National Book Festival

Veteran Broadcast Journalist

Veteran broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell's career spans four decades, from police reporter in Philadelphia to chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News, a position she has held since 1994.

She has now written a book, "Talking Back" (Penguin, 2005), a memoir about her experiences as one of the first women to cover five presidents, Congress, and foreign policy. (Review: Covering Herself , Post, Sept. 20 )

Mitchell was online Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss her broadcasting career and upcoming appearance at National Book Festival .

She is the recipient of the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Leonard Zeidenberg Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

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Washington, D.C.: Thanks for writing a great book. Your anecdotes and insights were wonderful. I was amazed at the level of detail, though! How did you remember everything??

Andrea Mitchell: A lot came from memory, but I checked my memory against transcripts, notes, verbata from our reports, the Vanderbilt Television Archives are a wonderful resource and I had a full-time researcher who was superb.

In many instances, I was able to reach current and former officials whom I have covered over the years and matched their notes and recollections with mine.

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Washington D.C.: Andrea

What did you think of the Post's review of your book on Monday?

Andrea Mitchell: I was frankly very disappointed because the review seemed to take issue not with my reporting, but with issues that I dealt with in the book -- namely the quite understandable perception that Washington journalists can be too close to their sources. I believe in talking back. I was very honest about how I resolved those conflicts. I describe how I first met my husband long before he was in government and how careful we have been, over the past 18 years since he has been at the Fed, to establish a firewall.

What was mystifying to me in The Post review is that it didn't touch on many of the criticisms that I explore in the book about the media's role, both before 9/11 and before the war in Iraq. I think that I have tried to honestly explore some of those failures as well as talk for the first time about my personal life with Alan Greenspan.

So I thought that the review seemed to have a preconceived notion about me and, frankly, quite a bit of an agenda. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to respond.

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Washington, D.C.: As an aspiring female braodcast journalist, I am frustrated that breaking into the business seems to be based as much on appearance as talent. I am wondering if you feel this is the case and what advice you have.

Andrea Mitchell: One of the reasons I wrote "Talking Back" was to reach out to young, aspiring journalists -- particularly women -- and share some of the lessons I've learned about how to respond to the obstacles that are still thrown in our path. I write about how difficult it was in the 1960s and early '70s when there simply were no women in newsrooms and we were told "there was no room for broads in broadcasting."

The lessons I've learned include being willing to accept any challenge or new assignment, not being discouraged by setbacks and being as flexible as possible about embracing opportunities. You also have to be tough and demanding of yourself and not lower your own standards, no matter how much pressure you experience.

Finally, I think it's really important for women who have broken through to mentor aspiring journalists and help them navigate this rough terrain. Fortunately, I've had wonderful colleagues in both print and broadcasting -- both male and female -- who have helped me along the way.

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Philadelphia, Pa.: We miss you, but are glad you are doing well. Are there any things unique to Philadelphia that you believe influenced you in your career, things that you might not have found in another city?

Andrea Mitchell: Absolutely. If I had not encountered the former police chief and then-mayor Frank Rizzo, who was one of the first "tough guys" if not scoundrels, I probably would not be the journalist I am today. He challenged me in so many ways, but primarily because he was so popular with large parts of the public, especially the white ethnic wards and it forced me to be willing to take on the establishment.

Rizzo was also a very divisive figure, polarizing the city and it threw me into a very challenging environment. So I had to learn very early how to be independent and resist pressure and that was a very important lesson.

Philadelphia also offered a wealth of wonderful, engaged citizens and terrific neighborhoods, so it was the perfect place to learn how to cover politics.

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Burke, Va.: What is your assessment of the news media's performance for the duration of the George W. Bush adminsitration? Have they been diligent in accurately presenting the important facts regarding foriegn and domestic policy to the American public or have they been too entrenched with the administration, avoiding the critical examination of issues necessary to maintain a good check and balance?

Andrea Mitchell: The Bush administration has managed to control its message, at least up until now, better than any that I've ever covered -- and I've covered five administrations. The loyalty of the top officials in the White House and other departments and agencies has been noteworthy. It has certainly made it harder for aggressive journalists to cultivate leaks.

From the president's perspective that has helped present a unified front, except for some areas of foreign policy during the first term. I'm not sure how well either journalism or the public has been served by the refusal to encourage debate and a fuller discussion of foreign policies.

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Bethesda, Md.: Andrea, I am a big fan of yours and really enjoy when you cover for Chris Matthews on Hardball, you should definately have your own show! My question for you though, is about your husband. How do you feel about the great Greenspan retiring?

Andrea Mitchell: My husband, Alan Greenspan, has loved his 18 years at the Federal Reserve more than anything he's done in his life, but we're both excited about the opportunity to try new things, seek new adventures. Knowing Alan, he won't hardly be retiring, just changing his focus. And I think that will be good for him and that it's the right time as well for the institution that he has served.

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Washington, D.C.: Thank you for taking our questions today. How have you resolved the conflict between you roles as both a journalist who is always looking for a great scoop, and the companion of a man whose every word makes news? Are you and Mr. Greenspan able to discuss your professional lives freely, or is there always a tension there?

Andrea Mitchell: It's a good question. I wouldn't describe it as a "tension." It's just like anyone married to someone whose work is highly classified, and in his case market sensitive. Even if I were not a journalist, he would not be able to discuss his work. We share many things outside of work, like a love of music and baseball and football and tennis. I consider myself blessed to have such a supportive partner in life and, in fact, if not for Alan I would never have been able to write "Talking Back" while still working full-time for NBC. He was incredibly patient about missed meals and vacations and a wife who was off and writing till 3 or 4 in the morning before getting ready for work in my real job.

We've tried very hard, and I think it's succeeded, to avoid not only conflicts of interest, but the appearance of conflicts, by making sure I never cover issues related to his work at the Fed.

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New York, NY: Thank you for very much taking questions. I haven't read your book yet but I did see your talk with Tim Russert the other day and it sounds very interesting.

I wonder if you think that reporters have a responsibility to cooperate with prosecutors where a crime has been committed or a person harmed?

Of course I am presently concerned with the Plame leak and the possibility that someone, other than Plame, could have been harmed by this.

Thanks very much and keep up the good work.

Andrea Mitchell: I think reporters do have an obligation to cooperate with law enforcement, with some exceptions. The primary one would be to protect a source. That is precisely the issue that has landed NYT reporter Judith Miller in jail, now for 78 days. Frankly, it is a mystery to me how a journalist can be jailed for a story that she never wrote, since Miller never published anything about the Plame case. It is one reason why I believe a national shield law is needed. If journalists are going to be able to aggressively report, especially during times when government officials are intimidated about talking to the press they need some kind of legal protection. I think fundamentally this is in the public's interest, because none of us are well served by having a subservient press.

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Columbia, Md. : Dear Andrea:

You have had a long and storied career in journalism. As you reflect in your book, you discuss the dramatic changes in television news that you have witnessed first hand.

Looking back, what went wrong, where along the way did it breakdown? Was the Dan Rather forged document scandal an isolated incident or was it that he just got caught? Will future historians of television news uncover a persistent pattern of distortion and deception?

Andrea Mitchell: I don't think that all of the media can be painted with as broad a brush as your question suggests. I do think there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about some of the excesses of tabloid television. That is one reason why I wrote "Talking Back."

I very much want to encourage a public debate about the role of television news and our need to incorporate time-honored values of fairness and accuracy in what we do. At the same time, I explore instances where I feel we have been misguided or lazy in our journalism. Particularly before 9/11 and in the months preceding the war in Iraq.

Dan Rather and CBS have fully acknowledged the problems with their reporting during last year's campaign. Unfortunately for them, they did not acknowledge it immediately, after questions were raised and they have indeed paid a heavy price.

For an institution as exemplary as CBS, which has been a path-breaker in journalism, I do believe this was an isolated incident. And I think in fairness, you should look at Dan Rather's more than 50 years in journalism rather than one report.

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Washington, D.C.: Andrea,

you came up in broadcasting when there were fewer women in visible roles. Who were the on-air, and off air, newswomen you most admired? Which ones if any gave you any help?

Andrea Mitchell: There really were few, if any, women journalists. The only woman broadcaster I recall at NBC was Pauline Frederick at the United Nations. Barbara Walters was just trying to break through on the Today program. Shortly afterwards Lesley Stahl made inroads at CBS. When I came to NBC in 1978 Judy Woodruff, who was then our White House correspondent, was a wonderful mentor. We remain extremely close friends and I write in "Talking Back" about the importance of her support during difficult times early in my career.

There were also many women in print journalism, like the late Ann Deveroy at The Post, who were my friends during the years we covered Ronald Reagan. Because there was so much travel and we were away from our families for long stretches of time during those years we became very important to each other.

As I write in the book, women have often been far more collegial and supportive than the traditional caricature of how we treat each other in these high profile jobs.

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Laurel, Md.: Andrea: I would like to see more of you. When are you going to retire and have your own talk show? We need a "women's show" that is not so dumb -- like THE VIEW -- something that is intellectual. Also, when are women going to be allowed to have gray hair on broadcast news, like men? I won't suggest that women would be allowed to be fat -- like Al Roker was -- I cannot forsee that in this century.

Andrea Mitchell: Well, as Barbara Walters once said, women on television don't get older, we just get blonder. As anyone who reads "Talking Back" will see, I've been very brave about including old pictures of myself as a brunette. Surprisingly, I don't have grey hair, but I sure have brown roots.

But more seriously, you're right -- older women are few and far between on television. I've been fortunate by the support of my employers at NBC who seem to value experience as much as youth.

I've had my own shows in the past and always enjoy the opportunity to do interviews in longer formats, although I also love the flexibility of being able to rove far and wide as a reporter in the field.

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Baltimore, Md.: Is there an area of foreign policy you feel is being ignored today that you think deserves coverage, or an area that in the past was overlooked? I realize there are an immense amount of stories that could be covered, yet the media does not have time to focus on all of them.

Andrea Mitchell: Yes indeed, I think that we are not paying enough attention to the entire continent of Africa, to the continuing violence in Darfur and to the scourge of AIDS throughout the region. We tend to under-report the problems of women and children in many of these regions. Clearly, as I write in the book, I also think we failed to communicate the rising threat of international terrorism before 9/11. And certainly we did not challenge authorities aggressively enough before the war in Iraq about their claims of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.

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Rockville, Md.: Andrea,With all your travels and keeping in touch with all your contacts, When did you find time to write this illuminating memoir...The one and only "Jack Schneider"

Andrea Mitchell: Thank you for your comments. I was able to write the book over two years during the evenings, early mornings, weekends and holidays. It was very difficult and my editors were extraordinarily patient with me.

But as my husband often advised me to keep me going, now that it's done I'm very proud indeed of having written "Talking Back."

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Washington, D.C.: Andrea,

What impact do you think media consolidation has had on the quality of broadcast news? Do we have too few independent news outlets these days?

Thanks!

Andrea Mitchell: Interestingly, consolidation has not impeded truth telling in journalism. To the contrary, I think we now have an extraordinary variety of sources, both in broadcast and cable and online. I do have concerns, however, about the demise of many of our strong newspaper voices in communities around the country. One of the reasons I wrote the book is to try to reach out to a younger generation that is often less interested in traditional media and explain why it is so important to become knowledgeable citizens about the world around us.

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Springfield, Va.: Since you support a national shield law, how would you decide who it applies to? Since the rise of bloggers, can't anyone with a computer "qualify" as a journalist and thus earn these special "shield" rights?

Andrea Mitchell: You raise a good point and in fact we do have to come up with definitions of what a real journalist is, but I think that is why the good lord made lawyers and we certainly have enough of them.

I think that would be able to craft legislation that protects journalists without impeding either law enforcement or individual rights.

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Munich, Germany: From a continent that seems to have produced so many, is there an encounter with an African scoundrel that created a lasting impression on you?

Also have you ever met Nelson Mandela? I've heard that he's quite charming.

Andrea Mitchell: It certainly was an encounter with the president of Sudan last July during Sec. of State Rice's recent trip to Kartoum. I was trying to ask why we should believe his claims when we had evidence that his soldiers were helping arm the militias. It was still killing innocent women and children. He ordered his security men to drag me out of the room and, to her credit, Dr. Rice came to my defense by demanding an apology. That was the most recent example, but I had a similar experience, which I describe in the book, in Damascus where I was traveling with Bill Clinton.

In answer to your other question, yes, I have met Nelson Mandela and he's indeed a charming and charismatic figure. One of the true heroes of his, or any, generation.

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Portland, Ore.: As a reporter looking up close at our government and its leaders...

Has that made you more cynical or hopeful about our country's prospects going forward?

Andrea Mitchell: I resist being cynical because it's against my nature, but I am increasingly skeptical and concerned about our ability to confront tough problems such as the budget deficit, healthcare and our need to care for the more vulnerable people in our society, especially the elderly. I don't see any evidence of a new commitment in Washington -- in any branch of government -- to work more cooperatively in a bipartisan fashion.

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Bowie, Md.: For what it's worth, there seemed something off about the Post interview even before reading your explanation ... reading the review was just, somehow, oddly non-descriptive, for a review ... I learned nothing. Which I think makes it poorly written.

Andrea Mitchell: I thank you for that. That was one of my concerns and objections. I didn't feel the review dealt with my book. It seemed to be seized with preconceived notions about me as a person. So I appreciate your giving me a chance to respond more fully.

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Andrea Mitchell: This has been a lot of fun for me and another example of how the media has changed and become more accessible. I'm very excited about appearing at the Book Fair on Saturday, especially because I will be with some of the authors I have long admired. So I hope that as many of you as possible will come out so that we can talk face-to-face and I can respond in person to your questions.

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Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.