I have a thing for Peter Jennings. Don’t get me wrong, I know the problems and the studies and I don’t intend to argue them here. I don’t intend to care.

It’s odd the connections a person makes to public figures, but one of the connections I made in my own life was to Peter Jennings. Like him, I’m a high school dropout. I never even completed the ninth grade. My mother and grandmother were both quick to remind me, at a certain point in time, that not finishing high school didn’t mean as much as I thought. Life could and would get better, should I choose to accept the rules of the game just a little. They both used Jennings as an example and used him often. I imagine it was as much for their benefit as it was mine.

Dropouts are not as large a demographic as some, but it was always nice to be so well represented. Regardless of your circumstances, it’s heartening to see people with a similar background do well.

When Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff took Jennings’ chair, some months after his death, I was pleased with ABC’s choice. Not because either anchor was perfect, but because they were both reporters rather than entertainers. Indeed, I enjoyed the early newscasts and was hopeful that the evening broadcast, with one anchor stationed in New York and another reporting from a world or national hotspot, would develop into something very special.

Bombs and well laid plans don’t mix. Mr. Woodruff’s condition after suffering severe injury via roadside bomb in Iraq, is unknown. We know he’s alive and that ABC expects he’ll return to work some day. A better prognosis than thousands, to be sure.

The point of all this? Nothing much. Just an unqualified media critique. A few hours ago ABC named Charlie Gibson as the host of World News Tonight. The man who once quivered over failed reality show contestants will now be at the fore of a news organization that millions of Americans look to for serious reporting on the very most serious matters of the day. Katie Couric will be there as well, though on another network. Quite a party. Perhaps they can mend the fences of network competition and hold a joint Rose Ceremony the next time an inept government decides to initiate a disastrous war based on lies, hysteria and fear. The best Rose Ceremony ever! Is this where network news finally lies down and dies? Hell if I know. I’m a dropout.

[Update] Edited for spelling errors in post and title. There are likely a few I missed, but I think we’ll all get through this together if we try. All things considered, it could have been much worse.

0 0 votes
Article Rating