(CBS) Byron Pitts, the lead reporter for CBS News' coverage of the Sept. 11 attacks and also an embedded reporter in Iraq, was named
National Correspondent on Feb. 2, 2006.

Pitts has been a CBS News correspondent since May 1998. He was based in the Miami (1998-99) and Atlanta (1999-2001) bureaus before moving to New York in January 2001.

Pitts has covered many of the biggest stories of the past few years. He was one of CBS News' embedded correspondents covering the war with Iraq and was recognized for his reporting while under fire within minutes of the fall of the Saddam statue. Pitts was also the Network’s primary correspondent at Ground Zero immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He has covered the war in Afghanistan, the military buildup in Kuwait, the Florida fires, the Elian Gonzalez story, the Florida Presidential recount, the mudslides in Central America and the refugee crisis in Kosovo, among many stories.

Before that, Pitts was a correspondent for CBS NEWSPATH, the 24-hour affiliate news service of CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. (1997-98).

He joined CBS News from WSB-TV Atlanta, where he was a general assignment reporter (1994-96). Previously, Pitts was a special assignment reporter for WCBV-TV Boston (1989-94) and a reporter and substitute anchor for WFLA-TV Tampa (1988-89). He also served as a reporter for WESH-TV Orlando (1986-88) and as a military reporter for WAVY-TV Virginia (1984-86). While at WNCT-TV Greenville, N.C., he reported and served as weekend sports anchor (1983-84).

Pitts has received several awards, including a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck in 1999 and a National Association of Black Journalists Award. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards.

Pitts was born on Oct. 21, 1960, in Baltimore, Md. He was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and speech communication. He lives with his wife in Upper Montclair, N.J.

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