On Thursday, Jim Lehrer, news anchor and co-founder of "PBS NewsHour," passed away at the age of 85, according to a PBS news release. He passed away at his home in Seattle.
"I'm heartbroken at the loss of someone who was central to my professional life, a mentor to me and someone whose friendship I've cherished for decades. I've looked up to him as the standard for fair, probing and thoughtful journalism, and I know countless others who feel the same way." —Judy Woodruff, managing editor of "PBS NewsHour"
Citizens and others across the nation were mourning the trusted TV anchor.
Lehrer worked with Robert MacNeil to create “NewsHour” in 1975 after covering the Watergate hearings two years prior. He worked for 36 years as an anchor on the show.
In his career, "NewsHour" became known as "one of the most trusted news programs on television." The show still attracts an average of more than 1 million viewers in an increasingly digital media era, according to Pew Research.
"I have an old-fashioned view that news is not a commodity. News is information that's required in a democratic society," Lehrer told The American Journalism Review.
On the political side, Lehrer moderated the highest number of presidential debates in U.S. history. He oversaw 12 debates, from a 1988 debate with President George H.W. Bush, to President Barack Obama in 2012.
He also is known for writing 20 novels and earning the National Humanities Medal from President Bill Clinton.
His surviving family members include wife Kate, three daughters and six grandchildren.
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