Robert MacNeil, the creator of the balanced and straightforward PBS newscast “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in the 1970s, passed away on Friday at the age of 93. Alongside his late partner, Jim Lehrer, MacNeil co-anchored the show for two decades.
According to Alison MacNeil, her father, MacNeil, passed away due to natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
MacNeil rose to prominence when he covered the Senate Watergate hearings for the public broadcasting service. In 1975, he launched the “Robert MacNeil Report” on PBS, where he served as the Washington correspondent alongside his friend Lehrer.
The “MacNeil-Lehrer Report” transformed into the “MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” in 1983, expanding its duration to one hour. This pioneering evening news broadcast, which has been honored with numerous Emmy and Peabody awards, continues to be aired today, featuring anchors Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz.
MacNeil and Lehrer were dissatisfied with the style and content of news programs on ABC, CBS, and NBC, which ultimately inspired them to create their own program.
In a 1983 interview with the Chicago Tribune, MacNeil expressed his belief that there was no need to overly sensationalize the news. He criticized the networks for hyping up the news to make it appear more crucial and significant. According to MacNeil, the problem with the limited time frame of 22 minutes was that it often lacked context, balance, and a thorough examination of the questions that certain events raised.
MacNeil authored multiple books throughout his career. These include two memoirs titled “The Right Place at the Right Time” and the best-selling “Wordstruck,” as well as the novels “Burden of Desire” and “The Voyage.”
In a 1995 interview with The Associated Press, MacNeil emphasized the personal nature of writing, contrasting it with the collaborative nature of television. He stated, “Writing is much more personal. It is not collaborative in the way that television must be. But when you’re sitting down writing a novel, it’s just you: Here’s what I think, here’s what I want to do. And it’s me.”
In 2005, a PBS documentary was created based on a book about language that he co-wrote, titled “Do You Speak American?”
In 2007, he had the honor of being the host for “America at a Crossroads,” a six-night package on PBS that delved into the various challenges that the United States faced in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy.
“Of course, you would want to be aware of the situation and stay informed.”
In 1967, MacNeil came back to London as a reporter for the “Panorama” series of the British Broadcasting Corp. During his time with the BBC, he reported on various events in the United States, including the confrontation between anti-war protesters and the Chicago police at the 1968 Democratic Convention, as well as the funerals of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. Robert Kennedy, and President Dwight Eisenhower.
