks. Brokaw is also the only person to have hosted the trifecta of The Today Show, the Nightly News and Meet the Press.
In recent years, Brokaw emerged as a sharp critic of Donald Trump’s presidency. He also encountered some controversy regarding remarks he made on assimilation in 2019, for which he apologized. He was also accused of harassment in 2018, which he strongly denied.
Brokaw’s exit from the airwaves serves as the end of a particular era of broadcast journalism. That said, fans of Brokaw looking for a regular supply of his opinions need look no further than Twitter, where he remains active.
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