There is sad news today from Education Week. David Wald, our supervising producer for the New York Bureau of Education Week Video, who has brought depth, grace, humor, and incredible television experience to our coverage for “PBS NewsHour,” passed away this morning after a courageous battle with cancer.
David brought passion and flair to the development of television segments for “PBS NewsHour,” most recently as part of the Education Week editorial team. As supervising producer for Learning Matters, before that production company joined Education Week last summer, David spent a decade producing dozens of “NewsHour” stories on a range of education topics, including the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans’ schools, the common-core standards, and Internet access in rural communities.
Earlier in his career, he was a senior producer on Michael Moore’s Emmy Award-winning magazine show “TV Nation,” and he produced a documentary series about Doctors Without Borders, filmed in often-dangerous circumstances around the world.
He was talented, thoughtful, and delightful. He was also incredibly driven to enlighten and engage viewers on important issues through complex and visually stunning stories. David was a long-time television journalist with an incredible resume that included work for CBS News, NBC, ABC, Fox, Court TV, HBO, National Geographic and A&E, not to mention PBS and, to our great benefit, EdWeek Video.
“Television is a team sport, and David always put the team first,” John Merrow, the founder of Learning Matters TV and lead correspondent until his retirement last summer, wrote in a note to friends and former colleagues today. “He often came up with the best ideas for how to tell a particular story or figured out a solution to problems we were wrestling with, but he never, ever took credit, preferring to see the team keep its eye on the ball.”
We know that David was poised to do even more great work for television and the growing world of Web video. Clearly his talent and generosity will continue to influence his colleagues and the field for years to come.