Bill Whitaker Biography
Bill Whitaker is an American television journalist who has 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.
Bill Whitaker Age
Whitaker is 70 years old as of 2021. He was born on 26 August 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Bill Whitaker Family
Whitaker has not shared any information regarding his loving parents as of now, 2022. Nonetheless, we will update the site as soon as we get more intel from our trusted sources of information as soon as possible.
Bill Whitaker Wife / Son
Whitaker is married to Terry, with whom he has two children: Gail Whitaker, a son, and Lesley Whitaker, a daughter. The couple is extremely private, and very little is known about their dating history.
Bill Whitaker 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 Jeopardy
On January 4, 2021, the popular game show will return to test contestants’ trivia knowledge. Whitaker took over as Jeopardyguest !’s host after CNN’s Anderson Cooper. From May 3 to May 14, he hosted the iconic show. He admitted that “Jeopardy!” is his and his wife’s favorite show, and she encouraged him to take the job.
Bill Whitaker Salary
Whitaker earns an annual salary of $102,548.
Bill Whitaker Net Worth
Whitaker has an estimated net worth of $1million.
Bill Whitaker 60 Minutes – Career
He was hired as a 60 Minutes correspondent in March 2014, and this will be his eighth season on the show. 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 massive collusion and price-fixing scheme that cost consumers billions.
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. 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.
Before joining 60 Minutes, Whitaker covered nearly all of the major news stories in the West since being assigned to Los Angeles in 1992, regularly reporting for the CBS Evening News and other CBS News broadcasts. He has also worked for Sunday Morning, producing feature stories and thoughtful profiles on celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Norman Lear, and Gladys Knight. Mike Tyson, an ex-boxer, was featured in one of his most memorable Sunday Morning profiles. He has spoken with First Lady Michelle Obama as well as Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
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.
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.
Whitaker 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.
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