Cokie Roberts
American journalist and author, NPR founding mother.
Cokie Roberts, born Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs on December 27, 1943, in New Orleans, was an American journalist and author. Her brother Tommy gave her the nickname "Cokie" as a child because he couldn't pronounce her given name, Corinne. She came from a political family: her parents, Lindy and Hale Boggs, both served as Democratic members of the House of Representatives from Louisiana for decades, with Lindy taking over Hale's seat after his plane disappeared over Alaska in 1972. Cokie was their third child; her sister Barbara became mayor of Princeton, New Jersey, and a U.S. Senate candidate, while her brother Tommy became a prominent Washington, D.C., attorney and lobbyist. She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Catholic high school in New Orleans, graduated from the Stone Ridge School outside Washington, D.C., in 1960, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Wellesley College in 1964.
Roberts's journalism career began at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., hosting the public affairs program *Meeting of the Minds*. After moving to New York City with her husband Steve, also a journalist, she worked as a reporter for Cowles Communications in 1967 and briefly as a producer for WNEW-TV. Relocations to Los Angeles and Greece followed; in Los Angeles she worked for Altman Productions and then KNBC-TV, producing the children's program *Serendipity*, which won a 1971 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award. In Greece, she served as a stringer for CBS News in Athens. She joined National Public Radio in 1978 as a congressional correspondent for over a decade, becoming known as one of NPR's "founding mothers" alongside Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, and Nina Totenberg, due to her early role as a female journalist in the network when women were rarely in top positions. She also contributed to PBS's *The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour*, winning the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting in 1988 for her coverage of the Iran-Contra Affair. From 1981 to 1984, she cohosted the weekly public television program *The Lawmakers* on Congress. Starting in 1992, she was a senior news analyst and commentator for NPR, primarily on *Morning Edition*. In 1994, *The New York Times* credited her, along with Wertheimer and Totenberg, with transforming male-dominated Washington political journalism.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs
- Birth Date
- 27 December 1943
- Death Date
- 2019-09-17
- Birth Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
- Death Place
- Washington, D.C., U.S.
- Resting Place
- Congressional Cemetery
- Known For
- Journalist, author, pundit, television
- Education
- Wellesley College (BA)
- Employer
- NPR, ABC, PBS
- Political Party
- Democratic
- Occupation
- Journalist, author
- Title
- Contributing Senior News Analyst
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Roberts was born in New Orleans to Lindy Boggs and Hale Boggs, each of whom served for decades as Democratic members of the House of Representatives from Louisiana; Lindy succeeded Hale after his plane disappeared over Alaska in 1972. She received the nickname Cokie from her brother Tommy, who as a child could not pronounce her given name, Corinne. She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Roman Catholic high school in New Orleans, and graduated from the Stone Ridge School, an all-girls school outside Washington, D.C., in 1960. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
Roberts's first job in journalism was at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., where she was host of its weekly public affairs program Meeting of the Minds. After moving with her husband Steve, also a journalist, to New York City, she found work in 1967 as a reporter for Cowles Communications. She worked briefly as a producer for WNEW-TV before relocating to Los Angeles, where she worked for Altman Productions and then for KNBC-TV as producer of the children's program Serendipity, which won a 1971 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award. She also moved with her husband to Greece, where she was a stringer for CBS News in Athens. She began working for National Public Radio in 1978, working as the congressional correspondent for more than 10 years. Because of her early involvement as a female journalist in the network at a time when women were not often involved in journalism at the highest levels, she has been called one of the 'founding mothers of NPR.'
Reader's Guide
Cokie Roberts's significance lies in her pioneering role as a female journalist in Washington, D.C., political journalism, which The New York Times credited her, along with NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Nina Totenberg, with transforming from a male-dominated field. Her career spanned NPR, PBS, and ABC News, where she covered Congress, the Iran–Contra Affair, and served as co-anchor of This Week. She also wrote a weekly syndicated column with her husband Steve and authored several books on women in American history, including Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty. Her legacy includes awards such as the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, and induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. She served on the boards of non-profit organizations and was appointed by President George W. Bush to his Council on Service and Civic Participation. Her reporting on the Dianna Ortiz case drew controversy, as she contested Ortiz's claim that an American was among her captors, a case later linked to her brother's law firm's work for the Guatemalan government.
Did You Know?
- Roberts co-anchored This Week with Sam Donaldson from 1996 to 2002.
- She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2002 and died from complications of the disease in 2019.
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