Legendary ‘Shame’ New York City TV Reporter, Arnold Diaz, Dies at 74

One of the most famous faces in local television news in New York City has died.

New York City Investigative Reporter Arnold Diaz Dies at 74

Arnold Diaz, a reporter whose career spanned more than 50 years has died. He was 74 years old. Diaz passed away following a battle with cancer, reports say.

Diaz, an Emmy-award-winning journalist, was best known for his work in New York City as an investigative reporter for more than five decades.

Arnold Diaz's 'Shame' Segments Were Insanely Popular

Arnold Diaz's "Shame on You" segments, which exposed fraud throughout the city, were insanely popular. He worked at CBS2 (WCBS TV) from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Diaz stood up for "everyday New Yorkers" who were wronged by others in the segments.
In fact, Diaz himself said, the segments exposed everything from "lousy landlords to greedy businesses and incompetent government agencies."

The segments were described by Turner Classic Movies as Diaz “track(ing) down and confront con artists and other unscrupulous individuals who are accused of lying, cheating, stealing and abusing the system while taking advantage of unsuspecting victims”

Shame On You Was a New York Catchphrase for Decades

And, of course, those segments were tagged with his famous tagline of "Shame on You", which later became "Shame, Shame, Shame," and "What a Shame."

"The liars, cheats, and con artists were rarely punished, Diaz said when he reflected upon his career last year. "But we tracked them down, confronted them on camera — a public shaming that often resulted in victims’ problems being resolved.”

In fact, in some instances, his work led to arrests of wrongdoing after they were exposed on camera.

Arnold Diaz Had a Storied Career in New York City

His career would also include stops at FOX 5 and ABC 7, before arriving at PIX-11 (WPIX TV) in 2014. Diaz retired from the station in 2022.

“I’ve been lucky to have had a dream job, standing up for the little guy, sticking it to the bad guys.

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,” Diaz said, looking back on his career in a PIX 11 broadcast announcing his retirement last year.