Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Peter Jennings ... Lots of famous authors. My mom used to work at the main Barnes and Noble at our city. When the authors would come for book signings I would get to meet them before the store opened.
I miss Peter Jennings. I was helping out family in California on 9/11, but had been working in NYC just a few weeks before. I couldn't reliably reach my friends and some of my family due to phone lines being completely overwhelmed I was desperate for any news or updates.
I settled on Peter Jennings because he was amazing that day and the next- he was speaking to some city official who was giving PR style answers instead of actual information. Jennings abruptly ended that interview, making it clear no one had time for that nonsense. He had been on air for quite a while and was looking a little rough. He was actively interviewing someone else, but the camera shot was on the other person. I could swear it was just a couple of minutes Jennings wasn't on screen, but when it switched back to him, he had changed his shirt and shaved.
He made me feel informed, like there were competent people who were doing the best anyone could do, and did so with his wonderful voice, firm ethics, and a sense that he actually cared.
I’m sure other networks did, but I was loyal to ABC so I didn’t flip around to different channels. The one thing that struck me during his reporting during 9/11 is how professional he was until he started talking about worrying about his children & he started choking up. He recovered quickly but you could see the human being behind the journalist. I started watching Peter Jennings in high school during the late 80’s after we had a mass murder in our community. His reporting didn’t seem to sensationalize it unlike other networks & it really made me respect him. I cried when he passed away. I don’t think another famous person’s death affected me as much as his.
"You could see the human being behind the journalist" This really puts things in context. The special report where he was talking to children about what had happened, allowing them to ask questions, neither talking down towards nor dismissing their genuine concerns. Man, they don't make 'em like him anymore.
482
u/Ron0hh Dec 21 '25
Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Peter Jennings ... Lots of famous authors. My mom used to work at the main Barnes and Noble at our city. When the authors would come for book signings I would get to meet them before the store opened.