Scott Pelley’s Lessons for Aspiring Journalists
I recently started the second semester of my junior year at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Phoenix, Arizona and much to my surprise, a well-known figure in journalism welcomed me into this jam-packed half of one of my most important years of college.
Insert Scott Pelley, journalist and author who has been a correspondent and anchor for CBS News for more than three decades. Scott spent the day at my school touring our newsrooms, meeting with fellow students and staff and preparing for the semester’s first Must See Monday, a weekly series at the Cronkite school where we invite professionals to come share their insight through an hour-long presentation in the First Amendment Forum.
However, before the official MSM ever took place, he held an exclusive meet and greet with the Cronkite News staff. It took a couple of minutes for me to comprehend that means me, as I am now finally a part of the newsroom I have worked for years to call my own.
I arrived in the studio just in time to get a front-row spot by the Cronkite News anchor desk where Pelley would soon give an hour of his time to tell us the ins and outs of the profession he has devoted his life to. As he walked in front of me and took his place behind the desk, I wondered what it must feel like to be him at that moment, to be at a school where the namesake is of a giant that guides the work he does every day at CBS News. Then I realized it must feel a lot how like how I did seeing a giant like Scott Pelley in a room I have yet to find my place in, but know it will be the foundation for my own life’s work. But he answered it for me anyway. He began by informing us that Walter Cronkite spoke often of how proud he was of the work Cronkite Students put out every year and how he was honored to have contributed to a place that would carry the traditions and values that made his work the example for journalism at its best. It always makes me sad I wasn’t able to see him roam the halls of the place we both love so much, so it was reassuring for all of us to hear such affirmation from someone who knew him well.
As the hour went on, Scott surprised me with his vulnerability and personable approach to his successes and mistakes throughout the years. In his words, “The only people who don’t make it in journalism are the people who give up.” And give up he did not. He explained to us the lengths it took for him to get his first job, how he called incessantly until he was offered a one-day-a-week gig. It wasn’t enough to pay any bill, but it was enough to get his foot in the door and it led to a full-time job he woke up excited for every single day. As the years went on, he had his sight set on bigger things and CBS certainly gave him a run for his money. After a total of four trips to New York City, four tours, four interviews and four meetings, Scott Pelley had officially been turned down by CBS News four times (even though for three of those trips, it was CBS who asked him to come…definitely not how you think your ‘big break’ is going to pan out). But one day, they changed their minds and offered him a correspondent position (over the phone, I might add) and the rest of the story brought him to where he was that day, in Phoenix, Arizona, right in front of me.
In addition to highlights from his career timeline, he focused a lot on explaining the process of becoming what is to be considered a “good” journalist. One of my favorites was “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.” You could see every person who has ever been handed a first draft covered in red pen physically take a deep breath. Myself included. I admired the way he acknowledged he is still learning this even now, combatting his fear of inadequacy by reading books not to understand their messages, but to study the way they are written so he can improve his own writing.
His main point in both the meet and greet and the MSM was also his greatest fear — if we don’t get a grip on the current narrative around journalism, we may lose every ounce of credibility we have. And that is an outcome our country simply cannot risk. For reference, Pelley pointed out the last chapter of his recent book, “Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter's Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times,” titled, “To a Young Journalist.” In this chapter, he shares with the next generation of journalists that there is no democracy without journalism and the greatest threat to democracy is not terrorism or war or recession; it’s poising the information. As a journalist, there is only so much I can say concerning what that means for us in modern-day America, but I can say I felt the urgency in his words and I could see that he was fighting to balance the fear and hope he feels about the future. As much as I wanted him to say “But, I know we will be ok because of schools like Cronkite!” I understood his apprehension, as making this seem like a simple task is far more dangerous than telling it like it is. And isn’t that how every great triumph in journalism begins? In being bold and honest, not only with ourselves but for anyone who will listen?
And speaking of self-interest, I will add that I did have the chance to meet him, take a photo and get my book signed. He was kind, courteous and generous with his time and I can imagine that seeing students light up at the possibilities he presents must make that easier.
At the end of his chapter to young journalists, he writes, “As (James) Madison might say today, Freedom of the Press is the right that guarantees all the others. The stakes are high. Become a journalist. We’d be proud to have you.”
So, to the young journalist who may be reading this, I hope the advice and stories I shared on his behalf did not scare you away. No career is perfect, you’ll find your share of challenges no matter what you decide to do with your life. But if you love and value this profession the way I and so many others around the world do, I hope you’ll stay and fight the good fight. We’d be proud to have you.
Meet the Author, Jamie Landers
Jamie Landers is pursuing a degree in journalism from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Her passion for the news industry and the art of storytelling continues to grow with each new opportunity. She shares her experience as a budding journalist in the real world to inspire other students and help teachers better prepare their pupils for the field.