Lehrer shares stories and insights from decades in journalism
By Del Stover
Of all the famous and interesting people that public television newscaster Jim Lehrer has interviewed over the years, one of the most compelling, he said, was a young teacher’s assistant whom he met in Denver during the 1988 presidential campaign.
Sharing his story at the Third General Session on March 31, the anchor of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS described sitting on the woman’s front porch in a poor neighborhood. When asked what she’d like the next president to do, she pointed at her 14-year-old Dodge -- and then at a drug dealer’s new BMW parked down the street.
“I want the president of the United States to help me tell the young people in my schools and in my family that it’s OK that you work hard and you do the right thing, and you get a car like this,” she told Lehrer. “But if you do something dishonest and terrible, you get a car like that. You explain that to me, and you explain that to the kids in my school.”
Such anecdotes came easily to Lehrer, who has worked nearly half a century as a journalist.
But journalism also taught him the value of education, Lehrer said, and he made a point of praising his audience. “I truly salute you . . . and your commitment to education and the education of the American public.”
As a youth, Lehrer said, he attended 18 different schools before earning a high school degree. Such disruptions to his schooling were a hardship, but he said, “Who I am and what I am is because of your predecessors in school systems who believed education mattered.”
To emphasize that point, Lehrer told a story of his youth, when it finally dawned on him that his dream of becoming a professional baseball player was unrealistic. He considered becoming a sports writer, and soon after, his teacher returned an essay with an A and the written remark, “Jimmy, you’re a good writer.”
The timing of the remark had a powerful impact on his eventual decision to pursue a career in journalism, he said. “I’m a product of a teacher’s wisdom, of her giving me that grade, and writing that comment.”
This year’s presidential campaign is the most competitive in modern American history -- and that’s a valuable turn of events for the nation, Lehrer said.
“I think having this long campaign has been terrific,” he said. “The campaign needed time to let candidates be heard and tested. Voters needed to know as much as possible, to hear from [the candidates], and to truly understand what this election is about and what the stakes are.”
For Lehrer, the top issue is the war in Iraq, which is touching an increasing number of Americans. “Every day it remains unresolved, more blood is shed,” he said.
As a campaign issue, however, the war’s significance goes far beyond the human cost, he said. The debate over the war also deals with the nation’s financial, cultural, and spiritual future and will tell a great deal about “who we are as Americans, what we stand for and against, and who hates us and who loves us and why.”
Lehrer also spoke about the changes to his profession, the decline of newspaper circulation and TV news audiences, and the proliferation of bloggers, podcasters, and satellite radio hosts who are allegedly crowding out traditional journalism.
He said he was not so pessimistic as some about the future. The news industry is changing, he agreed, but he argued that opinionated and politicized commentary does not diminish the need for good, old-fashioned journalism.
At the end of Lehrer’s remarks, departing NSBA President Norman Wooten and Executive Director Anne Bryant stepped on stage to conduct a short “interview” with him.
When asked how school board members could encourage the presidential candidates to talk more about education, Lehrer acknowledged that’s going to be tough. “When people are losing their home through foreclosures or losing their jobs . . . it’s hard to get a focus on education,” he said. “The candidates largely are ignoring the issue.”’
Yet, not all is hopeless, he added. If people concerned about education keep asking questions of the candidates, it might be possible to draw at least some attention to this crucial issue.
Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2008, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.