NEW YORK (PIX11) – Arnold Diaz, a former reporter for PIX11 News whose “What a Shame!” reports exposed wrongdoing by private industry and government agencies, has died at age 74.
Diaz, who was born in Brooklyn, won 48 Emmy Awards for his reporting throughout his career that spanned decades. Over the years, Diaz’s “Shame” reports led to action by law enforcement and have been cited by prosecutors as being instrumental in putting scam artists behind bars.
Diaz retired last year after being with PIX11 News since 2014. At the time, Diaz said he would miss the excitement of the job, but he wouldn’t miss the times he was “shoved, spit at and threatened with guns” over his reporting.
“I’ve been lucky to have had a dream job, standing up for the little guy, sticking it to the bad guys,” Diaz said when he retired. “In a town where money talks, my ‘Shame on You’ reports, later called ‘Shame Shame Shame’ and ‘What a Shame!,’ gave voice to victims whose complaints were too often ignored. Complaints about lousy landlords, greedy businesses, incompetent government agencies. The liars, cheats and con artists were rarely punished. But we tracked them down, confronted them on camera, a public shaming that often resulted in victims’ problems being resolved.”
Diaz also reported for New York City television stations FOX 5 and CBS2 as well as ABC News’ “20/20” program.
“[Diaz] was a class act. What you saw on air was [Diaz] off air. And most importantly, he was always there for everybody,” said longtime PIX11 meteorologist Mr. G.
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.
