Bernard Goldberg
A veteran broadcast journalist who pivoted from winning Emmys to becoming a forceful and controversial critic of his own industry's perceived liberal slant.
Born 1945 (age 81)·American journalist·Birthday: May 31·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bernie Goldberg built a formidable career at CBS News, reporting from the trenches for 28 years and earning a shelf of Emmy Awards for his work on programs like '48 Hours'. His trajectory shifted dramatically with an internal memo that became public. In it, he critiqued his network's coverage of then-presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, arguing it was unfairly biased. That dissent marked a turning point. Goldberg left CBS and channeled his insider perspective into a series of bestselling books, beginning with 'Bias', which argued that mainstream newsrooms operated with a pervasive liberal worldview. He became a fixture on Fox News and a polemical voice, arguing that journalism had lost its commitment to objectivity. Whether praised as a truth-teller or criticized as a partisan, Goldberg forced a sustained, public conversation about media credibility that defined his later career.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bernard was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Bernard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 80
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 81 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won fourteen Emmy Awards for his reporting and producing work during his tenure at CBS News.
- Authored the number-one New York Times bestseller 'Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News'.
- Served as a correspondent for HBO's 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel' for 22 years.
- Was a featured contributor and commentator for Fox News for a decade, from 2009 to 2018.
Did You Know?
He worked as a radio news director in Miami before joining CBS News.
Goldberg is a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees.
He made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2005 political satire film 'The Deal'.
His first major national story was covering the 1972 Democratic National Convention for CBS.
““The old argument that the networks and other ‘media elites’ have a liberal bias is so blatantly true that it’s hardly worth discussing anymore.””
