Award-winning CBS News correspondent and author to speak Feb. 20 at APSU
On Aug. 25, 2006, NBC Executive Producer Jeff Fagan poked his head into the dressing room at CBS studios.
鈥淕ood luck, you鈥檝e come a long way to get here. You鈥檝e earned it,鈥 he said to Byron Pitts.
Pitts was about to make his first on-camera studio open for the CBS News Broadcast 鈥60 Minutes.鈥 Pitts thought to himself, 鈥渋f only Fagan knew.鈥 His mind flashed back to elementary school, when a therapist informed his mother, 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, Mrs. Pitts, your son cannot read.
On Aug. 25, 2006, NBC Executive Producer Jeff Fagan poked his head into the dressing room at CBS studios.
鈥淕ood luck, you鈥檝e come a long way to get here. You鈥檝e earned it,鈥 he said to Byron Pitts.
Pitts was about to make his first on-camera studio open for the CBS News Broadcast 鈥60 Minutes.鈥 Pitts thought to himself, 鈥渋f only Fagan knew.鈥 His mind flashed back to elementary school, when a therapist informed his mother, 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry, Mrs. Pitts, your son cannot read.
Known for his thought-provoking coverage and his commitment to exceptional storytelling, Byron Pitts is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist. As chief national correspondent for 鈥淐BS Evening News鈥 with Katie Couric, Pitts was an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War and was recognized for his work under fire. Pitts was also CBS鈥 lead correspondent at ground zero immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks and won an Emmy for his coverage. A news veteran with over 20 years of experience, other major stories include the war in Afghanistan, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the military buildup in Kuwait and the refugee crisis in Kosovo, to name but a few. Pitts realized a lifelong goal when he was named a contributing correspondent to CBS鈥 鈥60 Minutes鈥 in 2009.
Pitts will share how his faith saw him through his many struggles and how a few key people 鈥渟tepped out on nothing鈥 to help him change his life at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 20 in the Clement Auditorium on campus at Austin Peay State University. His talk is free and open to the public. His memoir, 鈥淪tep Out On Nothing: How Family and Faith Helped Me Conquer Life鈥檚 Challenges,鈥 released in 2009, will be available for sale, and he will conduct a book signing following his talk. His memoir was praised by 鈥60 Minutes鈥 Correspondent Lesly Stahl as 鈥渢ruly moving.鈥 Katie Couric also praised Pitts鈥 work, saying, 鈥淣o wonder he is such an inspired storyteller鈥攈is own story is inspiring.鈥
Pitts鈥 many achievements are all the more extraordinary when he tells of the many obstacles he faced as a child.
Raised by a single mother in a working class neighborhood in Baltimore, Pitts was illiterate until the age of 12 and had a persistent stutter. Capitalizing on his desire to play football, his mother mandated he receive Bs or above in school in order to play. With that focus, Pitts learned to read and went on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. With the help of his roommate and a college professor, Pitts found the support and encouragement necessary to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, a field that demands excellence in writing and speaking. By staying focused, setting simple and achievable goals and finding strength in faith, Pitts overcame his powerful odds and his disability. He graduated in 1982 with a B.A. in journalism and speech communication.
Pitts has won several prestigious awards including a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck of 1999, a National Association of Black Journalists Award and second national Emmy Award for individual reporting of Sept. 11. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press awards and six regional Emmy Awards.
Pitts lives with his wife in Upper Montclair, N.J.
For more information about Pitt鈥檚 speaking event, call the APSU Office of Student Affairs at 931-221-7341.