Jim Lehrer, co-host and later host of the nightly PBS “NewsHour” that for decades offered a thoughtful take on current events, has died, PBS said Thursday. He was 85.
Lehner died “peacefully in his sleep,” according to PBS. He had suffered a heart attack in 1983 and more recently, had undergone heart valve surgery in April 2008.
For Lehrer, and for his friend and longtime partner Robert MacNeil, broadcast journalism was a service, with public understanding of events and issues its primary goal. Lehrer was also a frequent debattledare of presidential debates.
“We both believed the American people were not as stupid as some of the folks publishing and programming for them believed,” Lehrer wrote in his 1992 memoir, “A Bus of My Own.”
“We were convinced they cared about the significant matters of human events. … And we were certain they could and would hang in there more than 35 seconds
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Jim Lehrer
American journalist and writer (1934–2020)
James Charles Lehrer (LAIR-ə;[1] May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright.[2] He was the executive editor and a news anchor for the PBS News Hour on PBS and was known for his role as a debate moderator during U.S. presidential election campaigns, moderating twelve presidential debates between 1988 and 2012. Lehrer authored numerous fiction and non-fiction books that drew upon his experience as a newsman, along with his interests in history and politics.[3]
Early life and education
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James Charles Lehrer was born on May 19, 1934, in Wichita, Kansas.[4] His mother, Lois Catherine (née Chapman), was a teacher and bank clerk, and his father, Harry Frederick Lehrer, was a bus station manager.[5][6][7] His paternal grandparents were German immigrants. His maternal grandfather was J. B.