At the end of a CBS Evening News story about where he got his start, it was announced that CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston would be leaving the network. Pinkston, 63, joined CBS in 1980. He spent 10 years as a reporter at WCBS and, since 1990, has been a correspondent for CBS News, including a stint at the White House.
Pinkston’s final story was about where he got his start — at WLBT in Jackson, MS in 1971 — and why. It was due, in part, to the fact that 50 years ago tomorrow civil rights leader Medgar Evers asked for, and received equal time — unheard of at the time for a black man to appear on TV in the segregated South. Less than month later, Evers was assassinated.
At the end of that story, anchor Jim Axelrod announced Pinkston is leaving CBS. “He’s always been one of the true gentleman in this business and we will miss his warmth, his grace and his class,” said Axelrod. It’s not known if Pinkston is leaving for another opportunity or leaving the business.
After the jump, watch Pinkston’s last story for CBS News, which focused on civil rights leader and broadcaster Medgar Evers.