Daniel Schorr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Schorr
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Schorr (left) and NPR's Scott Simon prepare for a Saturday broadcast.
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Daniel Louis Schorr
August 31, 1916 New York, New York, U.S.
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| Died | July 23, 2010 (aged 93) Washington, DC, U.S.
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| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Lisbeth Bamberger |
Daniel Louis Schorr (August 31, 1916 – July 23, 2010) was an American journalist. He reported on world news for more than 60 years. He was a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR). Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his television work.
Contents
Early Life and First News Story
Daniel Schorr was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1916. His parents were immigrants from Russia. He began his journalism career at a very young age. When he was just 13, he saw a woman fall from a building. After calling the police, he called the Bronx Home News. They paid him $5 for his information.
He went to DeWitt Clinton High School. There, he worked on the school newspaper, the Clinton News. He later graduated from City College of New York in 1939. During this time, he also worked for the Jewish Daily Bulletin. Schorr served in Army Intelligence during World War II. In 1967, he married Lisbeth Bamberger.
Reporting for CBS News
In 1953, Daniel Schorr joined CBS News. He was one of the journalists chosen by Edward R. Murrow. In 1955, he opened a CBS news office in Moscow. This was a big deal because the Soviet Union was starting to open up. In 1957, he got a special interview with Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Communist Party. This interview was Schorr's first on television. He had to leave the Soviet Union later that year. This was because of their strict censorship laws.
In 1962, Schorr showed what daily life was like in East Germany. His report was called The Land Beyond the Wall. It showed how a Communist country needed to stay separate from the West. This was to keep its system going.
Schorr also reported on American politics. He paid close attention to the career of Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey was the Vice President of the United States.
Facing Challenges in the 1970s
Daniel Schorr sometimes faced difficulties because of his reporting. In the 1970s, he angered Richard Nixon's White House. In 1971, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) questioned his friends and neighbors. They said it was because Schorr was being considered for a job. But Schorr knew nothing about this.
Later, during the Watergate hearings, a secret list was found. This was called Nixon's Enemies List. Daniel Schorr's name was on it. Schorr famously read the list live on TV. He was surprised to see his own name there. He won Emmy Awards for news reporting in 1972, 1973, and 1974.
In 1976, Schorr caused a big stir. He received a secret report called the Pike Committee report. This report was about secret activities by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and FBI. Schorr decided to make the report public. He was asked to tell Congress who gave him the report. But he refused, saying it was against the First Amendment. This protects freedom of the press. He risked going to jail. Because of this, he left CBS in September 1976.
Schorr later gave the money he made from the report to a group that helps journalists.
Later Career in Journalism
In 1977, Daniel Schorr started working for ITNA. This was a news agency for independent TV stations. In 1979, he joined CNN. He was the very first on-camera person hired there. He reported news and gave his thoughts on current events.
In 1985, his contract with CNN was not renewed. He then became a Senior News Analyst at NPR. He stayed in this job for many years until he passed away. He often talked about current events on NPR shows. He also wrote a column for The Christian Science Monitor.
Schorr also appeared in some movies in the late 1990s. He played a newscaster in The Net (1995), The Game (1997), and The Siege (1998). He also appeared as himself in the film World War Three. In 2002, he was chosen to be part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Friendship with Frank Zappa
Daniel Schorr was not a fan of rock music. But he became friends with the musician Frank Zappa. Zappa contacted him for help with a voter registration drive. Schorr even appeared with Zappa in 1988. He sang some songs with him.
Schorr gave a speech on NPR after Zappa died in 1993. He said he didn't fully understand Zappa's music ideas. But he saw Zappa as a serious person who believed strongly in free speech.
Death
Daniel Schorr died on July 23, 2010. He was 93 years old. He passed away in a Washington, D.C. hospital after a short illness. His last broadcast for NPR was on July 10, 2010. He was buried at Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville, Maryland.
Awards and Honors
- Emmy Award for "outstanding achievement within a regularly scheduled news program", 1972, 1973, and 1974.
- George Polk Award for Radio Commentary, for his work on NPR, 1993.
- Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University "Golden Baton" for "Exceptional Contributions to Radio and Television Reporting and Commentary", 1996.
- Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting, 2002.
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Whittier College (2003).
He was listed as number 17 on Nixon's Enemies List. He found this out while reading the list live on the air. He later said that being on this list was one of the greatest honors of his life.
Books by Daniel Schorr
- (2007) Come to Think of It: Notes on the Turn of the Millennium.
- (2005) The Senate Watergate Report: The Historic Ervin Committee Report, Which Initiated the Fall of a President.
- (2002) Staying Tuned: A Life in Journalism.
- (1998) Forgive Us Our Press Passes: Selected Works (1972–1998).
- (1978) Clearing the Air.
- (1970) Don't Get Sick in America.
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Schorr para niños
