Speaker:
For 31 years, I had the privilege of working with Judy, Gwen, Robin, and Jim. Those four are the Mount Rushmore of American journalism.
Speaker:
Judy, you are a mentor, a rock star in the world of journalism. But, mostly, you're a lot of fun, like this night, 2008.
(MUSIC)
Speaker:
When we were in Las Vegas, when we were in Arizona, when we were in Florida, and, back then and still every day, I just am in awe of how she combines strength and kindness.
Hari Sreenivasan:
I remember probably the most difficult night of television that I ever had to make, and hopefully ever will, was the night that our friend Gwen passed.
To my friend and mentor, thank you, Gwen.
And we had just finished the whole program, listening to all of these dear friends of Gwen and what she meant to them, and it was difficult, it was — to keep it together. But Judy did.
Speaker:
She would always, always, always take time to say thank you and asked me how I was doing. And, sometimes, she would even compliment my sweaters.
So, from the bottom of my heart and my wardrobe, thank you, Judy.
Judy Woodruff:
Well, I can barely hold it together.
But, as I turn over this special anchor desk, with its remarkable history, to the new team, just a few words to all of you about what it's meant to sit here, first as a substitute anchor in the 1980s and '90s, and then for the past 11 years through some of the most tumultuous events of our time, seven different presidential elections, the end of the Cold War, the start of many hot ones, and, most fresh in my mind, the COVID pandemic, the reckoning over race in America, mass shootings in schools and grocery stores, and our nation's deepening political divide.
Through it all, I have tried to stay true to what the program's founders, Robin MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, believed so fiercely, that we're here to report, to tell you as accurately and fairly as we can what's going on in the world, and to let you make up your minds about what to think, and to have the courage, as my beloved co-anchor, Gwen Ifill, did, to ask the tough questions, to hold people in power accountable, and, I would add, to care enough about each one of you to respect you and your beliefs, what your lives are like.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to be in this chair, to tell these hugely important stories, to share the worst and the best of humanity, all of which we need to hear to be the best possible citizens we can be, and, of course, to support the work done by my remarkable "NewsHour" colleagues.
As you know, I am just the tip of the iceberg. They do the work day in and day out, hour in and hour out, that gets this program on the air. They research. They write. They produce. They take pictures and video. They adjust lighting and audio. They edit. They fix. They direct, all the things without which there would be no program.
And on the digital side online, they do all that and more, plus streaming and social media. They don't sleep.
And that's why I know, with all my brilliant on-air colleagues and the two new co-anchors, Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett, the "NewsHour" will not only thrive; it will soar.
And just a reminder, I'm not leaving the "NewsHour." I will still be around as a correspondent, taking on a big project for the next couple of years called America at a Crossroads, trying to understand our country better and why we Americans seem so divided. I also plan to do some reporting on what people with disabilities face.
And, finally, I want to thank you who are watching in the United States and around the world, the best viewers anywhere, concerned citizens, who hold us to a high standard every single day. Thank you for trusting us to tell it straight.
I step away now with a heart full of gratitude for the singular opportunity to share the most critical stories of our time.
And, as we say every evening: And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.
I'm Judy Woodruff.
For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
