Sam Donaldson Profile

"They laughed at me. I couldn't get a job. I went and I made the rounds, I met every news director, and they thought I was awful."

Young Sam Donaldson had risked everything. He had given up a secure job on a local station in Dallas, Texas to move to New York and try to break into the big time. Years of grueling work lay ahead, but in time Donaldson was to become one of the best-known, most-loved, and most-hated, figures in the world of broadcast news.

Within his field, Donaldson is known for his unstinting dedication to the job. Unlike most correspondents, Donaldson has always assembled his stories himself, reviewing every piece of videotape assembled for a given piece rather than relying on a producer. Because of this practice, his stories are often the last to be delivered, just in time for broadcast. Consequently, his stories are not only up-to-the-minute, they also elude the interference of the rewrite man.

Sam Donaldson first came to the attention of many Americans with his relentless questioning of Presidents Carter and Reagan as ABC's White House correspondent. A 30-year veteran of ABC News, he is now one of the pillars of the network's award-winning news team, co-anchor of Prime Time Live, anchor of World News Sunday and co-host of This Week, the Sunday morning political discussion program.