"Dear Katie...": The Anchor Answers

By: Katie Couric
Topics: CBS Stuff

Last week, we asked if anyone had any burning questions they wanted to ask Katie. You did. And this week, throughout the week, we're going to post some of the answers. Here's the first batch from our mailbag. Enjoy. -- Ed.

(CBS)

What is your best advice for a soon-to-be college graduate about to leap into the "real world"? Ashley, from Luverne, Alabama.

I have lots of advice, but I think at the top of the list would be do something you are passionate about. I think the most successful people really love what they're doing, and as a result it doesn't really feel like work! Well, I guess it does sometimes, but it's not dreaded, laborious work that leads one to feel as if he or she is living a "life of quiet desperation!"

I also think it's important to take an honest look at yourself to determine your true skills and abilities in a very simple way. Do you enjoy people, do you like to write, are you a more solitary person, do you really enjoy numbers? Do you get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping others? For example, I didn't become an accountant for a reason! Sometimes I think people get into fields because they really don't know what else to do and it's not always a good fit. Don't freak out if you don't know for sure what you want to do for a living. I'm a big fan of informational interviews, finding out about different careers. And if you do something and hate it, by all means, switch gears!

Finally, it's important to have a positive, helpful, enthusiastic attitude at work. People do notice. So many of my contemporaries complain about young people expecting the world to be served to them on a silver platter. Perhaps the same thing was said about us by the generation that preceded mine! So prove them wrong! And remember to have a full life…community service, friends and family, trying new things and being open to new experiences, getting involved in your church, synagogue or mosque all contribute to what should be considered a successful life. One of my favorite quotes is this one, attributed to Emerson:

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

Hi there. Has the cable news medium (24 hour a day coverage of the news and sometimes not the news) changed how major networks approach the delivery and format of the evening news program? Anjali J. Lueck, Jacksonville, FL.

This is such a good and important question. The answer is yes. But it's not just cable. The internet has affected us, too. We want to do a newcast that really makes sense of the news and doesn't just report the headlines. We're getting there, but we have a way to go. It's very difficult in a half hour to really explain things. That's what I'm struggling with now.

For example, I'm not sure we sufficiently explained the terrorism bill just passed by congress and signed by the President. What does it really mean? What are the ramifications? We're trying to roll up our sleeves and give folks a little more insight into the news that's happening every day so it won't feel like "newzak" -- my term for endless, droning stories that don't really provide true insight. At the same time, it's important for busy people to have a place to go where they can find a succinct, accessible and smart rundown of the day's events.

So it's a real challenge, but it's an exciting one. Let us know if you feel like you're getting a better understanding of what's going on in the world watching the show. If you're not, we're not doing our job!

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by agss241 October 5, 2006 2:34 PM EDT: Virtually ALL the posters here seem to have totally missed the point of the Columbine father's comments.
Use that lump on your shoulders for something other than a hatrack and THINK about how he started his comments, "...This country is in a moral decline...". Says it all. No morality, no absolutes, ordered society!; Reply to this comment


by jouggie1 October 4, 2006 12:40 AM EDT: Watching that fellow from Colorado last night turned my stomach. To blame the absence of religion in public school curriculum is like blaming the advent of Nazism on the presence in Germany of communism. The absence of religion, he says, results directly in school violence. What right wing fanatical hogwash.
PS: I miss Bob Schieffer.; Reply to this comment


by harlym October 3, 2006 10:26 PM EDT: I was excited to see the father on "Free Speech" who lost his son in Columbine. I DO NOT agree with all that he said, because I still believe a woman's choice is absolute, however, I do believe that we, as a country, are in imminent danger of losing our moral fibers. Many people are so worried about keeping God and Spritual beliefs out of schools and government, yet, the fall-out has resulted in the decimation of all that has held us together since this country was established and the babies are suffering. School is SUPPOSED TO BE A SAFE PLACE!
In the United States, the god that we seem to worship has written on it "In God We Trust". Whether you belive in God, Allah, or another monotheistic Supreme being, that belief is one of the things that helps keep people accountable. The fear of retribution and promise of atonement that comes when you have to answer for your actions in life. That is a powerful equalizer to human behavior.
I am insulted by the comments of people that are hopping mad at what he had to say. 1st Ammendment anyone? How dare you judge him until you have walked a mile in his shoes. ALL of our life experiences make us who we are and he HAS BURIED A CHILD, something no parent should ever have to endure.
The fact that there is discussion going on both for and against is encouraging to me. Discourse and dialogue are how changes are made. Even when it's uncomfortable!; Reply to this comment


by hrichman2 October 3, 2006 5:30 PM EDT: I was totally disturbed by Katie Couric's evening news report on Monday Oct.2d. I have total sympathy for her guest commentator in regard to his loss at Columbine, but I don't believe that you(CBS) should provide a forum for a personal provocative concept i.e. the teaching of evolution vs. creationism. I would appreciate your reporting the news and commenting on the matter at hand.; Reply to this comment


by cbelster October 3, 2006 3:05 PM EDT: Thank you for your answer to Ashley on Ask the Anchor.

As a soon to be graduate myself, it was certainly appropriate. The poem didn%u2019t hurt either.; Reply to this comment


by nancyeloise October 3, 2006 2:24 PM EDT: The Free Speech segment is called Free Speech for a reason. I applaud Katie Couric and CBS News for not being afraid to air all opinions in this segment. Whever you believe in what the father of a slain Columbine son had to say or not, YES, he does have the right to say it. The moral decay and increase in violent acts in this country cannot be denied, and it is good to look deeply into all possible causes and answers.

Katie, I believe the CBS Evening News is alive and well under your leadership. Your newscast is real, it's relevant, and it's a breath of fresh air. I didn't watch it much before, but now I never miss it - even if I have to catch it later on the web.; Reply to this comment


by denreg October 3, 2006 4:17 AM EDT: I do not understand why so many people are complaining about the Free Speech segment on the Monday news. Brian has a right to express whatever is in his heart and mind concerning the state of the nation as it relates to the shootings. I do not agree with everything he says but I would still sit down with him and learn why he has those views. The more I can learn about my fellow humans the better I can communicate with them. Most of the people who posted comments about the Free Speech segment sound like members of Congress. A group of people with no desire for communication.; Reply to this comment


by bennyblack1 October 3, 2006 3:48 AM EDT: I believe in the freedom of responsible speech. I believe that God gave us the liberties we have and then expected us to responsibly use them. We have the right to bear arms, but only if we don't go down the street wildly shooting people. We are allowed to assemble publicly and privately, so long as the reason for assembling is not intended to cause violence. We are given free speech, but we are not to deliberately attack and hurt other people with it. Free speech is simply the freedom to speak the truth when it needs to be spoken: It is NOT for waving around a middle finger just for general purposes. It is not to be used to destroy the icon of our freedom, the US Flag. What country burns its own flag? We are given freedom of religion, however, we are not to use it as a reason to murder, lie, steal, or otherwise break the law.; Reply to this comment


by scratt-2009 October 3, 2006 1:55 AM EDT: Katie et al
You "missed the boat" on Monday's broadcast completely and this is sad! You sit "in shock" about the Amish shooting and mention the Colorado shooting and completely ignore the THIRD shooting in Wisconsin? Huh? What gives?
I keep giving the "new cbs" show a chance for some dumb reason and now I would like to believe that Katie et al indeed belong on a more feature-related type broadcast where feelings and "shock" can be edited and facts researched throughly beforehand. Wisconsin has more than beer and brats ya know and as a proud born and raised Wisconsinite I am "shocked" that the school shooting there didn't "count"!; Reply to this comment


by woo333 October 3, 2006 1:18 AM EDT: In times of tragedy we look to our news anchors for truth, support, empathy. While Katie provided that with a deeply emotional response to the Amish tragedy...it was quickly undone by the free speech rantings of a selfish man using this time of mourning to spew his political and religious views. Of all the parents in the country who have lost a child through tragedy why would CBS pick this night to air views of someone who showed no sorrow for the murdered children this week or of his own child. I am very disappointed with CBS for this poor choice in very poor taste. You could have picked any number of parents who would have offered heartfelt words of comfort.; Reply to this comment