August 29, 1962:
Black in the Day
On this day in 1962 Mal Goode became the first Black network news correspondent for ABC television network as a United Nations (UN) reporter. He allegedly received this position after baseball player Jackie Robinson, who was the first Black player in the major leagues, complained to ABC executives about the lack of Black reporters. Goode’s first assignment was covering the Cuban Missile Crisis; he distinguished himself with incisive TV and radio reports during the long hours of debate at the UN.
For two months in 1963 he joined three of his peers to conduct courses in journalism for over 100 Africanstudents in seminars in Lagos Nigeria; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Goode was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and in 1968 covered the assassination of fellow fraternity brother, Martin Luther King, Jr.
in 1971, Goode became the first Black member of the Radio and Television News Directors Association.
In 1990, the National Association of Black Journalistsinducted Mr. Goode into its hall of fame.
Malvin Goode died of a stroke on September 12th, 1995 at the age of 87 in Pittsburgh.
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