Bill Whitaker Biography
Bill Whitaker is an American television journalist who works as a correspondent for CBS News’ 60 Minutes. He covered major news stories in the United States and around the world for CBS News. He received the RTDNA’s highest honor, the Paul White Award for career achievement, in 2018. He was hired as a 60 Minutes correspondent in March 2014, and this will be his eighth season on the show.
How old is Bill Whitaker? – Age
He is 70 years old as of 26 August 2021. He was born in 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Bill Whitaker Parents
Whitaker’s parents are William Whitaker Sr. and Marie Whitaker. After being refused service in a Media restaurant in the 1940s because she was African American, his father marched on Washington while his mother was a co-founder of the organization. Whitaker has a sister named Gail Whitaker.
Where did Bill Whitaker go to College? – Education
Whitaker earned a Bachelor of Arts in American history from Hobart College. He continued his education at Boston University, where he earned a Master’s degree in African-American studies. In 1978, he also enrolled in a graduate journalism program at the University of California, Berkeley.
Bill Whitaker Wife
She is married to Terry Whitaker. They have two children: a son, Gail Whitaker, and a daughter. After two decades in Los Angeles, the family relocated to a modern apartment overlooking Central Park.
What is Bill Whitaker’s salary?
At CBS, his annual salary is estimated to be $102,548.
Bill Whitaker Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $1million.
How long has Bill Whitaker been 60 Minutes?
Whitaker’s investigation into the origins of the opioid crisis with the Washington Post has won more awards than any other 60 Minutes work. The first report in the two-part series detailed how a law pushed by drug industry lobbyists hampered the DEA’s efforts to combat the epidemic.
The report was credited with compelling the law’s chief sponsor, a congressman, to withdraw his nomination for Trump’s drug czar. The following installment detailed how the government settled the largest opioid case in US history against one of the world’s largest drug distribution companies in a deal that stunned DEA agents. The reporting received eight awards, including a DuPont-Columbia University award, a Peabody, an Emmy, and an RTDNA Murrow award.
Whitaker’s four seasons on 60 Minutes have taken him to Asia, Africa, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle East, including a timely investigation into the vetting process Syrian refugees, go through before coming to the United States and an interview with the highest-ranking North Korean official to defect in decades.
Bill Whitaker Career
His recent investigation into “ghost guns” uncovered legal purchases of gun parts used by criminals to build lethal weapons while avoiding licenses and background checks. He discussed the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine and drugs, as well as the use of artificial intelligence to track the spread of the virus.
Whitaker conducted the first television interview with sex assault survivor Chanel Miller in 2019, and earlier that year was the first to report on the evidence states were using to sue generic drug manufacturers in what state attorneys general described as a massive collusion and price-fixing scheme that cost consumers billions.
His investigation into the loophole in the H-1B visa program Whitaker also frequently reported from abroad, including coverage of Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa. He also did pieces on the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the tragic earthquake in Haiti. During the early stages of the Afghan war, he reported from Kabul.
Domestically, his reports from Cleveland, Chicago, and, most recently, Tulsa, Oklahoma, have provided keen insights into the hot-button issue of race and policing in America, where he obtained the news-making first interview with the city police officer accused of manslaughter for shooting an unarmed black man. His stories have also brought to light issues concerning the death penalty in the United States, as well as the heroin epidemic in the country. Whitaker has chronicled the epic battle to apprehend and imprison Mexico’s infamous drug lord Joaquin “el Chapo” Guzman, gaining unprecedented access to investigations on both sides of the border.
During the early stages of the Afghan war, he reported from Kabul. He covered Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2008. He was CBS News’ lead reporter during George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 2000. Whitaker was CBS News’ Tokyo correspondent before being assigned to Los Angeles (1989-92). He covered stories from all over Asia, including the pro-democracy uprising in Tiananmen Square, military coup attempts in the Philippines, and Japan’s Emperor Akihito’s enthronement. He was in Baghdad during the preparations for Desert Storm. He was previously based in Atlanta (1985-88), where he won an Emmy for his coverage of the collapse of Jim and Tammy Bakker’s television ministry and covered Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential campaign.
Whitaker began his career as a reporter for CBS News in November 1984. Whitaker previously worked as a correspondent for WBTV-TV, the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. He began his broadcast journalism career as a producer, associate producer, and researcher/writer at KQED-TV in San Francisco.