David Diaz (1942-2025)

The City College of New York mourns the passing of its distinguished alumnus David Diaz, Class of 1965, at the age of 82. Mr. Diaz was a consummate journalist and educator in the media capital of the world, where he spent three decades as a reporter at WNBC/Channel 4 and WCBS/Channel 2 in New York. 

His brilliant coverage of both city news and national events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and presidential elections earned him numerous awards for journalism excellence. He received five Emmy Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards and an Associated Press Award. 

Amid all this, he found time to give back to his alma mater the best way he could, as a Distinguished Lecturer at CCNY teaching mass media and politics, and journalism. He received the Townsend Harris Medal in 1993 from the Alumni Association of The City College of New York for outstanding post-graduate achievement, and was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters by CCNY in 2017. 

Mr. Diaz had been a community activist and newspaper reporter when he was hired by NBC, where he spent 15 years. He then spent more than 12 years at CBS News New York. He relentlessly pursued the truth, with qualities tough and tender, like the city he loved.

“We were lucky that he shared his remarkable abilities, generous spirit and infectious smile with us and our viewers,” said the network. 

CBS Evening News anchor Maurice Dubois lauded him as "a reporter's reporter. New York City guy. Hard scrabble, you know, bringing himself up and wanted to bring others up as well."

Another CBS anchor, Mary Calvi, said: “He understood New York City like very few journalists know and that was David Diaz. He was a consummate professional, a charming, charming man." 

"He was a legend," added CBS News New York's Jennifer Jones.

Mr. Diaz was born in Puerto Rico in 1942, and from the age of three he was raised in Washington Heights. He was educated at Fordham Prep, and in addition to CCNY, studies at Columbia University.