PBS host Paul Duke dead at 78

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- Longtime PBS "Washington Week in Review" host Paul Duke has died of leukemia in Washington, D.C. at age 78, it was reported Wednesday.

Duke died Monday at his home, the Los Angeles Times said.

Duke's "sensibilities, wit and love of the news was the heart and soul of 'Washington Week in Review,'" "Washington Week" moderator and managing editor Gwen Ifill told the Times.

"Paul believed, above all, that journalism could be honorable, reporting could be lacking in bias, and that news analysis benefits more from light than heat," Ifill said. "He was right. A lot of us still try to adhere to those principles."

The longest-running public affairs show on PBS was already 7 years old when Duke joined in 1974. Duke helped boost the weekly audience from 1.5 million to 4.6 million by the time of his 1994 retirement.

Duke is survived by his second wife, Janet; one son, Paul Francis Duke; a stepdaughter, Amy Rider; and one step-grandchild.