Barbara Walters is the most unexpected of television pioneers. The daughter of a nightclub owner, she possessed a pronounced Boston accent and a slight speech impediment-making her an unlikely candidate for a career in the polished world of television journalism, especially at a time when jobs for women in television news were few and far between. Yet, in her nearly 50-year career, Barbara Walters has broken barriers for women journalists everywhere. As the first female co-host of the Today show and the first co-anchor of a nightly news program, she has helped to reshape not only the role of women in television news but also the perception of women in society at large. Read more about this pioneering role model for generations of female journalists in Barbara Walters. Covering noted historic and contemporary figures in the arts, business, sports, entertainment, politics, sciences, and social advocacy, among other fields, Women of Achievement profiles women who have made significant and influential contributions to their professions and to the world at large. Each book in the series gives students a complete overview of the subject's life, as well as insight into her professional and personal motivations, while also providing historical context to her achievements. Book jacket.