Editing Tom Brokaw

{{Short description|American broadcast journalist and author (born 1940)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Tom Brokaw
| image              = Tom Brokaw 2015.JPG
| caption            = Brokaw in 2015
| birth_name         = Thomas John Brokaw
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1940|2|6}}
| birth_place        = [[Webster, South Dakota]], U.S.
| death_date         =
| death_place        =
| education          = {{nobr|[[University of South Dakota]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}
| occupation         = {{hlist|Television journalist|author}}
| years_active       = 1960–2021
| spouse             = {{Marriage|Meredith Auld|1962}}
| children           = 3
| employer           = [[NBC]] (1966–2021)
| credits            = {{ubl|''[[Today (NBC program)|Today]]'' co-anchor<br />(1976–1981)|''[[NBC Nightly News]]'' anchor<br />(1982–2004)|''[[NBC News]]'' Special Correspondent<br />(2004–2021)|''[[Meet the Press]]'' moderator<br />(2008)<ref>{{cite news|title=Tom Brokaw – Council on Foreign Relations|url=http://www.cfr.org/bios/6245/tom_brokaw.html|access-date=February 7, 2008|archive-date=February 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207121226/http://www.cfr.org/bios/6245/tom_brokaw.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
| term               = Anchor of ''NBC Nightly News''
| predecessor        = [[John Chancellor]]
| successor          = [[Brian Williams]]
| signature          = Tom Brokaw signature (cropped).jpg
}}
'''Thomas John Brokaw''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|oʊ|k|ɔː}}; born February 6, 1940)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/tom-brokaw-9227130|title=Tom Brokaw Biography: News Anchor, Journalist (1940–)|work=Biography.com ([[A&E Networks]])|access-date=June 25, 2013}}</ref> is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of [[Today (American TV program)|''The Today Show'']] from 1976 to 1981 with [[Jane Pauley]], then as the anchor and managing editor of ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'' for 22 years (1982–2004). In the previous decade he served as a weekend anchor for the program from 1973 to 1976. He is the only person to have hosted all three major [[NBC News]] programs: ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|The Today Show]]'', ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'', and, briefly, ''[[Meet the Press]]''. He formerly held a special correspondent post for NBC News.

Along with his competitors [[Peter Jennings]] at [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], and [[Dan Rather]] at [[CBS News]], Brokaw was one of the "Big Three" U.S. [[news anchor]]s during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tom Brokaw Reflects On Cancer, 'Nightly News' And His 'Lucky Life' |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/05/13/406387998/tom-brokaw-reflects-on-cancer-nightly-news-and-his-lucky-life |website=NPR.org |date=May 13, 2015 |first=Tom |last=Brokaw}}</ref> All three hosted their networks' flagship nightly news programs for more than 20 years.{{efn|They began and retired from their anchor chairs (or died, in Jennings' case) within a year of each other.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anchors could bring new era of network stability |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/anchors-bring-new-era-network-stability-article-1.1922051 |website=NY Daily News |date=September 2, 2014 |access-date=January 21, 2016}}</ref>}}

Brokaw has also written several books on American history and society in the 20th century including ''[[The Greatest Generation (book)|The Greatest Generation]]'' (1998). He occasionally writes and narrates documentaries for other outlets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Glenn College of Public Affairs {{!}} Tom Brokaw |url=http://glenn.osu.edu/brokaw/ |website=glenn.osu.edu |access-date=January 21, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130132143/http://glenn.osu.edu/brokaw/ |archive-date=January 30, 2016}}</ref> In 2021, NBC announced that Brokaw would retire after 55 years at the network, one of the longest standing anchors in the world at the same news network.{{efn|along with [[Ecuadorian]] news anchor [[Alfonso Espinosa de los Monteros]] who has been in [[Ecuavisa]] since 1967.<ref name="auto">{{Cite tweet |author=Aaron Fernandez-Wische |user=KPRC2Aaron |number=1352705159898550273 |date=January 22, 2021 |title=From @NBCNews: After more than a half century of reporting at the network, @tombrokaw is officially retiring. @KPRC2 #hounews |language=en |retweet= |location=Houston |access-date=February 5, 2022 |link= |quote= |ref=}}</ref><ref name="Brokaw Retirement">{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=David |title=Tom Brokaw announces retirement after 55 years at NBC News |date=January 22, 2021 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tom-brokaw-announces-retirement-after-55-years-nbc-n1255367 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>}}

Brokaw is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the two [[Peabody Awards]]; two [[Emmy Awards]]; the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], which was awarded to him by President [[Barack Obama]] in 2014;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/10/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|date=November 10, 2014}}</ref> and the French [[Legion of Honor]] in 2016.

== Early life ==
[[File:Brokaw-gavinspoint.jpg|thumb|left|Brokaw (left) greeting the 20,000th visitor to the [[Gavins Point Dam]] in 1958; Brokaw was a tour guide there.|230x230px]]
Brokaw was born in [[Webster, South Dakota]], the son of Eugenia "Jean" ({{née|Conley}}; 1917–2011),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://obits.ocregister.com/amp/obituaries/orangecounty/154559432|title=EUGENIA BROKAW Obituary (2011) |website=Orange County Register − Obits|date=April 9, 2024}}</ref> who worked in sales and as a post office clerk, and Anthony Orville "Red" Brokaw (1912–1982).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/77/Tom-Brokaw.html |title=Tom Brokaw Biography (1940–) |work=Filmreference.com |access-date=November 27, 2011}}</ref> He was the eldest of their three sons (brothers named William and Michael) and named for his maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Conley.

His father was a descendant of [[Huguenot]] immigrants Bourgon and Catherine (née Le Fèvre) Broucard, and his mother was [[Irish American]].<ref name="STL02">McGuire, John M. (November 6, 2002). "From Yankton to Yankee Town". ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', p. E1.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/brokaw/357/ |title=European Origins of the Brokaw |website=Genealogy.com}}</ref> His paternal great-grandfather, Richard P. Brokaw, founded the town of [[Bristol, South Dakota]], and the Brokaw House, a small hotel and the first structure in Bristol.<ref>Brokaw, Tom. (2003). ''A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties'', p. 9. New York: Random House.</ref>

Brokaw's father was a construction foreman for the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]]. He worked at the [[Black Hills Ordnance Depot]] (BHOD) and helped construct [[Fort Randall Dam]]; his job often required the family to resettle throughout South Dakota during Brokaw's early childhood.<ref name="MidwestToday">Jordan, Larry (February 1995). "[http://www.midtod.com/highlights/brokaw.phtml Tom Brokaw: A Heavyweight in a World of Lightweights] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191421/http://www.midtod.com/highlights/brokaw.phtml |date=March 3, 2016}}". ''Midwest Today''.</ref> The Brokaws lived for short periods in Bristol, [[Igloo, South Dakota|Igloo]] (the small residential community of the BHOD), and [[Pickstown, South Dakota|Pickstown]], before settling in [[Yankton, South Dakota|Yankton]], where Brokaw attended high school.<ref name="STL02" /><ref name="MidwestToday" />

As a high school student attending [[Yankton High School|Yankton Senior High School]],<ref name="Yahoo TV"/> Brokaw was the governor of the school's [[Boys State and Girls State|America Legion Boys State]] chapter, and in that capacity he accompanied then-South Dakota Governor [[Joe Foss]] to New York City for a joint appearance on a TV [[game show]]. It was to be the beginning of a long relationship with Foss, whom Brokaw would later feature in his book about World War II [[veterans]], ''The Greatest Generation''. Brokaw also became an advisory board member of the [[Joe Foss Institute]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joefossinstitute.org/about-jfi/our-leadership/|website=Joe Foss Institute|title=Our Leadership|access-date=July 21, 2014|archive-date=July 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716203409/http://www.joefossinstitute.org/about-jfi/our-leadership/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Brokaw matriculated at the [[University of Iowa]] in [[Iowa City, Iowa]], but dropped out after a year as he apparently failed to keep up in his studies, in his words majoring in "beer and co-eds".<ref>{{cite news |last=Munson |first=Kyle |title=Tom Brokaw's 'stuff' in Iowa is a window into his life |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/columnists/kyle-munson/2017/04/10/tom-brokaws-stuff-iowa-window-into-his-life/99805406/ |work=The Des Moines Register |date=April 10, 2017 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> He later transferred to the [[University of South Dakota]], where he graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1962 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[political science]].<ref name="Yahoo TV">{{cite web|title=Tom Brokaw – Biography|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/tom-brokaw/contributor/213912/bio|work=Yahoo! TV|access-date=August 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615094721/https://tv.yahoo.com/tom-brokaw/contributor/213912/bio|archive-date=June 15, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Iowa, and later donated his papers to its library. He joked that the "honorary degree is especially coveted because it helps to make up for the uneven (to put it mildly) performance of my freshman year."

For several years, Brokaw mountain-climbed with the "Do Boys", whose members included [[Yvon Chouinard]] and [[Douglas Tompkins]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Michael |title=Anchor's Away |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/1823086/anchors-away |work=Outside |date=December 1, 2004 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lions in Winter: Tom Brokaw Goes to Patagonia |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/features/tom-brokaw-goes-to-patagonia-20131016/ |work=Men's Journal |date=December 2005 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> He owned a home on 53 acres in [[Pound Ridge, New York]], for over two decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g21565503/tom-brokaw-pound-ridge-home/|title=See Inside Tom Brokaw's Westchester County Home|first=Sam|last=Dangremond|date=June 15, 2018|website=Town & Country}}</ref>

== Broadcasting career ==

=== 1966–1981: early years ===
[[File:Photograph of NBC White House Correspondent Tom Brokaw Interviewing President Gerald R. Ford in the White House Library for a Special NBC Broadcast on American Foreign Policy.jpg|thumb|Brokaw interviewing President [[Gerald Ford]] in 1976]]
Brokaw's television career began at [[KTIV]] in [[Sioux City, Iowa]], followed by stints at [[KMTV-TV|KMTV]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], and [[WSB-TV]] in [[Atlanta]].<ref>{{cite book|author1-link=David J. Wishart|last=Wishart|first=David J.|title=Encyclopedia of the Great Plains|date=2004|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=9780803247871|page=507|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rtRFyFO4hpEC&pg=PA507}}</ref> In 1966 he joined [[NBC News]], reporting from [[Los Angeles]] and anchoring the 11:00&nbsp;p.m. news for [[KNBC]]. In 1973, NBC made Brokaw [[White House]] correspondent, covering the [[Watergate scandal]], and anchor of the Saturday editions of ''Nightly News.'' He became co-host (with [[Jane Pauley]]) of NBC's ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today Show]]'' in 1976 and remained in the job until 1981, when he was succeeded by [[Bryant Gumbel]].

Brokaw kept a closely guarded secret for many years: in 2017 Brokaw wrote of having been offered – and having promptly turned down – the [[White House Press Secretary|press secretary]] position in the [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon White House]] in 1969. While living in California before Nixon made his political comeback, Brokaw had come to know [[H. R. Haldeman|H. R. 'Bob' Haldeman]] (White House chief of staff and initiator of the offer) as well as Nixon's press secretary, [[Ron Ziegler]], and others members of the White House staff.<ref>Brokaw, Tom, [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/opinion/tom-brokaw-the-offer-from-nixon-i-refused.html "The Offer From Nixon I Refused" (opinion)], [[Op-ed]], ''The New York Times'', February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.</ref>

In 2019, Brokaw wrote a book entitled ''The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate'', about his experiences working as a reporter and member of the White House press corps.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=John |title=Tom Brokaw Recalls His Time Covering Watergate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/books/tom-brokaw-fall-of-richard-nixon-watergate-interview.html |access-date=March 7, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 30, 2019}}</ref>

=== 1982–2004: ''NBC Nightly News'' ===
[[File:Nancy Reagan in an Interview with Tom Brokaw at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas Texas.jpg|thumb|Brokaw with [[Nancy Reagan]] at the [[1984 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] in August 1984]]
On April 5, 1982, Brokaw began co-anchoring ''NBC Nightly News'' from New York with [[Roger Mudd]] in Washington, succeeding [[John Chancellor]]. After a year, NBC News president [[Reuven Frank]] concluded that the dual-anchor program was not working and selected Brokaw to be sole anchor.<ref>Frank, Reuven. ''Out of Thin Air: The Brief Wonderful Life of Network News'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991), pp. 383–84.</ref> The ''NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw'' commenced on September 5, 1983. Among other news items, he covered the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Challenger disaster]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zak |first1=Dan |title=Thirty years ago, a TV critic watched the Challenger explosion. This is what he saw. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/01/28/thirty-years-ago-a-tv-critic-watched-the-challenger-explosion-this-is-what-he-saw/ |website=washingtonpost.com |publisher=WP Company, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> [[People Power Revolution|EDSA Revolution]], the [[June Struggle]], [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta earthquake]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhattacharjee |first1=Riya |title="It Sounded Like A Bomb Went Off" — The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake in Pictures |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/From-San-Francisco-to-Salinas-The-1989-Loma-Prieta-Earthquake-in-Pictures-279509102.html |website=nbcbayarea.com |date=October 17, 2014 |publisher=NBC Universal Media, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> fall of the [[Berlin Wall]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheatley |first1=Bill |title=How NBC got its '89 Berlin Wall Scoop |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33590933 |website=[[NBC News]] |date=November 5, 2009 |publisher=NBC Universal |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> and [[Hurricane Andrew]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Acclaimed Journalist Tom Brokaw Reports his Own "Big Ideas" at UT Lecture |url=https://news.utk.edu/2013/11/13/acclaimed-journalist-tom-brokaw-reports-big-ideas-ut-lecture/ |website=news.utk.edu |date=November 13, 2013 |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:BrokawLomaPrietaNakataA.jpg|thumb|right|Brokaw preparing for a live broadcast in the aftermath of the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]]]]
Brokaw scored a major coup when, on November 9, 1989, he was the first English-language broadcast journalist to report the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall]]. Brokaw attended a televised press conference organized in [[East Berlin]] by [[Günter Schabowski]], press spokesman for [[East Germany|East German]] [[Politburo]], which had just decided to allow its citizens to apply to permanently leave the country through its border with [[West Germany]]. When Schabowski was asked when this loosening of regulations would take effect, he glanced through his notes, then said, "''sofort, unverzüglich''" ("immediately, without delay"), touching off a stampede of East Berliners to the [[Bornholmer Straße border crossing|Wall]]. Brokaw had an interview with Schabowski after the press conference, who repeated his "immediately" statement when pressed. Later that evening Brokaw reported from the west side of [[Brandenburg Gate]] on this announcement and the pandemonium that had broken out in East Berlin because of it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbcnews-com/brokaw-reports-from-the-berlin-wall-337455683615|work=NBC NEWS|date=November 9, 1989|title=Brokaw reports from the Berlin Wall|access-date=June 18, 2019}}</ref>

As anchor, Brokaw conducted the first one-on-one American television interviews with Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Vladimir Putin]]. He and [[Katie Couric]] hosted a prime-time [[newsmagazine]], ''[[Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric|Now]]'', that aired from 1993 to 1994 before being folded into the multi-night ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Now with Tom Brokaw & Katie Couric |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/now-with-tom-brokaw-katie-couric/episodes/203488/ |website=tvguide.com |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc. |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>

Also, in 1993, on the first broadcast of ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' on [[CBS]], in response to [[David Letterman]]'s monologue containing jokes about [[NBC]], Brokaw walked on stage in a surprise cameo (accompanied by [[Paul Shaffer]] and the CBS Orchestra playing the ''NBC Nightly News'' theme).<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLSG5xOaqOY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/DLSG5xOaqOY| archive-date=November 17, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Late Show with David Letterman First Episode (8/30/93)|via=[[YouTube]]|last=Valisno|first=Patrick Josh|date=January 1, 2015|access-date=August 21, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He congratulated Letterman on his new show and wished him well, but also stated he was disappointed and shocked; he subsequently walked over to the man holding the [[cue cards]], took two, and remarked, "These last two jokes are the [[intellectual property]] of NBC!", leaving the stage afterwards.<ref name="youtube.com"/> Letterman then remarked, "Who would have thought you would ever hear the words 'intellectual property' and 'NBC' in the same sentence?"<ref name="youtube.com"/>

In 1996 Brokaw made the following statement about [[Richard Jewell|Richard Jewell's]] suspected involvement in the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|1996 Olympic Park bombing]], after which Jewell sued NBC News:

{{blockquote|The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest [Jewell] right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case.}}

Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000.

[[File:Vladimir Putin with Tom Brokaw-1.jpg|thumb|right|Brokaw with [[Vladimir Putin]] before an interview on June 2, 2000]]
On [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], Brokaw joined [[Katie Couric]] and [[Matt Lauer]] around 9:30&nbsp;a.m., following the live attack on the South Tower of the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], and continued to anchor all day, until after midnight. Following the collapse of the second tower, Brokaw observed: "This is war. This is a declaration and an execution of an attack on the United States."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/20010912owentv4p4.asp|title=Tuned In: This was reality TV at its most horrific|work=Post-gazette.com|date=September 12, 2001|access-date=November 4, 2008|first=Rob|last=Owen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n16ArLMUwAE| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/n16ArLMUwAE| archive-date=November 17, 2021 |url-status=live|title=9/11/01 NBC World Trade Center Part 12|via=[[YouTube]]|author=emscrazy001|date=November 21, 2007|access-date=August 21, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He continued to anchor coverage to midnight on the following two days. Later that month, a letter containing [[anthrax]] was addressed to him as part of the [[2001 anthrax attacks]]. Brokaw was not harmed, but two NBC News employees were infected. In 2008, he testified before the [[Commission on Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism]] about the anthrax attacks, publicly discussing his experiences for the first time in a detailed, day-by-day account.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?281113-3/biological-threat-assessment|title=Biological Threat Assessment|work=[[C-SPAN]]|access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>[[Howard Kurtz]] (October 18, 2001), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/18/tom-brokaw-putting-a-familiar-face-on-the-anthrax-story/d3b2c39b-74b3-4e66-8357-291a3f55f4c5/ "Tom Brokaw, Putting A Familiar Face on the Anthrax Story"], ''The Washington Post:'' "Brokaw, who has taken antibiotics along with his staff, closed his broadcast Monday by declaring, 'In [[Cipro]] we trust.' "</ref>

In 2002, NBC announced that Brokaw would retire as anchor of the ''NBC Nightly News'' following the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 Presidential election]], to be succeeded by [[Brian Williams]]. Brokaw would remain with [[NBC News]] in a part-time capacity from that point onwards, serving as an analyst and anchoring and producing documentary programs. Brokaw closed his final ''Nightly News'' broadcast in front of 15.7 million viewers on NBC on December 1, 2004, by saying:

{{blockquote|Well the time is here. We've been through a lot together through dark days and nights and seasons of hope and joy. Whatever the story, I had only one objective, to get it right. When I failed, it was personally painful, and there was no greater urgency than course correction. On those occasions, I was grateful for your forbearance and always mindful that your patience and attention didn't come with a lifetime warranty.

I was not alone here, of course. I am simply the most conspicuous part of a large, thoroughly dedicated and professional staff that extends from just beyond these cameras, across the country, and around the world. In too many instances, in places of grave danger and personal hardship and they're family to me.

What have I learned here? More than we have time to recount this evening, but the enduring lessons through the decades are these: it's not the questions that get us in trouble, it's the answers. And just as important, no one person has all the answers.

Just ask a member of the generation that I came to know well, the men and women who came of age in the Great Depression who had great personal sacrifice, saved the world during World War II and returned home to dedicate their lives to improving the nation they had already served so nobly. They weren't perfect, no generation is, but this one left a large and vital legacy of common effort to find common ground here and abroad in which to solve our most vexing problems. They did not give up their personal beliefs and greatest passions, but they never stopped learning from each other and most of all, they did not give up on the idea that we're all in this together, we still are.

And it is in that spirit that I say, thanks, for all that I have learned from you. That's been my richest reward.

That's ''Nightly News'' for this Wednesday night. I'm Tom Brokaw. You'll see Brian Williams here tomorrow night, and I'll see you along the way.}}

By the end of his time as ''Nightly News'' anchor, Brokaw was regarded as the most popular news personality in the United States. ''Nightly News'' had moved into first place in the [[Nielsen ratings]] in late 1996<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1997/03/12/STYLE6031.dtl&type=printable|title=CBS tops Nielsens 2nd week in row|work=[[SF Gate]]|date=March 12, 1997}}</ref> and held on to the spot for the remainder of Brokaw's tenure on the program, placing him ahead of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Peter Jennings]] and ''[[World News with Charles Gibson|World News Tonight]]'', and [[CBS]]'s [[Dan Rather]] and the ''[[CBS News|CBS Evening News]]''. Along with Jennings and Rather, Brokaw helped usher in the era of the TV [[news anchor]] as a lavishly compensated, globe-trotting star in the 1980s. The magnitude of a news event could be measured by whether Brokaw and his counterparts on the other two networks showed up on the scene. Brokaw's retirement in December 2004, followed by Rather's ousting from the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' in March 2005, and Jennings's death in August 2005, brought that era to a close.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Donaldson-Evans |first1=Catherine |title=Jennings' Death Forces New Look at 'Big 3' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/jennings-death-forces-new-look-at-big-3 |website=[[Fox News]] |date=March 25, 2015 |publisher=Fox News Network, LLC |access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref>

=== 2004–2021: after ''Nightly News'' ===
[[File:TomBrokaw.jpg|thumb|Brokaw in 2006 speaking about the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]]]]
After leaving the anchor chair, Brokaw remained at NBC as Special Correspondent, providing periodic reports for ''Nightly News''. He served as an NBC analyst during the 2008 presidential election campaign<ref>{{cite web|url=http://insidecable.blogsome.com/?s=brokaw |title=Inside Cable News |work=Insidecable.blogsome.com |access-date=November 4, 2008}}</ref> and moderated the second presidential debate between [[Barack Obama]] and [[John McCain]] at [[Belmont University]]. He reported documentaries for the [[Discovery Channel]] and the [[History Channel]] and in 2006 delivered one of the eulogies during the [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|state funeral of former President Gerald R. Ford]].

On June 13, 2008, when NBC interrupted its regular programming to announce the sudden death of NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and ''[[Meet the Press]]'' moderator [[Tim Russert]], Brokaw served as the announcer. A week later, NBC announced that Brokaw would serve as host of ''Meet the Press'' on an interim basis. He was succeeded by [[David Gregory (journalist)|David Gregory]] in December 2008.

Brokaw serves on the board of directors of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]], the [[International Rescue Committee]], and the [[Mayo Clinic]]. He is also a member of the [[Howard University]] School of Communications Board of Visitors and a trustee of the [[University of South Dakota]], the [[Norton Simon Museum]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], and the [[International Rescue Committee]]. He also provides the voiceover for a [[University of Iowa]] advertisement that airs on television during [[Iowa Hawkeyes]] athletic events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.juniorelitetri.com/the-university-of-iowa-tom-brokaw-and-because-each-student-and-young-with-their-research-should-alt.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514144206/http://www.juniorelitetri.com/the-university-of-iowa-tom-brokaw-and-because-each-student-and-young-with-their-research-should-alt.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 14, 2020 |title=The University of Iowa, Tom Brokaw, and because each student (and young) with their research should Alt |publisher=Online University |access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref>

In 2011, Brokaw began hosting ''The Boys in the Hall'', a baseball documentary series for [[Fox Sports Net]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/fox-sports-net-orders-the-boys-in-the-hall-baseball-series-hosted-by-tom-brokaw_b9678 |first=Alex |last=Weprin |date=May 25, 2011 |title=Fox Sports Net Orders 'The Boys in the Hall' Baseball Series, Hosted by Tom Brokaw |work=SportsnNwser|publisher=Media Bistro |access-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806091050/http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/fox-sports-net-orders-the-boys-in-the-hall-baseball-series-hosted-by-tom-brokaw_b9678 |archive-date=August 6, 2011}}</ref>

In December 2012, Brokaw starred in the [[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]]'s annual Christmas concert, with live audiences of 84,000. The concert, titled ''[[Home for the Holidays (Mormon Tabernacle Choir album)|Home for the Holidays]]'', was nationally televised in December 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw |url=http://www.pbs.org/program/christmas-mormon-choir/ |website=pbs.org |publisher=Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) |access-date=September 3, 2019}}</ref>

In April 2014, a new broadcast facility opened on the [[Universal Studios Hollywood]] lot, and named in Brokaw's honor as the Brokaw News Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newscaststudio.com/2014/04/29/nbc-names-l-a-facility-for-brokaw/|title=NBC names L.A. facility for Brokaw|work=NewscastStudio|date=April 29, 2014}}</ref> The facility houses [[KNBC-TV]], [[Telemundo]] owned-and-operated station [[KVEA]], and the Los Angeles bureau of [[NBC News]].

In November 2014, [[President Barack Obama]] presented Brokaw with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], America's highest civilian honor. He received the honor with the citation, "The chronicler of the Greatest Generation...we celebrate him as one of our nation’s greatest journalists".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/campaign/medal-of-freedom|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=The Presidential Medal of Freedom|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>

On March 11, 2016, Brokaw gave one of the eulogies for former First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] at her funeral. He spoke about his relationship with both the Reagans as a reporter and later anchor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nancy-reagan-honored-funeral-memories-laughter-tears-n536831|title=Nancy Reagan Honored at Funeral With Memories, Laughter and Tears|website=NBC News|date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>

On January 22, 2021, NBC announced Brokaw would retire after 55 years at the network, one of the few news anchors in the world who have spent the longest time on the same news network, along with [[Ecuadorian]] news anchor [[Alfonso Espinosa de los Monteros]] who was on [[Ecuavisa]] for over 56 years from 1967 to May 2023.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Brokaw Retirement"/>

== Personal life ==
Since 1962, Brokaw has been married to author Meredith Lynn Auld.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Dory |url=http://www.newsweek.com/who-tom-brokaws-wife-meredith-auld-brokaw-news-anchor-accused-sexual-904555 |title=Who is Tom Brokaw's wife, Meredith Auld? News anchor accused of sexual misconduct |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=April 27, 2018}}</ref> They have three daughters: Jennifer, Andrea, and Sarah.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/longwayfromhomeg00brok |url-access=registration |quote=tom brokaw sarah jennifer andrea. |title=A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland in the Forties and Fifties |first=Tom |last=Brokaw |page=Acknowledgements, x |year=2003 |publisher=[[Random House]] Trade Paperbacks |isbn=978-0375759352}}</ref> Brokaw and his wife spend considerable time at their ranch near [[Livingston, Montana]], which they bought in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.landreport.com/2007/05/the-tom-brokaw-interview-2/|title=Tom Brokaw: The Land Report Interview|work=[[The Land Report]]|last=O'Keefe|first=Eric|date=May 1, 2007|access-date=August 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://mtstandard.com/business/article_f122d809-db3f-5d5c-913e-ba21f8f394b0.html|title=Big Sky Cooking |newspaper=Montana Standard|last=Ronnow|first=Karin|date=September 17, 2006|access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref>

On September 6, 2012, Brokaw was hospitalized after appearing on [[MSNBC]]'s ''[[Morning Joe]]''. He later [[Twitter|tweeted]] that he was "all well" and explained his illness as having accidentally taken half a dose of [[Ambien]] in the morning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2012/09/tim-brokaw-hospitalized-330435/|title=UPDATE: Tom Brokaw Says He's Fine After Hospital Run|work=Deadline|access-date=September 6, 2012|date=September 6, 2012}}</ref> He was diagnosed with [[multiple myeloma]], a treatable but incurable blood cancer, in August 2013 at the [[Mayo Clinic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tom-brokaw-diagnosed-cancer-prognosis-encouraging-n27871|title=Tom Brokaw Diagnosed With Cancer, Prognosis Encouraging|work=NBC News|date=February 12, 2014}}</ref> Brokaw and his physicians were "very encouraged with his progress".<ref>{{cite news|last=Byers|first=Dylan|title=NBC's Tom Brokaw diagnosed with cancer|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/02/nbcs-tom-brokaw-diagnosed-with-cancer-183153.html|access-date=February 12, 2014|newspaper=Politico|date=February 11, 2014}}</ref> He continued to work for NBC throughout his treatments. On December 21, 2014, Brokaw announced that his cancer is in remission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/1695027/tom-brokaw-nbc-nightly-news-anchor-multiple-myeloma-cancer-remission/|title=Tom Brokaw: NBC Nightly News Anchorman's Multiple Myeloma Cancer Is In Remission|work=The Inquisitr News|date=December 21, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Duke|first=Alan|title=Tom Brokaw reveals cancer diagnosis; doctors are 'optimistic'|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/showbiz/tom-brokaw-cancer/|access-date=February 12, 2014|work=CNN|date=February 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Winograd|first=David|title=Tom Brokaw Reveals He Has Cancer|url=http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/11/tom-brokaw-cancer-multiple-myeloma/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212045054/http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/11/tom-brokaw-cancer-multiple-myeloma/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2014|newspaper=Time|date=February 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/tom-brokaw-treating-cancer-family-cause-n355541|title=Tom Brokaw on Cancer Diagnosis: 'I Didn't Know What I Was in For'|website=[[NBC News]]|date=May 7, 2015|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref> His 2015 book, ''A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope'' (published by Random House), was about his cancer battle.

In 2018, Brokaw was accused of having made unwanted sexual advances toward two women in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/385124-two-women-allege-tom-brokaw-acted-inappropriately-toward-them-in-the-90s/|title=Two women allege Tom Brokaw acted inappropriately towards them in the 90s|work=The Hill|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=April 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/nbc-news-tom-brokaw-allegedly-made-several-unwanted-sexual-advances-toward-women-including-anchor|title=NBC News' Tom Brokaw allegedly made several unwanted sexual advances towards women including another anchor|work=Fox News|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=April 26, 2018}}</ref> Brokaw denied the allegations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/tom-brokaw-sexual-harassment-nbc-news-correspondent-1202789627/ |title=Tom Brokaw Accused of Sexual Harassment By Former NBC Anchor (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |last2=Setoodeh |first2=Ramin |date=April 27, 2018 |work=Variety |access-date=April 27, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-brokaw-rips-sensational-accuser-claims-i-was-ambushed-perp-walked-1106418|title=Tom Brokaw Rips "Sensational" Accuser Claims: I Was "Ambushed and Then Perp Walked"|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2018|quote=I am facing a long list of grievances from a former colleague who left NBC News angry that she had failed in her pursuit of stardom. She has unleashed a torrent of unsubstantiated criticism and attacks on me.}}</ref> In response to the allegations, former colleagues [[Rachel Maddow]], [[Andrea Mitchell]], [[Maria Shriver]], [[Kelly O'Donnell]], and 64 others, signed a letter characterizing Brokaw as "a man of tremendous decency and integrity".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rachel-maddow-andrea-mitchell-voice-support-tom-brokaw-letter-1106645|title=Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell Back Tom Brokaw in Letter Signed by 64 Insiders|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=April 27, 2018|access-date=April 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/rachel-maddow-maria-shriver-sign-letter-defending-tom-brokaw-628136/|title=Rachel Maddow, Maria Shriver Sign Letter Defending Tom Brokaw|website=[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]|date=April 28, 2018|access-date=May 11, 2020}}</ref>

== Career timeline ==
* 1960–1962: [[KTIV-TV]] Newscaster, weatherman, and staff announcer
* 1962–1965: [[KMTV-TV]] Reporter
* 1965: Anchor of [[WSB-TV]] late-evening news<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4364148 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040421042551/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4364148/ |url-status=live |archive-date=April 21, 2004 |title=Tom Brokaw – Nightly News with Brian Williams |work=MSNBC News |date=June 27, 2008 |access-date=November 4, 2008}}</ref>
* 1966–2021: [[NBC News]]
** 1966–1972: NBC News West Coast correspondent and [[KNBC]] anchor<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 1973–1976: [[White House]] correspondent and Saturday anchor of ''[[NBC Nightly News]]''<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 1976–1981: ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'' co-anchor<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 1982–1983: ''NBC Nightly News'' co-anchor<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 1983–2004: ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 2004–2021: Special correspondent<ref name="autogenerated1" />
** 2004–2021: Contributing anchor
** 2008: ''[[Meet the Press]]'' moderator (interim)<ref name="autogenerated1" />

== Bibliography ==
[[File:Tom Brokaw at Book Signing 2007.JPG|thumb|Brokaw signing a book in [[Seattle]] in 2007]]
* 1998 ''[[The Greatest Generation (book)|The Greatest Generation]]'' {{ISBN|0-375-50202-5}} (hardback) {{ISBN|0-385-33462-1}} (paperback) depicting the Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and fought World War II;
* 1999 ''The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections'' {{ISBN|0-375-50394-3}} (hardback) {{ISBN|0-385-33538-5}} (paperback);
* 2001 ''An Album of Memories: Personal Histories from the Greatest Generation'' {{ISBN|0-375-50581-4}} (hardback) {{ISBN|0-375-76041-5}} (paperback);
* 2002 ''A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland'' {{ISBN|0-375-50763-9}} (hardback) {{ISBN|0-375-75935-2}} (paperback);
* 2006 ''Galen Rowell: A Retrospective'' {{ISBN|1-57805-115-0}} (hardback) Foreword by Tom Brokaw;
* 2007 ''Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today'' {{ISBN|1-4000-6457-0}} (hardback);
* 2011 ''The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation About America'' {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6458-8}} (hardback);
* 2013 ''Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber'' {{ISBN|978-1-6090-7700-6}} (hardback);
* 2015 ''A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope'' {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6969-9}} (hardback) {{ISBN|978-0804-19500-3}} (paperback);
* 2019 ''The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate'' {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6970-5}} (hardback) {{ISBN|978-0-5932-0925-7}} (paperback);
* 2023 ''Never Give Up: A Prairie Family's Story'' {{ISBN|978-0-5935-9637-1}} (hardback).

== Awards and honors ==
Over his career, Brokaw has received Seven [[Emmy Award]]s including one for ''China in Crisis'' special report.
{|class= "wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" 
! Organizations
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Notes
! scope="col"| Result 
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{refh}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| South Dakota Broadcasting Hall of Fame
| style="text-align:center;"| 1981
| First recipient of the Tom Brokaw Award
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Brokaw Award |url=http://www.sdbhalloffame.com/history/tom-brokaw-award-recepients/ |website=South Dakota Broadcasting Hall of Fame |publisher=South Dakota Broadcasters Association |access-date=March 7, 2024}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Peabody Award]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989
| For the report called ''To Be an American''
| {{honored}}
| <ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/to-be-an-american 48th Annual Peabody Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062535/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/to-be-an-american |date=March 4, 2016}}, May 1990.</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989
| Golden Plate Award
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Nix |first=Shan |date=June 26, 1989 |title=Looking Up to the Stars: Where 50 top celebs dazzle 400 students |url=https://achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/San-Francisco-Chronicle-June-26-1989.pdf|work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award]]s 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1989 
| For the ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' special on [[racial separation]] in [[List of inner suburbs in the United States|suburban America]]
| {{honored}}
|
|- 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1990
| For excellence in broadcast journalism for his interview with [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[National Conference of Christians and Jews]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1990
| National Headliner Award
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[South Dakota Hall of Fame]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1991
| Inductee into the South Dakota Hall of Fame
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite web |title=Legacy Tom Brokaw |url=https://sdexcellence.org/Tom_Brokaw_1991 |website=South Dakota Hall of Fame |access-date=March 7, 2024}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Freedom Forum]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1992 
| Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media 
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Emmy Award]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1993 
| Feporting on floods in the Midwest
| {{won}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Boston University]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| The Dennis Kauff Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Marist College]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| Lowell Thomas Award 
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[University of Missouri]] [[Missouri School of Journalism|School of Journalism]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1997 
| Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Fred Friendly]] First Amendment Award
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| For "individuals devoted to freedom of speech and First Amendment"
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[American Legion]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998
| Distinguished public service Award
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Citizens' Scholarship Foundation
| style="text-align:center;"| 1998 
| America's President's Award 
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Congressional Medal of Honor Society 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999
| Tex" McCrary Excellence in Journalism Award
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Emmy Awards]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 1999 
| International coverage of the [[Kosovo]] conflict
| {{won}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Radio Television Digital News Association]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2002 
| [[Paul White (journalist)|Paul White]] Award
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |title=Paul White Award |publisher=[[Radio Television Digital News Association]] |access-date=May 27, 2014 |archive-date=February 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225052416/http://rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Peabody Award]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2003 
| For his special report called "A Question of Fairness"
| {{honored}}
| <ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/a-question-of-fairness 63rd Annual Peabody Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821003930/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/a-question-of-fairness |date=August 21, 2016}}, May 2004.</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]];
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Elected to its membership
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Freedom of Speech And Expression
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005
| Four Freedoms Medal
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Washington State University]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006
| [[Edward R. Murrow]] Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting Award
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[United States Military Academy at West Point]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006 
| [[Sylvanus Thayer Award]]
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Arizona State University]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006 
| [[Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism]]
| {{honored}} 
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://cronkite.asu.edu/about/walter-cronkite-and-asu/walter-cronkite-award|title=Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism|work=[[Arizona State University]]|access-date=August 21, 2017|date=January 29, 2009}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Television Hall of Fame]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006 
| Induction into the Television Hall of Fame
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Horatio Alger Association]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007 
| Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Broadcast Journalism from [[WFUV]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| [[Charles Osgood]] Lifetime Achievement Award 
| {{honored}}
|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Vanderbilt University]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012 
| [[The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal]]
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/05/10/brokaw-to-vanderbilt-grads-become-the-next-greatest-generation/|title=Brokaw to Vanderbilt grads: Become the next 'greatest generation'|first=Jim|last=Patterson|website=Vanderbilt University}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| Old Sturbridge Village
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012 
| [[Ken Burns]] Lifetime Achievement Award 
| {{honored}} 
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=Conor |date=November 28, 2012 |title=Former NBC-TV anchor Tom Brokaw gets Ken Burns Lifetime Achievement Award at Old Sturbridge Village |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/11/tom_brokaw_receives_ken_burns.html |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=MassLive |language=en}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Peabody Award]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013 
| Honorary Peabody for enhancing his reputation since he left the NBC News desk
| {{honored}}
| <ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/tom-brokaw-personal-award 73rd Annual Peabody Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060203/http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/tom-brokaw-personal-award |date=March 4, 2016}}, May 2014.</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2014
| Medal presented by President [[Barack Obama]] 
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/11/10/president-obama-announces-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients |title=President Obama Announces the Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients |access-date=November 11, 2014 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |date=November 10, 2014}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[French Legion of Honor]] 
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| For supporting of [[World War II|WWII]] veterans, along with actor [[Tom Hanks]] and [[Gordon H. Mueller]]
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{cite news |title=National World War II Museum president and supporters Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw to receive award in Paris |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_64eba587-d843-5a9f-a071-a524dc8d004f.html |work=The New Orleans Advocate |last=Roberts III |first=Faimon A. |date=May 11, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227195349/https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_64eba587-d843-5a9f-a071-a524dc8d004f.html |archive-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| [[Poynter Institute]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award
| {{honored}}
| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Mullin |first=Benjamin |date=March 31, 2016 |title=Poynter to honor Tom Brokaw with lifetime achievement award |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2016/poynter-to-honor-tom-brokaw-with-lifetime-achievement-award/ |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|}

'''Honorary degrees'''
{{div col|colwidth=19em}}
* [[Air University (United States Air Force)]];
* [[Arizona State University]];
* [[Boston College]];
* [[Brandeis University]];
* [[California Institute of Technology]];
* [[The College of William & Mary]];
* [[Dartmouth College]];
* [[Duke University]];
* [[Emory University]];
* [[Fairfield University]];
* [[Fordham University]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/eNewsroom/archives/archive_1553.asp|title=One Hundred Sixty Fourth Annual Commencement}}</ref>
* [[Florida State University]]
* [[Hofstra University]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hofstra.edu/about/honorary-degrees.html |title=About: Honorary Degrees &#124; Hofstra University}}</ref>
* [[John Carroll University]];
* [[Johns Hopkins University]];
* [[Montana State University – Bozeman|Montana State University]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=9421&origin=homepage|title=Tom Brokaw to speak at MSU Feb. 28|publisher=Montana State University|access-date=September 4, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805123259/http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=9421&origin=homepage|archive-date=August 5, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Mayo Clinic]] and the College of Medicine;
* [[Northwestern University]];
* [[Providence College]];
* [[Saint Anselm College]];
* [[Seton Hall University]];
* [[Skidmore College]];
* [[St. Lawrence University]];
* [[University of Iowa]];
* [[University of Montana]];
* [[University of Notre Dame]];
* [[University of Oklahoma]];
* [[University of Pennsylvania]];
* [[University of South Dakota]];
* [[University of South Carolina]];
* [[Washington University in St. Louis]].

{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[New Yorkers in journalism]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{external media |float=right |video1=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?116332-1/the-greatest-generation Presentation by Brokaw on ''The Greatest Generation'', December 7, 1998], [[C-SPAN]] |video2=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?121264-1/the-greatest-generation ''Booknotes'' interview with Brokaw on ''The Greatest Generation'', March 7, 1999], [[C-SPAN]] |video3=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?155469-1/the-greatest-generation-speaks Presentation by Brokaw on ''The Greatest Generation Speaks'', February 16, 2000], [[C-SPAN]] |video4=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?173867-1/a-long-home Presentation by Brokaw on ''A Long Way From Home'', November 10, 2002], [[C-SPAN]] |video5=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?178200-1/a-long-home Presentation by Brokaw on ''A Long Way From Home'', September 6, 2003], [[C-SPAN]] |video6=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?201830-1/boom-voices-sixties Presentation by Brokaw on ''Boom! Voices of the Sixties'', December 6, 2007], [[C-SPAN]] |video7=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?302670-1/the-time-lives Presentation by Brokaw on ''The Time of Our Lives'', November 1, 2011], [[C-SPAN]] |video8=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?326255-1/tom-brokaw-a-lucky-life-interrupted Presentation by Brokaw on ''A Lucky Life Interrupted'', May 20, 2015], [[C-SPAN]] |video9=[https://www.c-span.org/video/?327596-9/open-phones-tom-brokaw Interview with Brokaw on ''A Lucky Life Interrupted'', September 5, 2015], [[C-SPAN]]}}
{{Commons category|Tom Brokaw}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{C-SPAN|543}}
** {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120128150420/http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/121264-1/Tom+Brokaw.aspx ''Booknotes'' interview with Brokaw on ''The Greatest Generation'', March 7, 1999.]}}
** [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/305406-1 ''In Depth'' interview with Brokaw, May 6, 2012]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20081204022702/http://cetl.edtech.csulb.edu/tgg/ Greatest Generation]}} online ebook read by Tom Brokaw (2 chapters)
* {{IMDb name|0111232}}
* {{the interviews name|tom-brokaw}}
* {{NYTtopic|people/b/tom_brokaw}}
* {{YouTube|jsDVzNOeu48|Tom Brokaw's commencement speech at Stanford University video}}, [http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2006/june21/broktext-062106.html transcript] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205020313/http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2006/june21/broktext-062106.html |date=December 5, 2008}}
* {{Muckrack}}

{{s-start}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Barbara Walters]] and [[Jim Hartz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Today (NBC program)|''Today'' Co-Anchor]] with [[Jane Pauley]]|years=June 7, 1976 – December 31, 1981
}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jane Pauley]] and [[Bryant Gumbel]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Chancellor]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[NBC Nightly News|''NBC Nightly News'' Anchor]]|years=April 5, 1982 – December 1, 2004<br /><small>(co-anchor with [[Roger Mudd]] until September 5, 1983)</small>}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Brian Williams]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tim Russert]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Meet the Press|''Meet the Press'' Moderator]]|years=June 29, 2008 – December 7, 2008}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David Gregory (journalist)|David Gregory]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{NBCWH}}
{{2006 Television Hall of Fame}}
{{National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brokaw, Tom}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
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[[Category:Journalists from New York City]]
[[Category:Journalists from South Dakota]]
[[Category:Television anchors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:University of Iowa alumni]]
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[[Category:People from Webster, South Dakota]]
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[[Category:People with multiple myeloma]]
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[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Legion of Honour]]