From the course: How to Become a Purpose-Driven Journalist

Interviewing the president

From the course: How to Become a Purpose-Driven Journalist

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Interviewing the president

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- Covering the White House is one of the most incredible jobs in the world and the opportunity to speak to or interview the President of the United States is an incredible honor and an incredible responsibility. Even when you cover the White House, many times you don't ever even get to see the President for weeks or for months. You can fly on Air Force One and not even see the President of the United States. So to have the opportunity to sit down and interview the President of the United States, it is rare to be able to do that. I can remember when I joined CBS News I was hired to be the chief White House correspondent for CBS News and I had gotten this scoop from a Republican up on Capital Hill that a deal on the budget ceiling between Speaker Boehner and President Obama, a deal that they had been working on, had just fallen apart. And I was levitating in my seat 'cause I couldn't wait to sort of break this story. And then all of the sudden we heard that President Obama was coming into the briefing room. Again, rare that the President just announces the President will be in the briefing room. Well, the producers of the Evening News said to me, "I'm sorry, you can't go to the briefing. "You've got to be out on the North Lawn "to report for the Evening News at 6:30." And I said, "Absolutely not. "I got to get in this question "to the President of the United States." So I sat down in the front row, I waited for the President to ask me, call on me, hoping that he would call on me. They're yelling in my ear, "Get out to the North Lawn! "Get out to the North Lawn!" I asked the President, "President Obama, this looks like trust has broken down." The President answered my question and then I took off my mic and my ear piece and I sprinted out to the North Lawn and I got there right at the top of the show. And I was breathing really heavily 'cause I sprinted out there, but it was one of the most exhilarating moments of my career. And I was just talking to my White House producer at CBS News, Chloe Arensberg, about this moment and she said to me, "You know what, "you trusted your instincts, you trusted your gut "that you could get it done without being reckless. "And that led to a good question, great journalism, "and really exciting TV." And so I think about a moment like that. Where are those moments in your career that you do these really exhilarating, exciting things where you further the cause of journalism, where you help further the cause of understanding about complex policy issues? That's why I love my job.

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