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Happy Birthday, Connie Chung, Award-Winning Journalist
August 20, 2009
by
findingDulcinea Staff
American journalist Connie Chung forged new territory in network news and broadcast journalism. As the first Asian American and second woman to be a news anchor, Chung has earned many awards for her work, including three Emmys.
Connie Chung's Early Days
Constance Yu-hwa Chung was born on Aug. 20, 1946, in Washington, D.C., to William and Margaret Chung. According to Encyclopedia.com, Chung’s family moved to the United States in 1944 to escape their "war-torn homeland."
In 1969, Chung graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. According to her biography on the International Women’s Leadership Conference Web site, she began her career in journalism at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C.
In 1969, Chung graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. According to her biography on the International Women’s Leadership Conference Web site, she began her career in journalism at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C.
Chung's Notable Accomplishments
Chung advanced from the copy desk at WTTG-TV to news writer and on-air reporter. She worked at many stations throughout her career, including CNN, NBC, MSNBC and ABC, headlining the shows “Eye to Eye with Connie Chung,” and “Face to Face with Connie Chung,” according to Greater Talent Network, Inc. Chung also worked for “CBS Evening News,” where she worked alongside Walter Cronkite during the controversial Watergate scandal, the International Women's Leadership Conference Web site reports.
Throughout her career, Chung had several highly publicized interviews with notables such as Magic Johnson after he broke the news about being HIV positive.
She is known for pushing the envelope, evident in her interview with Kathleen Gingrich, mother of former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich. According to John M. Knox in Communication World, Chung uttered the famous phrase “just between you and me” in the interview in order to elicit controversial remarks from Mrs. Gingrich. "Television station managers, journalism professors and men and women on the street debated the ethics: Is it right for CBS to broadcast remarks that were promised to remain between Gingrich and Chung?" Knox wrote in 1995.
Shortly after the interview, Chung left NBC for ABC where she covered the Sept. 11 attacks. The New York Times reported that she later went on to CNN to anchor the network's weeknight evening newscast.
Chung’s work has earned her a host of awards, including three Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, the National Educational Media Network’s Golden Apple Award, and honors from American Women in Radio and Television, according to Greater Talent Network.
Throughout her career, Chung had several highly publicized interviews with notables such as Magic Johnson after he broke the news about being HIV positive.
She is known for pushing the envelope, evident in her interview with Kathleen Gingrich, mother of former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich. According to John M. Knox in Communication World, Chung uttered the famous phrase “just between you and me” in the interview in order to elicit controversial remarks from Mrs. Gingrich. "Television station managers, journalism professors and men and women on the street debated the ethics: Is it right for CBS to broadcast remarks that were promised to remain between Gingrich and Chung?" Knox wrote in 1995.
Shortly after the interview, Chung left NBC for ABC where she covered the Sept. 11 attacks. The New York Times reported that she later went on to CNN to anchor the network's weeknight evening newscast.
Chung’s work has earned her a host of awards, including three Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, the National Educational Media Network’s Golden Apple Award, and honors from American Women in Radio and Television, according to Greater Talent Network.
The Rest of the Story
In 1984, Chung married American talk show host Maury Povich. In a 1990 article with People Magazine, she was open about her desire to start a family and announced plans to cut back on her work hours to pursue motherhood. Barbara Walters spoke with Chung and Povich for an ABC News special in which the couple talked about adopting their son, Matthew.
A January 2006 profile in New York Magazine covered the couples’ new venture, a talk show on MSNBC called “Weekends With Maury and Connie.” Unfortunately, the show was cancelled due to low ratings only a few months after it launched, the Associated Press reported.
According to Encyclopedia.com, Chung is distinguished as "the first Asian American and only the second woman ever to [be] named to the coveted post of nightly news anchor at a major network, traditionally thought of as the pinnacle of broadcast journalism."
A January 2006 profile in New York Magazine covered the couples’ new venture, a talk show on MSNBC called “Weekends With Maury and Connie.” Unfortunately, the show was cancelled due to low ratings only a few months after it launched, the Associated Press reported.
According to Encyclopedia.com, Chung is distinguished as "the first Asian American and only the second woman ever to [be] named to the coveted post of nightly news anchor at a major network, traditionally thought of as the pinnacle of broadcast journalism."
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
