Paul Friedman

Executive Vice President, CBS News

(CBS)  Paul Friedman was promoted to executive vice president of CBS News in September 2009. He previously served as senior vice president.

Friedman joined CBS News in April 2006 where he oversees the division's hard news operation and coverage and is the executive responsible for the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," the "CBS Evening News" weekend editions, "The Early Show," as well as special events and political coverage.

He has been an adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia University and New York University, as well as serving as a consultant through Friedman News Consultancy, Inc. (2003-06). Prior to that, he was the executive producer of The Wall Street Journal's "The Journal Report" on PBS (2003-05).

Friedman was the executive vice president and managing editor of news coverage for ABC News (2000-03). In that role, he was responsible for all news gathering and oversaw "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings," "World News Saturday and Sunday," "World News Now," "World News This Morning," and the news inserts on "Good Morning America."

Friedman supervised live coverage of major breaking news events and served as the executive producer of ABC News' 9/11 and 9/11 anniversary coverage. He was the executive producer of ABC's "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" (1997-2000 and 1988-93). Under Friedman's leadership, the broadcast became the highest-rated evening news program.

In 1988, he created "American Agenda," an award-winning extended news feature that examined critical domestic issues of the day on "World News Tonight." Four years later, Friedman added "Your Money - Your Choice," a weekly segment that analyzed how the federal government spends taxpayer money. He was the director of ABC News' news coverage from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (1984-88). Friedman joined ABC News as a senior producer in London (1982-84).

Prior to joining ABC News, he worked at NBC for 14 years. Friedman was the executive producer of "NBC Magazine with David Brinkley" (1981-82) and "Primetime with Tom Snyder" (1980-81). He was the executive producer of NBC News' "Today" (1976-79) and senior producer of NBC News' "Nightly News" (1975-76). Friedman was the executive producer of NewsCenter 4 (1974-75). He was a senior producer of "NBC Weekend Nightly News" (1972-74) and a field producer for NBC's "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" (1970-72). Friedman was a reporter for WRC-TV Washington, D.C. (1969-70) and writer for NBC Radio News (1967-68). He began his journalism career as a reporter and writer for WNBC Radio News (1967).

Friedman was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was graduated from Princeton University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public and International Affairs and from Columbia University in 1967 with a Master's of Science degree in Journalism. Friedman and his wife live in New York City with their four children.