Veteran TV News Journalist Announces Retirement: Rita Braver Leaving CBS Sunday Morning

Accomplished broadcast journalist Rita Braver will conclude her extensive career at CBS News at the end of March, capping over five decades of distinguished reporting at the network.

The respected correspondent, who has been a fixture on CBS Sunday Morning since 1998, will retire this month, according to an internal announcement distributed to staff on Wednesday.

Rand Morrison, the executive producer of the popular weekend news program, informed employees of Braver’s departure in a company-wide communication. “In her decades at Sunday Morning, she’s done it all: breaking news… soft features… political issue pieces… stories on art and theater… personality profiles…,” Morrison wrote, as reported by Variety. “If we had a story, Rita always had the interest… and always made the time.”

Braver’s professional journey at CBS began in 1972 when she joined as a producer. She subsequently ascended through the ranks, eventually becoming the network’s chief law correspondent in 1983. During her decade in that position, she delivered groundbreaking coverage across multiple CBS platforms, including CBS Evening News, CBS Morning News, 48 Hours, Street Stories, and Public Eye.

Her legal reporting included several significant national stories, such as exposing the Walker Family Spy Ring and bringing to light the Jonathan Pollard espionage case. She also handled the network’s reporting on the Iran-Contra affair during President Reagan’s administration and covered the high-profile drug trial of Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry.

From 1993 to 1997, Braver served as CBS News’ chief White House correspondent, where she traveled extensively while covering President Bill Clinton’s first term and his successful re-election campaign. Her responsibilities included reporting on both international and domestic matters, and she worked as a floor correspondent at the Democratic Convention.

After joining CBS Sunday Morning in 1998, Braver conducted interviews with numerous notable personalities ranging from former President Clinton to acclaimed authors Phillip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, and Dav Pilkey, as well as musical artists James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, and John Legend. Her recent assignments have encompassed diverse topics, including the growing popularity of girls’ wrestling and the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along.

Throughout her illustrious career, Braver has been recognized with nine national Emmy Awards, including one for investigative journalism and two for her coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination.

Morrison praised Braver’s professional attributes in his memo, noting her “keen sense of curiosity about all kinds of things” and her “willingness to take on almost any assignment – however demanding or complex the subject.” The executive producer acknowledged the significant void her departure will create, stating: “To call it this end of an era… barely does justice to the challenges we’ll face now that we can no longer pick up the phone and call on Rita.”