Today began much better than yesterday. We did not get lost for hours and our shirts were not drenched with sweat, which helped make our adventure to CBS News rather successful. I got an extra cup of coffee before heading into the bureau, which allowed me to sit for more than five seconds without yawning.
Immediately the nicest security women, who kept calling us “baby,” welcomed us into the building. We were escorted up to Bob Schieffer’s office, which was elegantly cluttered with pictures and memorabilia from his life. Once we all sat down we were greeted by several CBS employees, which included the impressive Bob Schieffer, Bob Orr, Justice and Homeland Security Correspondent, and Jan Crawford, Chief Legal Correspondent.
We had an incredibly insightful conversation, which at times was overwhelming. I was trying to absorb so much information that it could not all possibly fit into my head. I enjoyed hearing about each of their individual stories, how people look to them for the day’s top stories, and how information will not be released until it has been confirmed. For example, how 9/11 was the longest the news has ever been continually run and how one of the reporters abandoned his car to run to the Pentagon to investigate what was going on. I found it interesting that he immediately started to count all the dead bodies when he discovered them. Perhaps it is because I am not on the journalistic side of things, but this was something I could not relate to. I just could not understand how someone could leave all of the emotions behind during such a horrific event. I had the same reaction when Mr. Schieffer added to the story by saying it was just “journalistic instincts” and how he realized that he became void of all emotion.
As each person told their story, I was disappointed that Mr. Orr did not get to share as much as the others. However, Ms. Crawford was fascinating to listen to, probably because I want to follow a similar path. I wanted to ask her about why she went back into journalism after law school and what course she took. Also, I wanted to ask why most of the people we spoke with left and went to ABC and then came back to CBS. Everyone we talked to was warm and open with us. They all wanted to share their life experiences and encourage us to be the best. However, this was not without warning.
During lunch, Mr. Schieffer was exceptionally candid about his relationship with his children and how he was not the best father and how it was one of his biggest regrets. Both him and Ms. Crawford told us of the sacrifices we will have to make in order to reach our goals. While it is a harsh reality, I guess each of us is going to have to decide what is most important—having amazing careers or having a balance between our personal and professional lives.
I completely agree with your comment about wanting to hear more from Mr. Orr - he seemed like some one who would have many exciting stories. I also like that you included the comment about Bob saying that he lost the ability to feel emotion when reporting - or at least knowing how to separate the feeling from the reporting. This is something I think everyone has to figure out as they go through their career - emotions can possibly improve your story...like you said.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would like to say that I am particularly impressed with your escalator performance today - on the right every time! Definitely gold star worthy!