Oh Peter
It's easy for me to pinpoint when my slight infatuation with Peter Jennings began. It was either September 12th or 13th, 2001 when his extraordinary ability to maintain his composure and effectively communicate the news while not betraying the undeniable emotional component of the events impressed me. When I was younger, my family watched the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and as a child, I often confused Dan Rather and Ronald Reagan (dark hair, square jaw? it's possible!), but it had been a good 10 years or so since I'd watched the evening news with any regularity. Thus it was a surprise to me when I found myself really enjoying a nightly half-hour with Peter Jennings. So, for the last 4 years I've watched probably 75% of the ABC World News Tonight broadcasts. Sometimes, I'll admit, the stories are fluff, not entirely complete and not always as critical as I'd like, but I enjoy the mix of world news, national news, human interest, and editorial commentary that CNN.com doesn't really provide. Peter Jennings himself, however, is a large part of my attachment to the evening news. I feel like I can trust him. He seems to have just the right mix of criticism and compassion, all delivered with a crisp smooth voice and occasionally a little smile. He seems human, but also impartial. He exudes the essence of an intellectual gentleman. This evening, I was sad to hear of his recent diagnosis with lung cancer. While Peter has already certainly contributed to the fight against tobacco, cigarette companies and smoking with his documentary, "From the Tobacco File - Untold Stories of Betrayal and Neglect”, perhaps now he will be further motivated to use his influence, celebrity, and personal experiences to further the cause. Regardless, I do hope that his case will be the exception to the rule.
posted by Anne @ 8:28 PM
1 Comments:
He was good looking when he was young too - have you seen his old broadcasts?
Erin
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