Veteran journalist Gwen Ifill died Monday at the age of 61 after a battle with cancer, PBS confirmed Monday.
“It is with extreme sadness that we share the news that Gwen Ifill passed away earlier today surrounded by family and friends. Gwen was one of America’s leading lights in journalism and a fundamental reason public media is considered a trusted window on the world by audiences across the nation,” said PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. “Her contributions to thoughtful reporting and civic discourse simply cannot be overstated. She often said that her job was to bring light rather than heat to issues of importance to our society. Gwen did this with grace and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Our sorrow at her passing is a part of our profound gratitude for all that she did for our system and our nation. It was an honor to know Gwen and to work with her. All of us at PBS express our sincere condolences to Gwen’s friends and family.”
Ifill, one of the most prominant African-American journalists, graduated from Simmons College in 1977 and went on to work in various positions at The Washington Post, The New York Times and NBC. She joined PBS’s “Washington Week in Review” in 1999.
Ifill moderated the 2004 and 2008 vice-presidential debates between Dick Cheney and John Edwards, and Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. She also moderated a Democratic primary debate between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
Ifill was also the best-selling author of The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.
