Voice of the Conservative Vote: Sharyl Attkisson

Sharyl Attkisson is a Washington-based CBS News Investigative Correspondent.

In September 2012, Attkisson won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for the "Gunwalker: Fast and Furious" story. In June 2012, Attkisson received the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for the same story. Attkisson also received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2009 for "Outstanding Investigative Reporting of a Business News Story" for her exclusive investigations into TARP and the bank bailout. She received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2002 for "Outstanding Investigative Journalism" for her series of exclusive reports about mismanagement at the Red Cross.

She has received two Investigative Reporters and Editors (I.R.E.) Finalist awards: "Investigating TARP" in 2009 and "Dangerous Drugs" in 2000; and two Emmy nominations in 2011 for her investigations into Congressional travel and aid to Haiti earthquake victims. She was also part of the CBS News team that received RTNDA-Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2005 and 2008 for Overall Excellence.

Attkisson has been a Washington-based correspondent for CBS News since January 1995. She is one of the few journalists to have flown in a B-52 on a combat mission in Kosovo and in an F-15 fighter jet Combat Air Patrol flight.

Attkisson joined CBS News as a co-anchor of its overnight broadcast, "Up To The Minute," in September 1993. That year, she anchored CBS News' special week-long coverage from Houston's Johnson Space Center of the space shuttle mission to repair the Hubble telescope, including a six-and-a-half-hour live broadcast the night of the first space walk (Dec. 4). In addition to her CBS News duties, Attkisson hosted "HealthWeek," a half-hour weekly news magazine on PBS (1996-2001).

Prior to joining CBS News, Attkisson was an anchor and correspondent for CNN (1990-93). She anchored its coverage of many major stories, including the Persian Gulf War.

Before that, Attkisson was an anchor and reporter at WTVT Tampa, Florida (1986-90), WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, Ohio (1985-86) and WTVX-TV Fort Pierce/West Palm Beach, Florida. (1982-85). She began her broadcast journalism career in 1982 as a reporter at WUFT-TV, the PBS station in Gainesville, Florida.

Attkisson has also received several other awards for her reporting and producing, including a New York Black Journalists Association public service award, a Mature Media National Award, a Florida Emmy Award, a Sigma Delta Chi Award and a Florida Communicator's Award. She also received, in 1997, the University of Florida's Alumnae of Outstanding Achievement Award, honoring just 47 women who have attended the University since it opened. Attkisson served on the University's Journalism College Advisory Board (1993-97) and was chairman in 1996. She co-authored "Writing Right for Broadcast and Internet News" (Allyn & Bacon, 2003), a textbook currently used by many college journalism programs.

“[The White House and Justice Department] will tell you that I’m the only reporter — as they told me — that is not reasonable. They say The Washington Post is reasonable, the L.A. Times is reasonable, The New York Times is reasonable, I’m the only one who thinks [the Fast and Furious scandal] is a story, and they think I’m unfair and biased by pursuing it.”