ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News is remembering the life and legacy of longtime reporter and station executive Walt Elder.
The former reporter passed away last week at the age of 81.
Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen shared Elder’s story, and how he helped pave the way for generations of Black journalists to make their marks in the news business.
At the home of Channel 2 Action News in Midtown Atlanta, there’s a portrait of the city’s finest broadcast journalists lining the hall to the newsroom.
Had the station displayed those types of pictures in the 1970s, one of them would have certainly deserved a place of prominence.
That one, of course, was Elder.
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Longtime Channel 2 anchor and former station executive Jocelyn Dorsey remembered Elder as one of the first Black television news reporters in the City of Atlanta, who broke stories for years and was later the first WSB Director of Public Affairs.
“The impact on the community is huge,” Dorsey told Peterson. “He never wanted to take the credit. He never was boastful or a name dropper. He just wanted to make sure the community was better because of him.”
Elder passed away last week at the age of 81.
A U.S. Army Veteran, Morehouse College graduate and a true pioneer, he paved the way for the generations of African American journalists who followed, including Dorsey.
“He had all the qualities of a distinguished gentleman. I think his legacy is continuing the mission of journalism. We are his legacy,” Dorsey said.
Elder also served as the manager of the Atlant Department of Watershed Management and the Director of the Atlanta Civic Center.
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