America's senior statesman in television news, Tom Brokaw, is marking a-half century at NBC News.
As a nation, we've been fortunate to have his steady, accurate and truthful, midwestern middle-of-the-road presence all these many years. His reporting preceded the Nixon administration and continues as we try to process an assault on journalism which in some ways is unprecedented in our country and in others is reminiscent of the Nixon days.
From a broader perspective, we're grateful for his important contributions to the American narrative: His celebration of "The Greatest Generation," covering Watergate and reporting from the scene during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I've been fortunate to have some personal interaction with him (not nearly as much as some of my friends), which came to mind as his own anniversary is marked.
As a nation, we've been fortunate to have his steady, accurate and truthful, midwestern middle-of-the-road presence all these many years. His reporting preceded the Nixon administration and continues as we try to process an assault on journalism which in some ways is unprecedented in our country and in others is reminiscent of the Nixon days.
From a broader perspective, we're grateful for his important contributions to the American narrative: His celebration of "The Greatest Generation," covering Watergate and reporting from the scene during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I've been fortunate to have some personal interaction with him (not nearly as much as some of my friends), which came to mind as his own anniversary is marked.
Covering Pres. Ford in Kansas
In 1975, President Ford came to Kansas and held a news conference in Topeka, the state capital. My father, a newspaper editor at the time drove 3 hours from our home to cover it and I tagged along. While I couldn't go into the room where the president spoke, I sat outside and watched the journalists file reports afterward. Among them was Brokaw. I was fascinated by it and a bit starstruck at age 14. A year later, inspired by that, I began hanging around my hometown radio station and was on-the-air at age 16 a year later.
At the National Press Club
When I was president of the Club in 2011, we had an opportunity to host Brokaw at our famed luncheon series in connection with a book he'd written. Of course, I jumped at the chance. This event is one where the NPC president takes 5 minutes to introduce the speaker, he or she speaks for 20-25 minutes and then the president poses questions for the remaining half-hour or so.
One small, but remarkable thing occurred early in that hour. After I gave my introduction, the audience applauded to welcome Tom. He stood up, moved to the podium and shook my hand while asking quietly so no one else could hear, "how long do you want me to go?' That was a first, indicative of what an accomplished speaker he was. So, on that guidance, he talked for about 25 minutes, which sounded as if he'd taken great pains to write the speech.
I spent a good amount of time, some privately, with him before and after the speech, which I treasured. As you'd expect he was the consummate gentleman, taking time to speak with almost anyone who came by or wanted him to sign a book. And by the way, he traveled alone, without handlers. So many less-accomplished people surround themselves with others to insulate them from potential interactions they might find uncomfortable.
(By the way, I'll be eternally grateful to Angela Greiling Keane and Melissa Charbonneau for their work to bring him to the Club back then and for organizing the event.)
His example and a bit of preaching on my part
Many of today's practitioners in the news media would do well to follow Tom Brokaw's ethics-based example. One would have had a hard time distilling his personal political beliefs while reporting in the field or when anchoring newscasts. By his own admission, he's had a bit of good luck. He sat in the anchor chair before network audiences were challenged by the explosion in competing outlets and technologies. Network news can still attract a good-sized audience, but doesn't have the impact that it did during his reign on "NBC Nightly News" from 1982-2004.
When cable outlets, talk radio and other media try to compete for the shrinking audience by creating confrontation they ultimately offend or drive away as many people as they think they attract. Using the excuse of changing and challenging business models is a poor cover for anything less than time-honored, best practices in journalism. That's probably not what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they placed freedom of speech in the First Amendment.
My good fortune
To have had the good fortune to meet people and spend some time with people like Tom Brokaw, who've inspired me dating back to childhood is a remarkable blessing. It is among the reasons I try to say a spoken or silent prayer of thanksgiving on a regular basis. A little (or a lot of) good luck goes a long way!
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