By Jamie McMahon
Since the passing of Walter Cronkite, I've read several stories questioning who my generation will embrace as America's next "most trusted person in news." While the ever-diversifying media landscape will likely prevent another personality of Cronkite's status to emerge (I'm guessing most Americans today feel more familiar with Ryan Seacrest than with Brian Williams), it's still an interesting question to ask.
I've heard several names thrown around, among them Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, and–-depending on your definition of "news"–-John Stewart. Most of those mentioned, however, tend to cater to a certain segment of the population, whether it be those of a particular age, political affiliation, etc. These days the mainstream, "everyman" type of TV news anchor is indeed hard to come by, but there are still a few to be found. As an aspiring Gen Y journalist, one of the most promising personalities I see out there is David Gregory.
After gaining the reputation of a journalist who holds feet to the fire, Gregory was called upon to fill some seriously big shoes last year. In December NBC announced he would be taking over television's longest-running show ("Meet the Press") from its most legendary host (Tim Russert) during one of the biggest ongoing news stories (the financial crisis) in recent memory.
Gregory, who will speak at CUES' CEO/Executive Team Network Nov. 2, officially took the reins of Meet the Press Dec. 14 of last year, and focused on the economy from the get-go. His first show featured a roundtable economic discussion that included former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and the former or current CEOs of Google, HP, and Wal-Mart. Needless to say, the economy remains the central focus of Meet the Press seven months after Gregory took over.
The topic of Gregory's CEO/Executive Team Network speech will be "The Inside Track: Digging Deeper into Today's Headlines." If anyone has the "inside track," it's Gregory: As moderator of Meet the Press, he's interviewed some of the country's most important politicians–among them Vice President Joe Biden, Arizona Senator John McCain, and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual–-as well as a slew of economic experts and business leaders.
And it's not just today's headlines. As a White House correspondent during the entire George W. Bush presidency, Gregory had the inside track on yesterday's news as well, covering the decade's most important events. He developed a well-documented relationship with Bush that showcased both his serious, journalistic side (he was known as one of the White House press corps's toughest questioners), and a side that likes to have a little fun (Bush's nicknames for him included "Stretch," because of his 6'5" frame, and "Dancing Man," because of his tendency to bust a move every now and then). If you're unfamiliar with Gregory and don't know what I'm talking about (or if you want to see Karl Rove rap), click here.
At CEO/Executive Team Network, Gregory should provide some great insight into today's news, and hopefully relate an entertaining story or two about the people in it. Want to see him but don't have the means to pay for CEO/Executive Team Network in full? No problem–pay what you can!
Jamie McMahon is an editorial intern with CUES.
Also read "Tune Into a new CU Social Networking Site" by Jamie.
