The News Sorority Read online

  “To avoid crushing debts . . . all their girl babies”: Christiane Amanpour and Mike Wallace, “For Love and Money,” 60 Minutes.

  “The hellish scene . . . health care” and “ethnic cleansing . . . Sudanese army”: Christiane Amanpour, “Sudan’s Hellish Humanitarian Crisis,” CNN.com.

  “There is a big prejudice” and “about Africa and about telling news”: Hanna Ingber Win, “Christiane Amanpour on Her Genocide Documentary,” Huffington Post.

  “According to the United Nations . . . 18.4 million”: Christiane Amanpour, “World Fails to Save Africa’s AIDS Orphans,” CNN transcript.

  “‘Please, God’ . . . I do it again”: Suzanne Goldenberg, “‘Somehow I Don’t Feel It in My Gut,’” Guardian.

  “You challenged people” and “You said that your face . . . mean by that” and “People cry when . . . back to health” and “This Yushchenko I’m still not used to” and “To die is not very original . . . that’s special”: “Yushchenko: Live and Carry On,” CBS.com.

  Quotes from Other Speakers Obtained from Media Sources:

  Peter Pringle: “he never had time to date”: Malcolm Morehouse, “Foreign Affair: Christiane Amanpour and James Rubin Find Love on the Run,” People.

  Jordan Tamagni: “tall, handsome . . . Mercedes convertible”: Ibid.

  Jamie Rubin: “talk to anyone . . . the sports jocks”: Mark Francis Cohen: “Flack Like Me: Jamie Rubin’s Ego-System,” Capital Style.

  “equating the extremely . . . so without challenge”: Felix Gillette, “MSBC’s Dan Abrams’ War of Faith Against CNN,” New York Observer.

  Dan Abrams: “worst kind of moral relativism” and “shameful advocacy” and “I felt the journalism . . . shoddy” and “I felt very strongly . . . unfair” and “it was a very successful . . . documentary for CNN”: Brad Wilmouth, “MSNBC’s Abrams Hits CNN’s Amanpour for Defending Islamic Fundamentalism,” NewsBusters.com.

  Among the Many Transcripts and Videos (Some Provided—with Gratitude—by Andrew Tkach, Others Web-Accessed) of Christiane’s International Stories Described and Quoted from in This Chapter:

  “Billion-Dollar Business,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour: “From CNN’s Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour: Sudan’s Hellish Humanitarian Crisis,” CNN.com.

  Christiane Amanpour and Ed Bradley, “The Best of Intentions: UNICEF,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Mike Wallace, “A Million Men, Women and Children,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Mike Wallace, “For Love and Money,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Mike Wallace, “The Women of Afghanistan,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Mike Wallace, “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Morley Safer, “Scars of War,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Morley Safer, “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Steve Kroft, “Sleeping Sickness,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Steve Kroft, “Sunni Triangle,” 60 Minutes.

  Christiane Amanpour and Steve Kroft, “Trokosi: Young Girls Sent into Slavery,” 60 Minutes.

  CHAPTER NINE: First Female Anchor

  Among the People the Author Interviewed Are:

  Mark Robertson, Ira Rosen, Marcy McGinniss, Jeff Zucker, Lisa Paulsen, Sandy Socolow, Andrew Tyndall, Richard Wald, Jeff Fager, Bob Schieffer, Pat Shifke, Rick Kaplan, Margaret Aro, and various anonymous sources.

  Quotes from the Principal Subjects Obtained from Media Sources:

  “You mean . . . I’m white” and “But . . . see me dance”: Diane Salvatore, “Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer: Soul Sisters,” Ladies’ Home Journal

  “told me it was the worst idea . . . my whole life”: Susan Dominus, “Hey, Katie—How’s That New Job?,” Glamour.

  “it’s the worst-kept secret”: Today, Wednesday, May 31, 2006, YouTube.

  “I’m going to be working on the CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes”: Ibid.

  “I’ve been called a cougar . . . proud to be a tiger”: Katie Couric, “My Speech to Princeton.”

  “This is not your grandfather’s newscast” and “I think people . . . And intelligence”: Jenny Allen, “Taking a Chance on Herself,” Good Housekeeping.

  “I love Jon . . . down the line”: Kurt Andersen, “Humor Is the New Gravitas,” New York.

  “I think most people . . . pretentious word” and “to make news . . . sink in or register”: Susan Dominus, “Hey, Katie—How’s That New Job?,” Glamour.

  “bugs people . . . disappointing to some people”: Joe Hagan, “Alas, Poor Couric,” New York.

  “I’ve . . . decided [that] ‘gravitas’ . . . ‘testicles’”: Alex Weprin, “Katie Couric,” TVNewser.

  “What is the word . . . divo?”: Susan Dominus, “Hey, Katie—How’s That New Job?,” Glamour.

  “It can be lonely”: Jenny Allen, “Taking a Chance on Herself,” Good Housekeeping.

  “All these years, and only one woman” and “actually asked . . . in his hair”: Katie Couric, “My Speech to Princeton.”

  Quotes from Other Speakers Obtained from Media Sources:

  Joe Hagan: “When Diane Sawyer . . . Good Morning America” and “‘Yes and no’ . . . Sawyer’s ambivalence” and “over many conversations” and “Westin says that he gave Sawyer . . . she did want it” and “instead of being content . . . loose ends”: Joe Hagan, “Charlie the Conqueror,” New York.

  Rebecca Dana: “Golden Sphinx . . . ever” and “Diane is keeping her cards . . . chest” and “None of us . . . plans to do”: Rebecca Dana, “Diane Sawyer Is ABC’s Last Diva,” New York Observer.

  Peyser and Roberts: “Will viewers accept . . . mascara” and “Couric is cut . . . ever on television” and “We’ve seen her . . . literally” and “We know her kids . . . gossip magazines”: Marc Peyser and Jonnie L. Roberts, “Katie’s News,” Newsweek.

  Peyser and Roberts: “Couric cries regularly” and “the girl next door” and “succeed as a network news anchor”: Ibid.

  Matt Lauer: “Welcome to a very special . . . Today” and “Now, after more than fifteen thousand . . . May 31, 2006”: Today, May 31, 2006, YouTube. Peter Johnson, “Couric’s Good Mornings,” USA Today.

  Barbara Walters: “I can’t help but contrast . . . would be enormous”: Barbara Walters, Audition.

  Joe Hagan: “a chatty, friendly vibe . . . Katie”: Joe Hagan, “Charlie the Conqueror,” New York.

  Source speaking to Nikki Finke: “needed someone . . . hard on him”: Nikki Finke, “Update: More Diane Does Mel,” Deadline.com, YouTube clips.

  Fareed Zakaria: “a vapid emptying out . . . into her head”: Fareed Zakaria, “Palin Is Ready? Please,” Newsweek.

  Phoebe Eaton: “peeled . . . like a raw carrot”: Phoebe Eaton, “Katie Couric’s Primetime,” Harper’s Bazaar.

  Sources Particularly Helpful to the Author on Specific Subjects:

  On Diane’s friendship with Robin Roberts:

  Diane Salvatore, “Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer: Soul Sisters,” Ladies’ Home Journal.

  On salary decreases for other CBS correspondents:

  Joe Hagan, “Alas, Poor Couric,” New York.

  On CBS Evening News’s ratings collapse:

  For the figure 5.5 million viewers to 7 million viewers: David Bauder, “Iraq Is Ratings Drag for Katie Couric,” USA Today.

  Among the Many Transcripts and Videos of Katie’s and Diane’s Interviews Described and Quoted from in This Chapter:

  Katie interviewing the Edwardses:

  Katie Couric, “John and Elizabeth Edwards Open Up,” 60 Minutes.

  Diane interviewing Gibson:

  “How Despairing Gibson Found ‘The Passion,’” ABCNews.com. “Mel Gibson Say
s He Feels ‘Powerless Over Everything,’” Good Morning America, ABCNews.com. “Mel Gibson Addresses Accusations of Anti-Semitism,” Good Morning America, ABCNews.com. Various YouTube clips of Mel Gibson talking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America and Primetime.

  Katie interviewing Ahmadinejad:

  Katie Couric, “Ahmadinejad: The Status Quo Cannot Keep,” CBS Evening News, various YouTube clips.

  Katie interviewing Palin:

  Interview transcripts from the 2008 campaign, CBSNews.com. Katie Couric, “One-on-One with Sarah Palin,” CBSNews.com. Jacques Steinberg, “Couric Rebounds with Web and Palin,” New York Times.

  Articles That Were Particularly Useful for the Sweep of Katie’s and Diane’s Careers over the Period of This Chapter:

  Rebecca Dana, “The ABCs of Diane’s Deal,” Daily Beast.

  Rebecca Dana, “Diane Sawyer Is ABC’s Last Diva,” New York Observer.

  Kurt Andersen, “Humor Is the New Gravitas,” New York.

  Joe Hagan, “Alas, Poor Couric,” New York.

  Joe Hagan, “Charlie the Conqueror,” New York.

  Alessandra Stanley, “In Iraq, Couric Hones Her Hard-News Image,” New York Times.

  Jacques Steinberg, “Couric Rebounds with Web and Palin,” New York Times.

  Brian Stelter, “Doubts Fade and Couric Is Energized,” New York Times.

  CHAPTER TEN : Two Out of Three and Then Three Out of Six

  Among the People the Author Interviewed Are:

  Jon Banner, Margaret Aro, Andrew Tyndall, Andrew Heyward, Andrew Tkach, Mark Phillips, Kathy O’Hearn, Karim Sadjadpour, Richard Wald, Bella Pollen, Lisa Paulsen, Ron Haviv, and various anonymous sources.

  Quotes from the Principal Subjects Obtained from Media Sources:

  “When we landed . . . help would arrive” and “It’s so hackneyed . . . don’t exist in Haiti”: Katie Couric, “Haiti: One Year Later,” Huffington Post.

  “My husband . . . my politics”: Lee Woodruff, “The Latest News on Diane Sawyer,” Ladies’ Home Journal.

  To My Family at CNN . . . to the first Gulf War and never never wav[er] . . . not goodbye, Christiane: Christiane Amanpour, “To My Family at CNN,” e-mail.

  “into the palace encircled by chaos” and “those rioting thugs . . . on this breaking story” and “an extraordinary experience . . . “‘Egyptians fighting Egyptians’”: “Diane Sawyer Checks In with Christiane Amanpour in Egypt,” ABCNews.com.

  “I’m a reporter . . . not an anchorperson”: Jon Friedman, “Christiane Amanpour,” Market Watch, Wall Street Journal.

  “It’s clearly an appalling . . . nightmare” and “I am grateful . . . much worse”: “Christiane Amanpour on Lara Logan Assault,” PiersMorgan.Blogs.CNN.com.

  “looking every inch . . . he had honed” and “But if you say . . . capturing Benghazi” and “Your own airline pilots . . . defected”: Christiane Amanpour, “‘My People Love Me,’” ABCNews.com.

  “the storm without pity” and “master class in enduring crisis” and “to come together in one body” and “for three hours”: “Staying Strong in the Face of Tragedy,” ABCNews.com.

  Quotes from Other Speakers Obtained from Media Sources:

  Bill Carter and Brian Stelter: “two of the three . . . female” and “in the past . . . Connie Chung” and “the longtime . . . long-suffering”: Bill Carter and Brian Stelter, “At ABC, an Anchor Shift,” New York Times.

  Howard Kurtz: “When Diane Sawyer . . . news anchor” and “her first words . . . President David Westin” and “only after Westin . . . not to retire”: Howard Kurtz, “Diane Sawyer to Become ABC’s Evening News Anchor,” Washington Post.

  Andrew Tyndall: “No evening newscast . . . with Diane Sawyer” and Her enthusiasm . . . inspirational, not partisan: Ibid.

  Kati Marton: “I noticed a tall, blond woman . . . wordless embrace”: Kati Marton, Paris: A Love Story.

  Alessandra Stanley: “panache and a no-nonsense briskness” and “Ms. Amanpour is not . . . those who have”: Alessandra Stanley, “A TV Host Challenges a Guest,” New York Times.

  Tom Shales: “The Grand Duchess Amanpour . . . Overseas” and “With pomp . . . relocated to a desk job” and “highly touted global orientation . . . contrived”: Tom Shales, “Tom Shales Reviews Christiane Amanpour’s Lackluster Debut,” Washington Post.

  Page Six: “The knives are out . . . a ‘distant outsider’”: “Staff at ABC News’ DC Bureau Is Icy,” Page Six, New York Post.

  Jim Newell: “Here’s ‘America’s Girl’ . . . Just don’t”: Jim Newell, “Leave Our Katie Couric Alone!,” Gawker.

  Lara Logan: “Suddenly, before I even . . . from behind” and “I think my shirt . . . different directions”: “Lara Logan Breaks Her Silence,” 60 Minutes.

  Sources Particularly Helpful in Overview of Diane’s Ascent to Anchor Chair:

  Alessandra Stanley, “Good Evening, America,” New York Times.

  Alessandra Stanley, “A TV Host Challenges a Guest,” New York Times.

  “Charlie Gibson’s Announcement Email,” Huffington Post.

  “Brian Williams: Charlie Gibson ‘A Pro, ‘Diane Sawyer’ Legendary,’” Huffington Post.

  On ABC News’s referencing of miracles, per Tyndall:

  “Video Witnesses Claim Miracle Man Saved Car Crash Victim,” ABCNews.com.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: “Any White Male in the Chair . . .”

  Among the People the Author Interviewed Are:

  Paul Friedman, Sandy Socolow, Rick Kaplan, Liza McGuirk, Jeff Zucker, Ginny Vicario, and various anonymous sources.

  Quotes from the Principal Subjects Obtained from Media Sources:

  “I have decided . . . News” and “I’m really proud . . . about the future”: Alicia Dennis, “Katie Couric: I Am Leaving,” People.

  “I don’t understand—why are [the Kardashians] so famous”: Danielle Valente. “Kim Kardashian, Katie Couric Dispute Fueled by Magazine Interviews, Hashtags,” Newsday.

  “I can barely contain . . . no moral equivalence” and “Wait just a second” and “The president . . . go unchecked” and “Fifteen, sixteen . . . Rwanda” Anderson Cooper 360, CNN, YouTube clip and transcript of Christiane Amanpour, Charles Blow, Christopher Dickey, and Andrew Sullivan.

  “It’s not emotion . . . It’s not emotion”: Ibid.

  “I’m still here . . . ‘got to do something’”: Lee Woodruff, “The Latest News on Diane Sawyer,” Ladies’ Home Journal.

  Quotes from Other Speakers Obtained from Media Sources:

  Jeff Fager: “best for both parties”: Andrea Morabito, “New CBS News Chair,” BroadcastingCable.com.

  Howard Kurtz: “CBS has asked Katie”: Howard Kurtz, “CBS Wants Contract Extension for Katie Couric,” Daily Beast.

  CNN Representative: “We could not be happier . . . colleague and friend”: Brian Stelter, “Amanpour to Leave ABC,” New York Times.

  Bill Carter: “scored the best initial rating . . . in 2002” and “Couric has bolted . . . enormous audience”: Bill Carter, “Big Ratings for Debut of Katie,” New York Times.

  Darius Rubin: This summer . . . an amazing trip and “I even got in some . . . efforts” and “never scared” and “driver seemed . . . in a movie”: Christiane Amanpour, “Retracing Bible’s ‘Story of a Family,’” ABCNews.com.

  New York Daily News: “seriously considering retirement” and “few close friends . . . care of her family”: “Diane Sawyer Weighs Stepping Down,” New York Daily News.

  ABC Representative: “That’s a bunch. . . . in any way”: Ibid.

  Bill Carter: “Like Johnny Carson. . . . ‘in the best way,’”: Bill Carter, “Walters to Announce 2014 Retirement on ‘The View,’” New York Times.

  Brian Stelter: ABC’s 6.30 newscast . . . ratings competition and In a twist . . . was at work: Brian Stelter, “ABC Ne
ws Dethrones NBC,” New York Times.

  Austin Smith: “The show was oversold . . . expectations”: Austin Smith, “Couric’s ABC Future Is Hazy,” Page Six, New York Post.

  Perez Hilton: “an unmitigated disaster” and “dreadfully boring”: Perez Hilton, “Katie Couric’s ‘Dreadfully Boring,’” PerezHilton.com.

  Jennifer Aniston: “Is she a legitimate . . . the Today show”: Chiderah Monde, “Jennifer Aniston Slams Nudist Rumors, Disses Katie Couric: ‘Is She a Legitimate Journalist?’” New York Daily News.

  Marissa Mayer: “Katie’s depth of experience . . . Yahoo Network,” Paul Fahri, “Katie Couric Set to Officially Join Yahoo,” Washington Post.

  Andrew Tyndall: “ABC World News Is Certifiably Disneyfied” and “a grand plan to homogenize . . . and reality TV”: Tyndall Report, December 2013.

  ABC News rebuttal: “Our mission . . . quantity with quality”: Meenal Vamburkar, “ABC News Refutes Report,” Mediaite.

  Alessandra Stanley: “In the era of Diane . . . entrust to a woman”: Alessandra Stanley, “In Barbara Walters’ Highlight Reel,” New York Times.

  Alessandra Stanley: “As in other fields . . . penthouse office suites”: Alessandra Stanley, “A New Anchor Steps In, Skipping Frills and Drama,” New York Times.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  The following are articles, both online and in print, as well as YouTube clips, books, correspondence, and so forth that were utilized in the writing of this book. Not included are the sources—principally, Web-searchable—of my general research on the multitude of national and international news events mentioned in this book as stories these women covered.

  ARTICLES, ONLINE AND IN PRINT

  Allen, Jenny. “Taking a Chance on Herself.” Good Housekeeping, November 2006.

  ———. “Welcome Back, Katie.” Good Housekeeping, September 2012.

  Allocca, Kevin. “Diane Sawyer Interviews Rihanna.” TVNewser, Mediabistro.com, November 2, 2009.

  Amanpour, Christiane. “‘My People Love Me’: Moammar Gadhafi Denies Demonstrations Against Him Anywhere in Libya.” Reporter’s Notebook, ABCNews.com.

  ———. “Retracing Bible’s ‘Story of a Family.’” Reporter’s Notebook, ABCNews.com, December 10, 2012.