CNN's main anchor in Washington, D.C., Bernard Shaw, made a significant impression in the 1988 U.S. presidential debates by co-anchoring "The International Hour" and "The World Today" in 1992. Notably, Shaw's opening question during the debates, inquiring whether candidate Michael Dukakis would drop his opposition to the death penalty if his wife were raped and killed, had a profound impact on the election's outcome. It is believed that Dukakis's meek response, caught off guard by Shaw's question, resulted in a significant loss of momentum and support.
Shaw's inquisitive nature continued to make headlines when, in an interview later that year, he asked vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle if he had joined the National Guard out of fear of being drafted and killed in Vietnam, sparking controversy and anger from Quayle.
Prior to joining CNN, Shaw spent three years at ABC News, where he served as a senior Capitol Hill correspondent and bureau chief. He was one of the first reporters on the scene at the Jonestown, Guyana, mass suicide and was also present early during the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis.
Shaw began his journalism career at WNUS in Chicago, Illinois, one of the country's first all-news radio stations.
