As a general rule , [ if you ] bring curiosity to any conversation or experience you ’ re in , you ’ re going to be better , the relationship is going to be better , and the world is going to be better . As soon as you start treating someone with respect and [ start ] being curious about their life and why they arrive at a certain place , it ’ s like the world opens up and relationships can be meaningful again .
Q : Where have you traveled as a journalist ?
A : I ’ ve seen a lot of the world , which I feel lucky to say . A lot of it is when I was covering the White House from 2000 to 2008 , so I ’ d go on these presidential trips and fly to five countries in four days . It would be kind of a bummer , because I ’ d land in Mongolia and have to work for nine hours in a hotel conference room and then leave and not feel like I really experienced the country . So a lot of seeing the world was that sort of style .
But I also never wanted to complain about that experience . I always said if you ’ re covering the White House and covering the institution of the presidency , if you ’ re going to walk into the White House or board Air Force One and not feel something in your gut that this is really cool , then you shouldn ’ t be covering that assignment .
Then I moved to Russia for three years and traveled a lot in Eastern Europe and Siberia , like Ukraine , Kyrgyzstan , a lot of central Asia , just all over .
Q : What was it like to be a journalist ? What were some things you were excited about and some things you were worried about ?
A : Being trusted by an audience to deliver the news , that excited me . I felt a real sense of pride , and that trust that listeners had in me was really , really meaningful .
But I ’ ve covered some really hard stuff , and I think with a lot of the decisions journalists make , there ’ s no clear right or wrong . When someone is saying something that sounds hateful , racist , immoral , I think the constant struggle that I have is , “ Is it better to hear those voices so we can listen to them , digest them , engage with someone who ’ s saying them , and figure out the root of it ? Or do you risk elevating voices of hate that can be dangerous ?” And that ’ s such a hard needle to thread as a journalist .
Q : Who was the nicest famous person you ’ ve met , and who was the most interesting ?
A : So many famous people I got to interview turned out to be really nice . Jennifer Lawrence , Will Smith , Kendrick Lamar , Dolly Parton — they were all so down to earth .
I love you [ r ] asking who was the most interesting because I really believe that celebrities are often not the most interesting people . And I ’ ve made it a big part of my mission as a journalist to elevate the voices of people
FALK LABORATORY SCHOOL | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 17