Barbara West (TV news anchor)
Encyclopedia
Barbara West (born 1948) is a former television journalist and news anchor for WFTV
in Orlando, Florida
.
and obtained a Master's degree
. While there, she won the 1969 Miss Vermont
contest and was selected to represent her state in the national Miss America
competition. Before starting her career in television news, she was an Assistant Professor at the university.
West's husband Wade West is a former political strategist for both Democrats and Republicans, including presidential cabinet members and the Bill Clinton
administration. He contributed $2,250 to four Republican candidates from 2000 to 2006. West herself is a registered Republican.
while he was anchor for ABC
's World News Tonight in London
. She helped cover such stories as the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Since 1992 she has served as health reporter and anchor for Orlando
's WFTV
news at noon and 5:30. As a health reporter she traveled to Canada
to report on its health care
system and to the Ukraine
to report on the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl
disaster and its health effects. She received the 2002 Summit Award for Community service from Central Florida Women's Resource Center and an Emmy for her reporting on women fighting breast cancer
. On her official biography page on WFTV.com, she lists her first two specific accomplishments as covering the inauguration of President George W. Bush
and covering the impeachment of President Bill Clinton
.
with questions she personally wrote. West asked Biden if he was "embarrassed about Barack Obama
's affiliation with ACORN
" given allegations of voter registration fraud by ACORN in elections past, likened Obama's response to a question from Ohio
voter "Joe the Plumber
" to a quote from Karl Marx
, asked how Obama is not being a Marxist
given his views on "spreading the wealth", and questioned if Obama might lead the U.S. "into a socialist
country much like Sweden
." At one point, Biden asked West if she was joking, and later suggested she was offering "talking points" against Obama.
The Obama campaign responded saying "This station's interview with Joe Biden wasn't tough — it was just absurd." The Obama campaign cancelled a subsequent interview with the candidate's wife, Jill Biden
. Obama's Florida
spokeswoman called West "both combative and woefully uninformed about simple facts."
WFTV's news director defended her, saying she had not been inappropriately tough: "I'd rather be known as aggressive than pulling punches. We ask questions on behalf of viewers."
Reactions from commentators were varied. Some criticized her performance, claiming she gave a softer interview with Republican candidate John McCain
and that she was exhibiting conservative bias
. Others said that these characterizations were unfair and that Biden had overreacted. A few noted her husband's connections with the Republican Party, questioning if that was an influencing factor, a charge West categorically denied.
WFTV
WFTV, channel 9, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Florida that is licensed to Orlando. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter between Bithlo and Christmas. Owned by Cox Enterprises, WFTV is sister to Independent WRDQ. The two stations...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Personal information
West attended the University of VermontUniversity of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
and obtained a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
. While there, she won the 1969 Miss Vermont
Miss Vermont
The Miss Vermont competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Vermont in the Miss America pageant. Vermont is the only state to have never had a contestant advance to the semi-finals of the Miss America Pageant, though their representatives have won numerous...
contest and was selected to represent her state in the national Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
competition. Before starting her career in television news, she was an Assistant Professor at the university.
West's husband Wade West is a former political strategist for both Democrats and Republicans, including presidential cabinet members and the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration. He contributed $2,250 to four Republican candidates from 2000 to 2006. West herself is a registered Republican.
Journalism career
West was principal assistant to Peter JenningsPeter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
while he was anchor for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's World News Tonight in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She helped cover such stories as the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Since 1992 she has served as health reporter and anchor for Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
's WFTV
WFTV
WFTV, channel 9, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Florida that is licensed to Orlando. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter between Bithlo and Christmas. Owned by Cox Enterprises, WFTV is sister to Independent WRDQ. The two stations...
news at noon and 5:30. As a health reporter she traveled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to report on its health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
system and to the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to report on the 10th anniversary of the Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
disaster and its health effects. She received the 2002 Summit Award for Community service from Central Florida Women's Resource Center and an Emmy for her reporting on women fighting breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. On her official biography page on WFTV.com, she lists her first two specific accomplishments as covering the inauguration of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and covering the impeachment of President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
2008 presidential race interviews
On October 23, 2008, West interviewed Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe BidenJoe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
with questions she personally wrote. West asked Biden if he was "embarrassed about Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's affiliation with ACORN
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
" given allegations of voter registration fraud by ACORN in elections past, likened Obama's response to a question from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
voter "Joe the Plumber
Joe the Plumber
Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher , is a conservative activist, author, and commentator. A resident of Holland, Ohio, United States, he gained significant attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election after he was videotaped questioning then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama about his small...
" to a quote from Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, asked how Obama is not being a Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
given his views on "spreading the wealth", and questioned if Obama might lead the U.S. "into a socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
country much like Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
." At one point, Biden asked West if she was joking, and later suggested she was offering "talking points" against Obama.
The Obama campaign responded saying "This station's interview with Joe Biden wasn't tough — it was just absurd." The Obama campaign cancelled a subsequent interview with the candidate's wife, Jill Biden
Jill Biden
Jill Tracy Biden is an American educator and, as the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is the Second Lady of the United States....
. Obama's Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
spokeswoman called West "both combative and woefully uninformed about simple facts."
WFTV's news director defended her, saying she had not been inappropriately tough: "I'd rather be known as aggressive than pulling punches. We ask questions on behalf of viewers."
Reactions from commentators were varied. Some criticized her performance, claiming she gave a softer interview with Republican candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and that she was exhibiting conservative bias
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
. Others said that these characterizations were unfair and that Biden had overreacted. A few noted her husband's connections with the Republican Party, questioning if that was an influencing factor, a charge West categorically denied.