(PatriotWise.com)- Mark Shields, a political commentator and journalist passed away at age 85. Before retiring in 2020, Shields had consistently contributed to the PBS NewsHour for 33 years.
According to reports, Shields passed away early Saturday morning at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, from renal failure. His wife was at his side.
Judy Woodruff, a former coworker of Shield’s at PBS, paid homage to him on Twitter. She remarked that Mark Shields, a beloved longtime Friday night commentator for The NewsHour, passed suddenly at age 85 with his wife Anne by his side. She noted that for decades, Mark amazed his colleagues with his comprehensive understanding of American politics, his sense of humor, and most importantly, his great heart.
Woodruff observed the hilarity in her former colleague’s comments about disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). After the latter’s infamous 2011 crotch photo Twitter controversy, which Andrew Breitbart first reported on, Shields criticized the disgraced lawmaker for his controversy. He believed that Anthony Weiner craved media attention.
At the time, Shields explained that the most dangerous spot in Washington was between Anthony Weiner, a camera, and a microphone. He wondered why a congressman who wanted to be mayor of New York sent out photo galleries of his crotch?
Reports show that Shields, a Weymouth, Massachusetts native and University of Notre Dame graduate, served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining politics. He started his career in Washington in 1965 as a legislative aide and copywriter for Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire. Shields later worked on multiple campaigns after joining Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign three years later. He started penning a column for The Washington Post in 1979, which Creators Syndicate eventually picked up and published.
According to “PBS NewsHour,” he has worked with David Brooks since 2001 to give analysis and commentary in their weekly Shields & Brooks feature and during election specials. Before that, he had done the same with David Gergen and Paul Gigot. He left his NewsHour program in December 2020.
