In emerging democracies like Russia, in authoritarian states like Iran or even Yugoslavia, journalists play a vital role in civil society. In fact, they form the very basis of those new democracies and civil societies.
They take journalism really seriously because they know the force that it is and can be.
And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with me.
And one thing that I always believed and that I knew for certain was that I could never have sustained a personal relationship while I worked this hard, or while I was that driven this intensely by the story.
In Iran the whole reform and democracy movement has been based on the emerging free press.
I leave CNN with the utmost respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone who works here. This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years, and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished.
Im not an American but I have always had the outsiders respect for the American people and the American way.
I have made my living bearing witness to some of the most horrific events of the end of our century, at the end of the 20th century.
If we have no respect for our viewers, then how can we have any respect for ourselves and what we do?
Here in the United States, our profession is much maligned, people simply don’t trust or like journalists anymore and that’s sad.
Indeed in the full flush of journalistic passion and conviction I once told an interviewer that of course I would never get married. And I most definitely would never have children.
In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it’s okay to aim his gun at a child.
What Americans don’t care much about is the piffle we put on TV these days, what they don’t care about is boring, irrelevant, badly told stories, and what they really hate is the presumption that they’re too stupid to know the difference.
I’m thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News. Being asked to anchor ‘This Week’ and the superb tradition started by David Brinkley, is a tremendous and rare honor, and I look forward to discussing the great domestic and international issues of the day.
Our industry has invested so much money in technology that perhaps it’s time to invest in talent, in people.
People are interested if you tell stories well and relevantly.
Because I am foreign I was assigned to the foreign desk. I kid you not, its true.
And I really believe good journalism is good business.
I have spent the past ten years in just about every war zone there was.
Mostly, as I said, a desire to do a bit of good, and the quaint notion that this is what we signed up for, this is the business that we have chosen.