Linda Mason, Pioneering CBS News Journalist, Passes Away at 84

Linda Mason, a pioneering journalist who had a remarkable 47-year career with CBS News, has passed away at the age of 84. CBS News announced that she died peacefully on Wednesday night, surrounded by family.

Mason began her illustrious career in 1966 as a radio desk assistant. She quickly rose through the ranks to become the first female producer of the “CBS Evening News,” where she collaborated with iconic anchors Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Throughout her tenure at CBS, she held numerous high-profile positions, including senior producer for “CBS Evening News,” executive producer of “CBS Sunday Morning,” vice president of public affairs, and head of CBS News’ standards department.

During her time on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Mason covered significant international events. These included former President Ronald Reagan’s landmark visit to the Soviet Union, the funeral of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, and the turbulent period in China leading up to the Tiananmen Square protests.

Additionally, Mason played an instrumental role as executive producer for the documentary series “CBS Reports.” She spearheaded projects such as “Eye to Eye” and oversaw the primetime specials “60 Minutes … 25 Years” and “60 Minutes at 30,” both of which celebrated the enduring legacy of the Sunday night broadcast.

Throughout her outstanding career, Mason earned a total of 13 Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards.

Born in Middletown, New York, Mason graduated with honors in international relations from Brown University in 1964. She received the William Rogers Award in 1991, recognizing her as the outstanding Brown alumnus of the year. Mason furthered her education at Syracuse University, where she obtained an M.S. in filmmaking in 1965 and was named a university fellow.