Although Walter Cronkite is arguably the standard-bearer for journalism and TV news, I have been more of the Tom Brokaw generation. My career in TV news allowed me amazing opportunities to meet both the legends and my hero, Tom.
Tom Brokaw
My first personal encounter came in the mid-90s when I asked Tom to look at a tape of my anchoring and reporting work. He agreed and responded through the U.S.P.S. with some words of encouragement saying I “had the tools for success” in our craft. He also offered advice including something I would later learn exhaustively myself; the importance of reporters and producers who can write well and generate original content.
We first met in person when he was speaking at the University of Minnesota in 1999. I had recently moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to the Twin Cities and was working at a regional cable news channel. Oddly, I had already agreed to return to my old but improved job at the NBC affiliate in Montgomery, so I just introduced myself during our meeting as being from Alabama’s capital city. He was eating something from the fruit tray in the green room backstage and responded by saying, “Wow, Joey, you’re a long way from home.” I laughed and explained the recent changes and my U-Haul movement. We visited for a few minutes and got a nice picture together.
In 2003, I moved to Wyoming to what would become and remains one of my proudest career achievements; helping launch KCWY – NBC for Wyoming. Along with a brilliant team of on and off-air talent, I was lucky enough to be the founding news director of the nation’s newest NBC affiliate.
My station was the newest competitor of the station where NBC justice correspondent Pete Williams once worked.
Tom’s newest book A Long Way from Home came out that same year. As you can imagine, the title of the book immediately took me back to what he said to me during our first meeting.
You can also imagine my response when received a copy of that book on the station’s anniversary. It was inscribed: “To Joey – who’s always at home – even when he’s a long way away.” It’s almost a certainty that he inscribed that book similarly to many fans, but because of our past exchange, it felt auspiciously inspiring.
When the NBC Nightly News anchor transition happened in 2004, (Tom handing over the anchor chair to Brian Williams) affiliate stations were offered a chance to interview them both about the change. I accepted. I have never been a Brian Williams fan. I try to keep these stories as positive as possible, but my allegiance was to Tom. I do think Brian has done serious journalism but he has also grievously damaged our craft. Whether it was a sign of the times, his own desires, or advice from NBC public relations, he seemed to be more into the celebrity of the anchor job rather than the continued importance of quality journalism. We would later see this problem, among the unrepentant “misremembering” of his extraordinary experiences, when he was removed from the “Nightly News” job and replaced by Lester Holt.
The interview with Brian was fine but I was most excited about chatting with Tom again. I thanked Tom for the book and asked if his advice had changed over time. It had not. The satellite delay made it a little awkward and I had a grammar stumble but it was still a nice moment.
Walter Cronkite
Meeting “Uncle Walter” came about in a situation that was rather unique to me. Instead of it having to do with my efforts or roles in journalism, it happened through my friend, Frank Lee Roberts.
In October 1998, Mr. Cronkite was in Birmingham to speak at an event for the Business Council of Alabama hosted in part by HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy. The event was called “And that’s the way it is…” which of course was the news legend’s nightly signoff.
I was a bit disappointed by his response when I asked him what the mood was like just after he took President Bill Clinton, Hillary, and daughter Chelsea out sailing on Cronkite’s yacht, Wyntje. His reply was curt saying he would not discuss his private moments and conversations with the first family. I respect the fact that the Clinton’s could discuss their lives with him in confidence, but I just wanted to know more about the president’s mood after he had just recently admitted to the affair with Monica Lewinsky and his impeachment case was getting underway. Cronkite was a private citizen though and was in the company of the Clintons as a friend, not a working journalist. It was still nice getting to visit with him briefly and to have him inscribe a book to me as “a fellow broadcaster.” EPIC!
“Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.“
Walter Cronkite
By the way, Scrushy’s signed copy of that book along with all the convicted felon’s other belongings and properties were sold at an auction trying to satisfy his $2.8 billion dollar civil judgment for accounting fraud, among other legal issues.
Tim Russert
Very few “celebrity” deaths have made me physically cry. Tim Russert’s untimely passing was one of them.
Tim was a journalist’s journalist. He was one of the smartest interviewers ever. I tried to model my political interviews after his. He was always so very well-informed, respectful, tenacious, and thoughtful. He rarely got confrontational. He would instead question people as would a good attorney. I’ve seen Tim rephrase and ask the same question two or three times. Instead of being rude he simply let his audience realize the guest was skirting the question or refusing to answer his direct query.
On 30 June 2000, I was at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City as “part of my job” at WSFA. Tim was there with his son, Luke, to watch an 18-year-old Britney Spears perform as part of the Summer Concert Series. He took a moment to talk to me and take a picture.
I would be lucky enough to see Tim again. He was in Las Vegas in April of 2007. “Meet the Press,” the top-rated and longest-running television program in the world was being inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Tim accepted the honor on behalf of the show and for NBC. Just a little more than a year later, Tim died at the age of 58…at work.
“The best exercise for the human heart is reaching down to lift someone else up.”
Tim russert
While I was at the NAB Convention in Vegas, I also got to visit with the gifted journalist and CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. She inspired me to want to be a foreign correspondent, but I did not have her intestinal fortitude. She has reported live from war-torn countries and other violent hotspots around the world. She was lovely in person.
Return to 30 Rock
Going back to 30 Rock in 2000, we basically had all-access to the green room and surrounding areas on the day I knew we would be meeting Katie Couric, but we were bonused by the generosity of Tim Russert, Ann Curry, and Al Roker. Ann is another journalist I respect.
“Journalism is an act of faith in the future
Ann Curry
Honestly, I wasn’t that big of an admirer of Katie until that day. I happened to be watching an interview she did with Tom Arnold (Rosanne Barr’s husband at the time) years ago and as she wrapped up the interview she said, “It was nice having you.” Tom, appearing to be funny, said, “It was nice having you too.” Katie’s seemed quite offended and snapped back with “Whatever!’ I don’t know why this stuck with me for as long as it did during Katie’s stellar career. She proved herself so very accommodating and down to earth with me and my guests. Despite the zany nature of NBC’s Today, she also repeatedly proved herself a solid journalist
Picking up Katie Couric
Yes, this is the day I physically picked up Katie Couric. I don’t remember exactly why I got the feeling that this would be acceptable behavior, but I whispered to her as we were posing for pictures, “I’m going to pick you up.” She laughed and said. “What?” as she grabbed onto me signaling that she was okay with this ridiculous stunt. As I scooped NBC’s multimillion-dollar anchor into my arms I also grabbed her short skirt to keep from flashing her to everyone in the green room. Instead of it resulting in criminal charges and the end of my career, it was a very fun moment for us all.
Katie even signed a picture of the moment, “Joey, you really swept me off my feet.” Within the next year, Katie would sign a more than $60 million dollar contract with NBC in what was believed to be the largest on-air talent financial deal in the history of TV news.
Katie would also become the anchor of CBS Evening News. The same job Walter Cronkite held for 19 years. Katie would only be at the desk from 2006 until 2011.
I ran into Bob Schieffer while we were covering the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016. He is another old school journalist I respect.
Working Among the Greats
“The lowest form of popular culture – lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people’s lives – has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage.”
Carl Bernstein
It’s strange both meeting and sometimes working alongside people who have meant so much to my career and life as a journalist. Some of the names you may not recognize. Some are or were giants in our field. Others continue to work daily to cover the news and uncover the truth.
Please make careful and honest assessments of the journalists you read, watch, and listen to. Do not buy into the narrative that “the media” has an agenda and delivers “fake news.”
Saying “the media” is about as ignorant and sleeplike as saying “the gays,” “the Asians,” “the whites” and “the blacks.” One is inappropriately super-generalizing and marginalizing a huge variety of people from many walks of life, talents, and character based on one similarity. “John Wayne Gary was a child rapist and killer…so you know those whites.” If you say OANN and The Associated Press in the same sentence, you are speaking of total opposites. The only thing they have in common is they disseminate info via a large platform. That is where the comparison should stop. To group the two as “the media” is nonsensical and irresponsible.
“As one former fake news writer told 60 Minutes, if it is in a news-ish format and agrees with preexisting biases, people will believe just about anything.”
― Bob Schieffer, Overload: Finding the Truth in Today’s Deluge of News
We must stop using “the media” as an excuse to not think for ourselves. To stay properly informed takes common sense and even your own independent research. It may not feel as good as Sean Hannity telling a person how right they are even when they’re flat out wrong. It may not give one the warm fuzzies or that self-righteous comfort felt when agreeing with an opinion shared by Rachel Maddow.
Someone with a YouTube channel is not Reuters. Just because someone wears a suit and sits at a desk does not make them a news anchor or journalist. Yes, question everything but ffs don’t use Facebook to do it.
