This is the first biography of journalist Robert Pierpoint, a contemporary of Edward R. Murrow, hired by him to cover the Korean War for CBS. He went on to cover the White House, through six presidents. In more than 40 years with the network, he covered the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, Nixon’s resignation, and the State Department, culminating in memorable reporting for CBS Sunday Morning. He was the winner of two Emmy Awards for investigative reporting and helped shape the careers of many of today’s journalists, including Bob Schieffer, Dan Rather, Lesley Stahl, and Diane Sawyer.

Tony Silvia is professor emeritus of journalism and digital communication at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg and had a long career in broadcast journalism. He is the author of seven other titles, including four with McFarland. He lives in Little Compton, Rhode Island and and Dunedin, Florida.

Tony Silvia
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 180
Bibliographic Info: 12 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7414-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1575-2
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments ix

Foreword by Bob Schieffer 1

Introduction 5

1. Beginnings: From Redlands to Stockholm 9

2. New Blood: Meeting Murrow and Covering Korea 23

3. Bureau Chief: The Far East 38

4. Back Home: Marriage, Family and the White House 51

5. Back Row: Tennis, Television and Politics 111

6. After the White House: Casting a Critical Eye 126

7. Last of Murrow’s Boys: A Journalist’s Professional and Personal Legacy 151

Notes 159

Bibliography 167

Index 169

“a valuable contribution to broadcast journalism and all who delve into it will be richly rewarded”—Sperdvac Radiogram.