People News
Katie Couric grills Edwards and wife Elizabeth
By Stone Martindale Mar 26, 2007, 17:52 GMT
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Older Talkback
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My only concern would be that being on the compaign trail would take precious time away from her young children, especially since her time is surely going to be shortened. But,on the other hand, that is her decision, however wrong other people feel about it.
Katie Couric,
What a sad disappointment she has turned out to be. At least Meredith Viera
when she was a news reporter, was quite exceptional, and now that she
can go into the softer side of entertainment news she is wonderful.
Too bad it cannot be said of Katie Couric, who I think really believed
she was America's darling. She turns nasty when she is trying to
be a hard hitting reporter - actually she sucks.
I wonder how long she will be at CBS, cuz her news show is limping along in the ratings. Where in the world is Bob Schaefer?
Gil
In the tradition of Dan Rather trying to be the 'big man' when 'grilling' the elder George Bush a few years ago, Katie Couric is trying to show how 'tough' she can be at the expense of kindness and normal human decency. Way to go, Katie; I'm really impressed with your interviewing techniques (NOT!).
I agree with this article--Couric did a terrible job with this great opportunity to interview the Edwards..she was shrill, bordering on obnoxious, and didn't use the opportunity to ask about the issues that are driving their campaign decision. I am sickened by anyone who judges their decision, unless they have walked a mile in their shoes--having lost precious loved ones to cancer, the will to go on with your life is a powerful and compelling motivator...how dare Katie Couric suggest she is neglecting her children by this decision
Katie should be ashamed of her interview. About the only thing that would have been worse, is if they would have had Lara Looney do the piece.
I too am saddened by Couric's poor performance here. I have had higher hopes for her considering that the anchors on the other major networks have already proven themselves to be jerks, biased or just plain lousy. Now I'll just have to stick with PBS (McNeil Leherer). WE should all send a message to her bosses expressing our sincerest disappointment with this attack on the Edwards couple. What a sick thing to do to a sick person. You SUCK Katie.
I did not see the Katie Couric interview, but Meredith Veira was pretty awful this morning interviewing John and Teresa Kerry.
Is this an article about the interview or a criticism of Katie Couric? It seems to be the later. I believe Couric smart in not bringing up health care in the interview. It would likely have been misperceived as the Edwards campaigning on Mrs. Edwards' illness.
Katie Couric bores me as the sole news anchor for the CBS evening news.
I wish Dan Rather was still on or even Bob Schaefer.
Anybody but Katie.
WHO DOE'S LITTLE TWIT ( COURIC ) THINK SHE IS .
SHE SURE LOWERED MY RESPECT FOR HER.
I hope that when the time comes americans have their eyes wide open enough to vote for ron paul the only real choice for president of the united states of america.He's the only real conservative with a perfect voting record on iraq.He'll reinstate the constitution that bush all but obliterated.The democrats have already shown they cannot be trusted as they say one thing before elections then do entirely something else when they get the power.You need to reject this false left/right paradigm that you've invested in with no small help from the corporate owned media. Please go look at ron pauls websites amd speeches, especially the neoconned speech that you can either read on his site or watch the full 50 minute speech he gave to congress on youtube. Think for yourselves.
She is a news reader , that is all she ever was or will be for that matter. Anyone who ever thought other than that belongs with the rest of the cheerleading squad. katie needs to stick to interviews of who won the county fair.
..totally agree. Katie Couric was way out of line. We talked this over last night. An absolute embarrassment to the 60 minutes organization.
There's NO WAY that there should even have been a camera in front of
Edwards and his wife. What else is this ??? If Not a bold-as-hell-appeal for sympathos from as many Americans as they could get it from???? What the hell is happening to the media in this country ??? Since when is soap opera appropriate in campaigning for President? Shame on you John Edwards for creating this parade and charade. Shame on the media for stooping to this level and pandering to Edwards!!!
Wow. I'm so glad to see others feel the same way I did. I thought maybe something was wrong with my TV because I kept hearing her repeat the same question over and over. There was no real 'backstory', no real insight, no additional investigative journalism. She's horrible. Newsreader is right. That's really all she is.
Compare her story with Morley Safer's and it's night and day. The viewer got a lot more out of his story than we ever will with anything Katie does.
What I thought was interesting was that you could see Edwards get a little ticked at her, and finally answered pretty sternly.
I say you live your life only once. Why would Mrs. Edwards want to sit at home and cry about her condition. Why not go out on the campaign trail and experience a once in a lifetime thing? Who cares if she has cancer. Katie's not her mother and why would people feel Edwards should stay at home with his wife? What? to watch her die? If he were elected, who would care if she has cancer or not. I mean we've had presidents with all sorts of physical and mental ailments and they were still able to do the job....a job that really isn't done by one man anyway.
And should Katie know what it's like to have a spouse with cancer and still work? Isn't that what she did when her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer? She kept on working even with children and a sick spouse. What a hypocrite.
Bring back Bob! He was funny and had a wicked sense of humor and never was afraid to show his lighter side, while still being a professional. He's miles over k-k-k-Katie. She's a looser.
Katie,
Your interview did not give me any more insight into Mr.Edwards, but it told me a great deal about yourself. You insinuated Mr Edwards was being selfish and overly ambitious because he would not give up his desire to run for office.
I believe while your own husband also suffered from a life threating situation, you did not reliquish your position at NBC,to only to care for him and your family.
Please Katie, next time look in the mirror before you ask those questions and reflex on how you acted during times of hardship. Did you rise to the occassion or faulter? Did you push to new ground or follow the same path as others? It appears after your rise to the current 'lofty' position you have added no new value or insight, but only continued on a path already taken.
You may have something to learn from Mr. Edwards, and that may be humbleness. He answered your questions,pragmatically, intelligently, honestly, and with feeling.
That is the kind of individual we need as a leader.
NO EXCUSE: THE TOP BRASS THAT HIRED HER SHOULD BE ASHAMED: WHAT'S ENOUGH FOR COURIC: SHE'S ALWAYS TRYING TO PROVE SOMETHING. PULL YOUR STAR BACK DONE TO REALITY. YOU HURT A DECENT WOMAN.
i can surly believe couric could treat these people like this she is a heartless person wost news person ever always so negative always trying to find bad in everything
I think Katie is beginning to believe her publicity - that she is a good interviewer - and is 'perky & cute' which she is not. I didn't like her on the Today Show and like her even more now - I will never watch her. The Edwards' were very gracious and let her do her thing even though she kept harping on the same thing. I didn't like Katie's insinuation that Mrs. Edwards should be home with her 2 small children and not out supporting her husband - where was Katie when her kids were small? Not home feeding them, I'm sure! I believe this is a decision they have decided upon and more power to them!
How about a little compassion for Katie. I am sure that emotionally this interview was a little close to home for her. Could she not have some sense of loss and regret, about what she faced a long time ago. Journalists strive for objectivity, but with deep loss, our emotions affects us in ways we don't understand at times we cannot predict.
Couric's interview with the Edwards was aptly described in this article as 'one note.' And the 'one note' was insulting & demeaning to the Edwards. The many variations of 'why are you continuing on when you obviously are going to die' was answered with the same grace that John & Elizabeth Edwards displayed at their news conference last week when they shared the 'sad' news.
And YES, Katie could have and should have explored much more on this serious issue of cancer recurrence with John & Elizabeth on health care in general.
Elizabeth Edwards pointed responses to KC on her going on to live, and not going home to die, should have stopped Katie cold, but unfortunately it did not.
It's puzzling. Everyone knows Katie's husband died of colon cancer. Katie continued to work in her very public morning show while he battled this cancer and died with her two young children at home.
You would think she would respect the personal and professional choices of the Edwards who obviously care deeply for each other and their children.
She didn't come across that way at all in her interview.
And the many men and women who don't have a choice but to work with cancer, or may not have access to the excellent care and attention Elizabeth is getting is a very pertinent issue.
And.. the fact that Elizabeth Edwards cancer is no longer curable but treatable, is rich for opportunities on where we are in treating cancer, and or addressing the causes of cancer.
Katie missed this all. To say she was a disappointment is an understatement. I don't know what's happened to her as a journalist, but I do know that interview was terrible!
How about a little compassion for Katie. I am sure that emotionally this interview was a little close to home for her. Could she not have some sense of loss and regret, about what she faced a long time ago. Journalists strive for objectivity, but with deep loss, our emotions affects us in ways we don't understand at times we cannot predict
Katie Couric is a talentless hack. I don't know why her lame performances continue to surprise anyone.
Is Katie trying to outdo Rosie?
Sure, Edwards is seeking attention - um - newsflash - he's running for president. 'But I wouldn't handle it this way.' Um, you're not running for president either. 'But presidents can't lead and grieve at the same time.' Like Lincoln? Like JFK? Like Thomas Jefferson? 'But he sued doctors.' Yeah, cry me a river for those doctors. These poor, poor doctors. Life's tough for bad doctors isn't it? Turns out you just can't kill a man like the good old days. What's next health care for everyone? Golly! The horror! Doctors won't be zillionaires any more. God forbid.
Katie Couric's interview with John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth was totally unprofessional, petulant and in fact vulgar. Katie's incredible ego and distorted self image actually endeavored to make this interview about her self.
I,and every one who watched the interview know who the really sick person is
I agree with nearly all of the comments made so far. I'd also just say I think couric's work on the CBS Evening News is awful and her interviewing skills for Sixty Minutes are equally as bad. There must be something about the 'perky' ms couric that gets her these opportunities though. I wonder what it is....huummm?
We rarely watch network news programs. We've always watched PBS. but when
Jim Lehrer signs off, we catch the tail end of a network program. We were very
impressed with Bob Schieffer who did a wonderful job (as he does on 'Face the
Nation') Whatever possessed CBS to replace him with the likes of Katie Couric? She is so grossly inadequate that I can't believe they call her a 'new anchor'
with a straight face.
We've always watched 60 minutes and have watched many interviews with 'hard'
questions asked, but last night was just awful. They could have had any other
member of the 60 minutes team ask exactly the same questions, and we would not
have felt the revulsion we did in watching Katie Couric. This woman was so
obviously trying to establish her own reputation for being 'up to the job'
and a tough interviewer. She was shrill, rude, and nasty. We finally had to
turn to another channel. The Edwards handled the situation with grace and dignity, and we felt a great deal of admiration for their situation. I hope
CBS is not going to jam Katie Couric down our throats on 60 minutes. It's one
of the few programs they had going for themselves.
It's a shame what is happening to his wife most of all. Although it is kind of convenient that he announces it during his run for president. If it was my wife I would drop out of the race and concentrate on taking care of her, but he is probably going to milk it for every thing it is worth and try to get a bunch of sympathy votes.
I agree that Katie seems like a general lightweight, compared with someone like Christina Amanpour, for example.
But a little difficult to single her out for doing what network news and 24-hour cable news shows generally do -- bash and needle candidates these days,
If something as serious and sobering as cancer comes up, they still totally focus on it for a day or two and then move on to some other hot button item.
No depth. No real journalism. No details on complex issues and concerns.
I'll stick with the Daily Show and also Christina Amanpour.
Earl
The ONLY reason CBS scheduled this interview was because of the Edwards' announcement of Elizabeth's condition. Why in the world would Couric ask them about anything other than the cancer and its effect on his family/candidacy? I'm not a Katie Couric fan by any means, but in this instance she actually did her job which is to ask the questons 'we' would ask if given the opportunity.
The question most of us have-whether we're inclined to vote for Edwards or not-is how John and Elizabeth can possibly put his political aspirations (and her vicarious pleasure in being part of it) ahead of concerns for his children to the extent necessary to conduct a long, grueling campaign.
Couric got this one right.
Having reached the tipping point with this interview, I would not willingly watch Couric again on the evening news. Something about her suggesting that it would be unwise for voters to put Edwards into office because he might need to tend to his dying wife, made my skin crawl. The warmth and clarity of thought from this couple only served to highlight the brittleness of Couric ( no matter what she wears :)
Five minutes into the interview I had incorrectly concluded that Katie had been fired from CBS and was working her gig over at FoxNews. Sadly, no she still works for CBS.
I didn't watch the interview with Edwards., but what ever it was like, someone finally got it right. Mr Edwards is a selfish, self-serving, egotisical 'Pretty Boy.' Nothing is going to stop him. If he keeps acting like this he may get cancer, lose his youth and his looks, and cry like a baby that no one really cares.
I am a Democrat and want National Health care, but Mr Edwards will not get my vote!
Why would anyone be surprised by this banality. It is truly a shame that CBS effectively booted a potentially great anchor like John Roberts for a hair salon gossip queen like Couric. At least now there is a chance for American viewers to vote with the feet (express opinion by changing the channel).
When I first heard that Edwards would carry on with his campaign, even with his wife's recurrence of cancer, I thought, 'What are you, nuts?' This woman should be home, with care, love, and attention, with a strong focus on getting well. On the other hand, people are plain stupid: They are writing her off and just assuming it's all over for her. This is wrong. My mother is a perfect example. She was diagnosed with Stage 3b ovarian cancer in Aug. 2005; the doctors basically wrote her off and told us to get her things in order. Due to my and (mainly) my sister's constant encouragement of my mother in all areas, with extreme diligence regarding her diet and her medicines, and staying on top of her doctors and never giving up, my mother is alive today and celebrated her 75th birthday. Elizabeth Edwards has the absolute right attitude. If she says, 'What the heck, it's all over with, why bother?', then she should jump off a cliff now. On the other hand, she is going forward with her life as she sees fit -- that is her choice and her husband's choice. I am sure, with both of them in their 50s, that they are quite clear about how they want to raise their children, and it is not up to Katie Couric or any other individual to decide how they should live their lives or whether John should run for president.
On the other hand, the sad reality is that IF John Edwards became president and IF Elizabeth got sick(er) while he was in office and died while he was in office, the focus of this entire country would be on her, and then, certain horrible individuals would immediately write off John, saying that he should have been home taking care of her, and/or how could he take care of the country if he couldn't take care of his wife, and/or what kind of father (or mother) would do this to his children?
Then there would be a lifelong parade of horrible media monsters constantly haranguing the Edwards children and asking them stupid 'How do you feel' questions for the rest of their life, taking positions on it, writing books on it, making movies about it -- it would never end.
Trust me, if this country is so FIXATED on Anna Nicole Smith (it must be since her autopsy report was released today and EVERY radio station I tuned to was reporting the same information about her within minutes of each other, as if she was Marilyn Monroe -- SHE WASN'T), IF Elizabeth Edwards got sick and died while John was in office, this country would just become a bigger joke than it already is. People would not spend their time thinking about the bigger picture, because everyone has an opinion, a conspiracy theory, a factoid, ad nauseam.
For these reasons, I feel their best bet is to withdraw and spend their time and energy educating the morons of this world in a different way. We already have enough clown parades without having to put these fine people in another one.
Katie Couric has become Ann Coulter - a woman with no compassion, no class, no intelligence. I feel ashamed that I ever supported her candidacy at CBS.
Thank you Couric for given me an excellent reason for not watching you ever again.
I watched the interview because I am interested in the Edwards' and felt it was appropriate to feature their story at this time, with their permission of course. Katie Couric lost me with her question 'Are you afraid your wife will die?' question. What an idiotic question that implied she'd run out of worthy things to talk about. Was it meant to be a tear jerker? Journalism at its best? I don't think so.
The thing that irks me, is that in interviews I've seen by Couric, of GOPers, she's like Ms Sweet, with softball questions.
The way the media has become, so much a part of the GOP establishment, is a bit frightening.
I saw Nora O'Donnell, interviewing Pat Leahy the other day, on NBC.
Everything she was asking, was a GOP talking-point.
It's rather amazing, how the media has become the mouthpiece for the GOP.
I have personally, like so many others, been moved by Elizabeth and John Edwards's honesty and from the heart bravery.
My father had lung cancer (though he died of heart disease when he was far too young); my husband's brother (and only sibling died of lung cancer at 54; my elder son who is 31 and has a wife and three young children was diagnosed with leukemia last year. So... while I may not have cancer myself, I've got far more experience in dealing with its ramifications than some people.
I remember seeing Elizabeth Edwards on TV in 2004 while campaigning for her husband. She is one exceedingly smart, articulate, caring and funny woman. I was so impressed with her that I paid considerably more attention to her husband's campaign and felt later that it should have been Edwards/Kerry for the Dems.
Believe me, if Elizabeth feels her 'best' is for her husband and her to continue his campaign, then she and John have done what's right, not only for them, for for the country as well. Yes, they have two young children... just like my son, who insists on going to work every day as well as continuing to manage a Little League team. HIS passion.
Not living your life while you can does not put off death. It could, in fact hasten it, whether or not you have such young children.
The Edwardses are obviously NOT going public or quitting simply for a sympathy vote. Puhleeez! Give people more credit than that!
Do you not honestly believe that IF Laura Bush had been stricken by a car, resulting in her being a quadriplegic, OR that she’d been diagnosed with advanced and incurable cancer that George would NOT have not run again in 2004? Think about it... think about it very, very hard! To say that a politician should not be a politican (or run for office) because his spouse is seriously ill with a deadly or disabling disease is to say that they really ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS.
And THAT, my friends, would be the saddest thing to face any society. SO WHAT if he takes off a few days here or a week there? After all, GW took off the entire month of August for how many years???
Get real. Vote for John Edwards if you agree with him. If you don't, don't, just like they said!
But STOP criticizing their decision on how Elizabeth should spend the rest of her days. After all, she said the wisest thing I've heard in a very long time (in discussing how they told their youngsters): and that was, 'that we all are going to die someday.'
Not only is that the bald faced truth, but if we can, we might as well go doing what we want.
Thank you, Elizabeth! Your husband has MY vote.
Katie should be fired...end of story.
Ms. Couric should stop trying to be 'the tough' reporter and perhaps be herself (for better or worse). As to the interview with the Mrs. Edwards, perhaps Couric (as we all should) put ourselves in Mrs. Edwards position, then think about the questions one would respectfully ask in that situation.
Couric's demeanor reminded me of Leslie Stohl
when she asks the 'tough questions' on 60 Minutes interviews.
They both appear insensitive because they know they are not being authentic but rather proving they have those 'go for the throat' instincts they think their corporate white male bosses
I too was amazed/shocked at the interview of Katie Couric with the Edwards. I couldn't believe that she would go on and on and on . . . . never getting away from the sad issue of Mrs. Edwards' illness. She was unrenting with her cruel questions and comments. I hope she is reprimanded for this calous and cold treatment of another human being.
Did K. Couric have something done to her face? Her eyes look like they have been pulled back. She has always been known for her smile, but since she has been with CBS she has to be serious. Her smile made her on the Today show and now she isn't as attractive without it.
The interview with John and Elizabeth Edwards was horrible. I felt that Elizabeth and John handled themselves with grace.
agreed. Couric's interview was pathetic.
'Did K. Couric have something done to her face? Her eyes look like they have been pulled back. She has always been known for her smile, but since she has been with CBS she has to be serious.'
------------------------>
Look at the pictures of before (while on the Today Show) and after (now on CBS)! She obviously had a brow lift (frightening) and has a face full of botox. My granddaughter, age 7, was watching the show and said 'Gammie look, it's Joan Rivers'!! (Sorry Joan, I really do appreciate you and your sense of humour).
Finally and to the point, Katie has zero interviewing skills; she reads the teleprompter like a 5th grader, and I'm really not sure why CBS hired her! They have certainly lost me!
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