Linda Mason, pioneering CBS News producer, dies at 84

Linda Mason, a veteran journalist with a nearly 50-year career at CBS News, has died at the age of 84, CBS News reported. She began her career in 1966 as a radio desk assistant and became the first female producer of the "CBS Evening News," working with anchors Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.

Mason held several prominent roles at CBS News, including senior producer for "CBS Evening News," executive producer of "CBS Sunday Morning," vice president of public affairs, and head of the network's standards department, according to CBS News.

During her tenure on "Sunday Morning," she covered significant international events such as former President Ronald Reagan's first trip to the Soviet Union, the funeral of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, and the unrest in China preceding the Tiananmen Square uprising. She also oversaw documentary series like "CBS Reports" and specials commemorating "60 Minutes."

Throughout her career, Mason received numerous awards including 13 Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, CBS News stated.

Born in Middletown, New York, Mason earned a B.A. in international relations from Brown University in 1964 and an M.S. in filmmaking from Syracuse University in 1965. She was honored by Brown University in 1991 as the outstanding alumnus of the year.