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PBS News Hour - Segments

Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy Jr. dies

PBS News Hour - Segments

PBS NewsHour

News, Daily News

4.11K Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2024

⏱️ 1 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Longtime court sketch artist Bill Hennessy, who captured history with his sketchbook for more than 40 years died on Monday at the age of 67. Hennessy took us where cameras could not. He offered the first draft of high-profile legal moments, from the Clinton impeachment, trials at Guantanamo Bay and arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Transcript

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0:00.0

And before we go, we have a passing of note to share, someone whose name you may not know,

0:06.4

but whose work you've seen frequently here on the news hour. For more than 40 years, Bill Hennessy

0:12.2

captured history with his sketchbook. His work often went where cameras couldn't, offering the first

0:17.8

draft of high-profile legal moments from Iran-Contra to the Clinton impeachment,

0:23.6

trials at Guantanamo Bay, and countless arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court.

0:28.6

He spoke to the NewsHour in 2009 about how he approached his work.

0:33.6

I tried to delve deeper. I look for the details. I look for something that will give it more.

0:41.3

I find myself as much a journalist in that regard, looking for that special angle on it, on the visual that will help them that much more.

0:50.3

I certainly came into this as an artist, but I think I've had a unique opportunity

0:56.4

to learn journalism from the people who actually, who I worked with, both the photojournalists

1:03.8

and the written journalists, that they've helped me understand my purpose and my responsibility in being, you know,

1:15.9

telling the story accurately and truthfully,

1:19.9

honestly and responsibly as you can.

1:24.8

Bill Hennessy died on Monday.

1:26.7

It was his 67th birthday.

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