Diane Sawyer '67

Alumnae Achievement Awards 1991

Broadcast Journalist, Television Co-Anchor and Co-Editor

Diane Sawyer, among the most popular American broadcast journalists, received her degree in English from Wellesley in 1967. After graduating, she attended the University of Louisville Law School for one year before she decided to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. She returned to her home state of Kentucky to serve as a local TV anchor until 1970, when she moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as a press aide for the Nixon administration. After Nixon’s resignation, Sawyer worked with the transition team as Gerald Ford undertook the presidency, and she later assisted Nixon with the writing of his memoirs.

In 1978, she became a political correspondent for CBS, covering national political convention and stories such as the Iran hostage crisis. She became a co-anchor of CBS Morning News in 1981 and became a correspondent for 60 Minutes in 1984. After four years with 60 Minutes, Sawyer moved from the CBS network to ABC. With ABC, she has co-anchored Primetime Live, Good Morning America, and 20/20. During the 1980s, Sawyer also served as a correspondent for both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Sawyer has received accolades for her investigative journalism, overseas reports and poignant interviews with individuals ranging from Michael Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres to Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro to Bill and Hillary Clinton and Nancy Reagan. The awards she has received for her work include duPont Awards, Robert F. Kennedy awards, and numerous Emmys. Additionally, her many honors include the grand prize of the premier Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, two George Foster Peabody Awards for public service, an IRTS Lifetime Achievement Award, Broadcast Magazine Hall of Fame and the USC Distinguished Achievement in Journalism Award. In 1997, she was inducted into the Television Academy of Fame.

Currently, Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC World News and was previously co-anchoring Primetime and Good Morning America, both on ABC. She is married to film director Mike Nichols.