Chris Wallace

Chris Wallace
Basic facts
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Education:	Harvard University

Chris Wallace was the anchor of "Fox News Sunday" on Fox News Channel from 2003 to 2021. Wallace previously worked for NBC News from 1982 to 1989 and ABC News from 1989 to 2003. As a journalist, he won three Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, among others. Wallace is the son of the late Mike Wallace—reporter for 60 Minutes—and stepson of the late Bill Leonard, former president of CBS News.

Career

Chris Wallace began working in journalism as a 16-year-old intern for Walter Cronkite at CBS News. Wallace later reported for the Boston Globe rather than attending Yale law school. Wallace started at NBC News in the 1980s, covering the presidential elections of 1980, 1984 and 1988 for the network. He was their chief White House correspondent from 1982 to 1989. From 1989 to 2003, Wallace was a senior correspondent for "Primetime Thursday" and a substitute "Nightline" host at ABC News.

In 2003, Roger Ailes—chairman and CEO of Fox News—hired Wallace from ABC News. Of Wallace, Ailes told The Washington Post: "I always worry that sometimes interviewers don’t go deep enough in terms of the issue. If someone gives a surface answer, the interviewer will go on, but Chris stays after them to answer the question."

On December 12, 2021, Wallace announced that he was leaving Fox News: "After 18 years — this is my final Fox News Sunday. It is the last time — and I say this with real sadness — we will meet like this."

Presidential debates (2015–2016)

See also: Presidential debates (2015-2016)

Along with Megyn Kelly and Bret Baier, Chris Wallace served as one of three moderators for the first Republican presidential debate on August 6, 2015. Politico's Dylan Byers notes that the three moderators represent "the hard news side of a network better known for its outspoken conservative pundits."

Wallace has previously moderated debates for Fox News during the 2012 election cycle, including the August 11, 2011, debate in Ames, Iowa. For that debate, Wallace and Bret Baier received praise for their moderation. The Washington Post noted: "But, Wallace and Bret Baier in particular were willing to pose questions that forced candidates to address their major weakenesses in the race and — perish the thought! — occasionally divert from their talking points." Likewise, The Baltimore Sun praised Wallace's ability to ask productive questions: "Wallace got several of the candidates to reveal more of their character than is almost ever shown in such TV performances."

In an August 2015 profile leading up to the first Republican debate of the 2016 election cycle, Wallace told The Washington Post, "I certainly think my style is adversarial." The paper went on: "Wallace’s goal, he says, is to push politicians off their scripts — a strategy his old colleague Sam Donaldson used to call 'unlocking their minds.'"

On September 2, 2016, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the moderators for the 2016 general election debates between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The moderators were Lester Holt (September 26 debate) of NBC News, CNN's Anderson Cooper (October 9 debate), Martha Raddatz (October 9 debate) of ABC News, and Chris Wallace (October 19 debate) of Fox News Sunday. The vice presidential debate was moderated by Elaine Quijano (October 4) of CBS News.

See also

• Presidential debates (2015-2016)
• Megyn Kelly
• Bret Baier

External link

• Chris Wallace Official Bio