Anchor and Debate Moderator

Establishing himself as a serious journalist, willing to be available “at the drop of a hat” to rush to events and accept opportunities for overseas assignments, he gained national fame and respect but later regretted so often prioritizing his work life over his family life.  

CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER

An admirer of early tv, legendary television newsmen Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, Bernard Shaw (BS) grew up wanting to be a journalist, writing for newspapers or news websites. Journalists also prepare news to be broadcast. In the mind of BS, his goals were to attend and report on important events. 

FIRST ADULT JOB COMMENCES A CAREER IN BROADCASTING

BS’s first opportunity to get involved in reporting important events as a broadcaster occurred while working for a radio station, assigned to try to interview Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, the most dynamic proponent of the American Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the interview, Dr. King asked BS about his career thoughts. Upon hearing that BS wanted to report on important events, Dr. King told BS: “One day you’re going to make it. Just do some good when you get there.”

TAKING A BUSINESS RISK MAY CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ‘DO SOME GOOD’

Due to his dedication to serious reporting and courage to ask famous people important questions, BS was recruited as a news reporter first by CBS and later by ABC. Having gained national broadcasting exposure, a new network approached BS with an opportunity: because CNN’s chief anchor at its launch in 1980. 

BS’s dedication to his craft provided several opportunities to demonstrate himself as a serious, believable, courageous reporter / broadcaster during multiple significant events, including:

• Reporting before a camera hurriedly set up in a newsroom after the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Regan. 
• While on assignment in Baghdad during the Gulf War, BS’s news crew was able to film airstrikes and anti-aircraft fire at the beginning of the U.S. invasion to liberate Kuwait. 
• BS covered the ‘uprising’ against the authoritarian government in China, at Tiananmen Square, continuing to broadcast, only signing off when authorities directed CNN to stop its telecast.
• He was one of the first reporters on the scene of the Jonestown (religious cult) massacre. 
• As a moderator of one of the 1988 Presidential debates between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, BS asked Dukakis, an opponent of the death penalty, whether he would support capital punishment for someone hypothetically found guilty of raping and murdering Dukakis’ wife. Dukakis’ calm, technocratic response was widely seen as damaging to Dukakis’ political campaign. BS soon received a flood of hate mail for asking the question. In a later interview, BS defended his judgment: “Since when did a question hurt a politician? It wasn’t the question; it was the answer!”

RECOMMENDATION TO OTHER TV NEWS BROADCASTERS

Advised BS to fellow broadcasters, “In all the years preparing to being an anchor, one of the things I strove for was to be able to control my emotions in the midst of hell breaking out. And I personally feel that I passed my stringent test for that while reporting during the war in Baghdad.”

REGRETS FOR OVER DEVOTION TO HIS PROFESSION

Looking back at all the time required to be away from his family on overseas assignments and literally dropping everything to be first on the scene for events within his own country, thereby missing important family milestones, BS retired early and later acknowledged the toll on his personal life that went with being a successful journalist. Because of all the things he missed, he told an interviewer, “I don’t think it was worth it.”

Editor’s note – This career story raises the age-old question: “What is the price of fame?” Or “What price are you willing to pay for success?” Many people have successfully balanced their work and personal lives so it’s possible, even for celebrities.