“I had the best seat in the house,” was how he answered the question. The question was, “How would you describe your career?” It was asked at a 1999 dinner party to honor his 50-plus years in the news business. His was a household name that had brought the news to at least six generations. He was trusted and respected. Although he had his critics, like everyone does, he was well-liked, respected, and, maybe above all, trusted.
He started out over the public address system at his high. Each morning he did a three-minute news show just prior to the morning announcements. After he returned from his service in the navy, he began a radio career in 1949. For a little over a decade, he was a supper guest in most of the homes in his broadcast area, with his 6:00 PM news show, called “What’s News.” (It was a bit of a word play on the phrase, “What’s new?” In 1959, he made the jump to television, and for the next 40 years he was the face, the name, and the personality of the news.
His retirement dinner was held in a local hockey arena, the only venue in town large enough to host it. After the meal, he was ushered to a stage on which the 6:00 PM news desk from the station had been placed. It was HIS desk, and the station decided to retire it with him—a fitting tribute if ever there was one. As he had done so many times, he sat down and began to speak. But this time there was a difference. He wasn’t sharing the news. Instead, he was going to share his thoughts, opinions, and reflections on 50 years of news reporting.
The first of his insights was that change was inevitable. He noted that at times it happened in an instant, and other times it seemed to be a never-ending story drawn out over years and decades.
“When President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, that change and all of the impacts that it brought a grieving nation happened in an instance. Conversely, our dream of equal opportunity has been an ongoing process, that was well under way when I began, and will continue long after today.
“It became clear to me early on if change, meaningful change, is to occur, public awareness is essential. Without awareness, change agents, those trying to make the world a better place, are often just a lone voice crying in the wilderness. The news is a critical force in building public awareness.”
His third insight, one that also dealt with change, focused on what powered change.
“In the news we often focus on the who, how, what, where, and when. They’re part of the story, but we also tried to offer viewers the opportunity to learn why. Without that perspective, that vital view of intention, even the best leaders and news makers often become little more than lonely people out for a walk all by themselves.
“This next lesson, one I learned over and over, was a daily struggle. It was an inner force, an urge I suppose is within all of us, at least to some degree. It was the impulse to comment on the news, to supplant my perceptions for the motivations and intentions of the news makers. Like you, I had personal reactions to the events of the day. Those reactions ranged from approval to disapproval, admiration to distain, joy to sadness, and from empathy to the desire to see revenge metered out in due measure. I always reminded myself that mine were personal feelings. My job was to share the news, not taint it with my beliefs, sentiments, and biases. I always believed you had the right to come to your own conclusions and react as you saw fit.
“And finally, guarding against disinformation, sharing information that we knew or even suspected to be false, was a relentless filter through which every story we shared had to pass. Yes, we provided misinformation over the years, but as soon as we learned that we had, we pulled out all the stops to reinform, admitted our mistake, and redouble efforts to guard against it moving forward.
“I thank you for coming out—it means a great deal to me. In closing, I’d like to leave you with a challenge. There is a sacred trust between you and those who provide you with the news. From the days of the medieval town criers who shared the news in pre-literate times, on through to new sources that will become manifest in the coming century, be responsible and thoughtful consumers. It’s you who determines the value and the merits of the news you consume. Thank you!”
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