Veteran TV Journalist Remembered For Commitment, Integrity

Numerous state officials paid their respects to veteran television journalist Mark Davis on Tuesday, as word of his death at 76 spread through the state Capitol.

Davis had served as chief Capitol correspondent among his roles at WTNH, where he had spent 36 years.

“Mark Davis is a Connecticut icon, and his passing is a loss for our state,” said Gov. Ned Lamont. He described Davis as “one of the most trusted and recognized people in journalism, entering the homes of so many Connecticut residents each day as they watched the evening news.”

Attorney General William Tong, who said it felt like giants roamed the Capitol when he was a rookie legislator 20 years ago, described Davis as “a giant among giants.”

“It was hard not to feel anxious when he came running over with his microphone and cameraman in tow,” Tong said. “But he always put me right at ease, with his kind and breezy way, even if the questions were tough and searching.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, shared similar sentiments, saying Davis “was a world class newsman and craftsman, with keen insight, incomparable drive and unimpeachable integrity.

Among current state legislators, state Sen. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, said Davis was “highly respected for his journalistic integrity, his commitment to getting the story right, and his ability to connect with viewers over a multi-decade career.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff recalled being starstruck upon first meeting Davis while working on a gubernatorial campaign.

“I started watching Mark with my grandparents, who always turned on Channel 8 for state news,” he said. “He was probably one of the first people I shook hands with who was actually on the television. I immediately called my grandparents to tell them who I had a conversation with.”

Senate President Pro-Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, recalled Davis as a steady presence.

“For decades, Mark could be found seated in the front row of nearly every press conference, ready with the first question,” he said. “He understood the vital role government plays in the lives of residents and recognized the media’s responsibility to illuminate its workings, even when simpler, flashier stories competed for attention.”

Among his career achievements, according to WTNH, were three Emmy awards for coverage of Lowell Weicker’s election as governor and the imposition of a state income tax in the early 1990s and breaking the news of Gov. John Rowland’s resignation in 2004.