William Stanley Elder Jr. (January 28, 1938 – September 17, 2003) was an anchor and investigative reporter for WWL-TV, the CBS-affiliated television station in New Orleans, from July 1966 to February 2000, nicknamed the "Mike Wallace of Louisiana" because of his hard-hitting stories.
His hiring came after WWL's equipment broke down on the way to Lafayette to conduct an interview, Elder offered his and impressed management.
[4] His investigative reports, which included a 1971 exposé of the Orleans Parish Prison, won several Edward R. Murrow Awards; a 26-part series, "Facing Reality", uncovered drug use and sexual misconduct at a drug patient facility and earned him a Peabody Award, the fifth in the history of WWL-TV.
While he eventually returned to the anchor desk, his speech and memory were impaired, and he retired in February 2000.
Complications from radiation treatment led to his death on September 17, 2003; he was survived by a wife and three sons.