Legendary journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts dies at 75

[alp227]

Source: ABC

Renowned ABC News journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts has died at the age of 75.

Roberts won countless awards, including three Emmys, throughout her decades-long career. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting. She was named a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress in 2008.

"We will miss Cokie beyond measure, both for her contributions and for her love and kindness," her family said in a statement.

Her death was due to complications from breast cancer.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/legendary-journalist-political-commentator-cokie-roberts-dies-75/story?id=65633507

[rampartc]

1. daughter of hale and lindy boggs. both served as congresscritters in my district

[JohnQFunk]

2. I lost ALL respect for Cokie...

… when she fully embraced the very same arrogant moralist scold attitude toward President Clinton during the Lewinsky flap as did Sally "Hypocrite Homewrecker" Quinn and the rest of Washington's phony-baloney, self-entitled "society gals" who had been rightly snubbed by the White House on the topic of socializing. Their blindered, bitter hatred of the Clintons went a surprisingly long way toward poisoning the media well.

[Polly Hennessey]

3. Agee with you.

She was ok but her attitude, and Quinn’s, was out of line. They ceased being journalists. Quinn was especially horrible. Her arrogance was epic.

[not fooled]

7. +++

Shaping public perception through an obvious bias.

[Coventina]

8. I grew to absolutely HATE her during the Bush years. Giant Bush apologist.

She was the biggest reason I quit giving money to NPR.

I'm not gonna grave dance, but I'm glad I never have to hear her voice again.

[not_the_one]

28. What Coventina said...

edited to add... Boo Fucking Hoo

[mrs_p]

29. Same. I haven't given

NPR a dime since she implied Obama wasn’t a real American since he vacations in exotic Hawaii.

[ChiTownDenny]

34. +1

[deurbano]

36. God, Sally Quinn!! "Hypocrite" barely begins to cover it....

[PJMcK]

4. I met Cokie several times

Years ago, I had a friend who was fairly high up at ABC News and I'd often meet him at his office at the end of the day. I got to know a number of the on-screen journalists as well as some of the writers and producers. The first time I met Cokie, she was very polite and friendly towards me.

One time, my friend invited a group of his co-workers out to dinner for his birthday and she was there. We sat next to one another and I found her to be a fascinating person and terrific conversationalist.

This all happened before Bill Clinton was president. I was very disappointed that she took such a moralistic stance as the Lewinsky scandal unraveled and kind of lost some respect for her after that.

Ah, well. Rest in peace.

[Va Lefty]

18. Did you ever meet Sam Donaldson? Always thought he would be interesting to talk to/too.

[PJMcK]

20. Yes, I did

He was very tall!

Usually, when I went to the ABC office/studios, it was about a half hour before the evening news broadcast so he tended to be rather involved preparing for his show. But my friend introduced us and on one occasion asked me to tell Donaldson a bawdy joke I’d heard. Donaldson laughed uproariously, patted me on the shoulder and said, “Thanks, that’s just what I needed.”

I can’t tell the joke on an open forum, however!

[Va Lefty]

21. Cool! Thanks for sharing.

[PJMcK]

23. I'll pm the joke to you, if you'd like (n/t)

[TlalocW]

24. I too would like to know

Just what made Sam laugh so hard if you don't mind PM'ing me as well.

TlalocW

[Va Lefty]

33. Sure, thanks!

[Bigredhunk]

22. :-)

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Wow.

Just saw a CNN breaking...

She was around a long time as an "original" subtle conservative commentator (or at least she leaned that way - I notice the OP article didn't seem to mention that). Didn't even know she was ill again.

R.I.P.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. I think she did panel on This Week recently and her voice was really strained.

I remember thinking that sounded like more than a cold.

[Lulu KC]

9. I was oblivious to her approach to Clinton

so perhaps it would have shaded my view. Having said that, I often heard coverage of the SC rulings and thought, "I'll just wait until Cokie covers it." I will miss her.

[mopinko]

10. cokie and the other women of npr made it what it was.

before the interwebs, npr was my sanity. it was on at my house all the time. kept me sane when my kids were little.

i salute her, even tho i agree w other comments here about her conservative bent.
she still taught me a lot. and she still changed the world w sisterhood.

[BlueMTexpat]

11. +1! eom

[Hekate]

14. Thank you for this

A person is more than one thing.

[marybourg]

27. Me too.

[zeusdogmom]

32. My feelings exactly

And because NPR was - and still is - on all the time at my house, my daughters grew up listening. And continue to listen as do their children.

Cokie - or any other person - was not perfect and obviously I didn't always agree with her commentary. The same holds true today. NPR is not perfect but OMG what a sane and knowledgeable voice in the wilderness.

My daughters and I - currently living in 3 different states - will be raising a glass of wine to Cokie during All Things Considered tonight.

[yaesu]

12. She had an interesting life, r.i.p. nt

[question everything]

13. R.I.P Cokie Roberts

While not always agreeing with her, I think that she was the conservative counter part to Sam Donaldson in the old days, I respected her thoughtful opinions.

In the early days of the MeToo, when the complaints came from Hollywood actors, she commented bluntly that hourly workers at, say, fast food restaurants have no recourse.

I saw her on the This Week program just a few weeks ago and noticed how bad, emaciated, she looked.

She will be remembered as one of the golden age of television, respectful, thoughtful, as opposed to today interruptions.

[keithbvadu2]

15. Cokie's Law - about politics and media coverage...

Cokie's Law - about politics and media coverage...

Cokie's Law states that it does not matter if it is true or not. It's out there.

Cokie Roberts journalist, author, reporter

Then they can apologize in a much smaller forum. (If they do)

[Uben]

16. Wasn't a fan of hers, but......

…..breast cancer sucks! I hate that she had to go through that. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I lost my wife to it after a 10 year battle.
In the end, it wasn't pretty...or easy. So, I hope she is at rest now...no pain..no treatments...no doctors, just peaceful rest. We all deserve that. We may not make the right or popular decisions in our life here on earth but we all endeavor to persevere. I believe she believed what she stood for, and that's what's important. In the end, there is only one judge.

R.I.P. Ms. Roberts.

[Miguelito Loveless]

17. She was fairly decent, though center-right

up until the Clinton impeachment, then she went Dark Side­™. After here second career as a moral scold, she then became a disciple and supporter of BushCo, and I lost all respect for her.

[Gothmog]

19. May she rest in peace

[EveHammond13]

25. She criticized Obama for vacationing in "exotic" Hawaii

instead of some place more normal (in her view)


Edit to add

In the end, it wasn't close. By an overwhelming margin, criticism by Cokie Roberts, NPR contributing senior news analyst and ABC political commentator, of then-Sen. Barack Obama for choosing Hawaii, the state of his birth, to take his August family vacation was the most popular entry in Media Matters for America's poll for Most Inane Punditry of the 2008 presidential campaign. Readers chose Roberts' comments -- which included her characterizing Hawaii, where Obama vacations regularly, as “foreign, exotic” -- in greater numbers than her two closest competitors combined. Roberts stated: “I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place,” adding, “He should be in Myrtle Beach, and, you know, if he's going to take a vacation at this time.”

https://www.mediamatters.org/legacy/its-official-readers-pick-cokie-roberts-foreign-exotic-hawaii-comments-most-inane

[Coventina]

26. Yeah, why would he want to go to his birthplace or visit his grandmother?

Like I've said before, I'm glad I won't ever have to hear her voice again.

[live love laugh]

40. Me also she was 💩 IMO nt

[Rebl2]

39. She did know

that Hawaii is a state didn’t she and that he had relatives that lived there? Pretty stupid thing for her to say. I used to like her many years ago, but then she became such a right winger I quit listening to anything she had to say.

[rockfordfile]

30. Yeah legendary full of bs

She was far-right.

[milestogo]

31. She was annoying.

[Fan of Da Bearse]

35. Kick for Thread

My Bad for duplicating.

[Yeehah]

37. Good riddance

She was a propaganda catapulter.

[BeyondGeography]

38. For the last 20 years I had to avoid her reporting/analysis for mental health reasons

It was devoid of truth. The nihilism of the Republican Party paled in comparison to whatever misdemeanors us Democrats were committing.