FARAI CHIDEYA, host:
When the news spread last week that pioneering CBS correspondent Ed Bradley had died, journalists around the world began reflecting on what he meant to them. Reporter Leoneda Inge for one says she'll miss Bradley dearly.
LEONEDA INGE: I'm going to tell you a little secret. He's older than my father, but I actually thought I would marry Ed Bradley one day. Or even better, I thought I would be the first black female correspondent on 60 Minutes so I could at least see the man on a regular basis.
Now I'm not as shallow as I might seem right now; I'm just sad. I majored in broadcast journalism 20 years ago because of people like Ed Bradley and Carol Simpson and Bernard Shaw and Norma Quarles, and I'm sure hundreds of other young people of color did the same.
During those formative years in college, I was an intern at CNN, where I gathered newspapers, copy and even food for folks like Bernard Shaw. But I never got the opportunity to hang out at CBS News in hopes of bumping into Ed one day. What would I say? You're wearing that earring, Ed. Or, my momma says she wants an autograph.
You see, Ed was more than just the journalist to me and my family and friends. We believed everything he said. Like I'm sure many whites and blacks believed everything that Walter Cronkite said. Ed had the presence, the poise and the intelligence that made you want to watch the news. He knew when to hammer in hard for an answer and he knew when to smile.
In the late 1990s, Ed was in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan's campus reporting on the fight for and against affirmative action. I was working on the same story and thought to myself, this must really be a story if Ed is here. Still, I never actually saw him. But last year, I finally got the chance to see my television news prince in person.
I was up for an award at the 2005 Salute to Excellence Award sponsored by the National Association of Black Journalists. I wasn't sure if I would attend. I was one of three finalists. But when I found out Ed Bradley would be honored with a lifetime achievement award, I made the trip. I sat with friends near the back. I remember arriving late, but I made it to my seat just in time.
Before the program ended, Ed and his small entourage made their way through the jam-packed tables toward the exit. He almost walked right pass me. Oh, I couldn't let that happened. Like a groupie, I grabbed his jacket and said hi, congratulations. He smiled and kept on his way. I don't think Ed needed another Emmy or duPont Award to know how good he was at his job. I do wonder if he ever knew how much he was loved and admired. Well, I hope he knows now. Goodbye, Ed.
CHIDEYA: Leoneda Inge is a reporter at North Carolina Public Radio in Durham, North Carolina. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.