Washington, DC, (November 5, 2011)--The National Association
of Black Journalists (NABJ) mourns the passing of Andy Rooney, the respected
CBS News correspondent and essayist for "60 Minutes."
"Andy
Rooney was truly one of this nation’s most respected journalists. He understood
the power of the written word and he mastered it. His commentaries on "60
Minutes” always managed to make us stop and think. Friends and colleagues said
he always considered himself average. If Andy Rooney was in any way average, we
should endeavor to be his caliber of average,” said NABJ President Gregory Lee
Jr., a senior assistant sports editor at the Boston Globe.
His biography notes that Rooney won The Writers Guild Award for Best Script of
the Year six times more than any other writer which helps underscore the impact
he had on television.
At the sunset of the Civil Rights movement in 1968, he wrote two CBS News
specials in the series "Of Black America" and "Black History:
Lost, Stolen or Strayed," the latter of which earned him any Emmy award.
Mr.
Rooney died Friday following complications from surgery after just weeks ago
concluding his regular appearances on "60 Minutes." How grateful the
journalism community and the community at large are for the minutes and hours
we were fortunate to spend with Mr. Rooney. NABJ offers its condolences to Mr.
Rooney's family, friends, and especially to his colleagues at CBS News.
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