Katie's Interview: John Edwards Responds
(Getty Images/Sara D. Davis)
The Edwards campaign released a statement:
The Edwardses appreciated the opportunity 60 Minutes afforded them to respond to tough questions which have been raised in response to last week's diagnosis that Mrs. Edwards' cancer had returned. Mrs. Edwards also called Ms. Couric today to thank her for the interview and to say that she and Senator Edwards thought the interview was both thorough and fair."For more reaction -- and comment -- browse around the CBSNews.com website. Everybody, it seems, has an opinion, including the folks over at the Columbia Journalism Review.
During a roundtable today in San Francisco to discuss his plan to halt global warming, Senator Edwards was asked about the matter and said: "My reaction was that Katie Couric asked questions that the American people are asking themselves, and I think they were completely legitimate questions. And I think the American people deserve answers from me and from Elizabeth to those questions. I mean, I'm asking America to support me and vote for me as their next president, and I think part of the evaluation of a candidate for president is a personal evaluation of the character and integrity and honesty of a candidate. So, no, I thought the questions were fair. Tough. I thought they were tough, but they were fair.
You were more preoccupied with Elizabeth Edwards' dying, than with her genuine desire to live. You challenged her positivism and vitality. You painted her future as bleak. Why such negativity, Katie? Yes, cancer isn't good news. But your badgering seems suspect. Didn't you hear Elizabeth's response when you suggested she's staring at death? She said, "Aren't we all?"
Didn't you get that, Katie? We ultimately face the same fate. Elizabeth hasn't surrendered. Don't presume that she should.
Many in America know the tragedies you have suffered, Katie. You were a widow much too young. Your loving husband, Jay, lost his battle with colon cancer after a valiant effort to prevail. Your older sister, Emily, succumbed to pancreatic cancer after she similarly fought to prevail.
Your personal tragedies are well documented. As are your triumphs in dealing with them. You bounced back. Of course there will always be pain, but you survived.
Colder than a get well card from Katie Couric.
If she didn't ask those questions and really downplayed the situation, the public would be criticizing her for being to soft. C'mon, admit it - we were all wondering how the Edwardses would handle this hurdle in the midst of a grueling presidential campaign.
So damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Anyway, Katie: let it roll off you like water. And to the Edwardses: my heart goes out to you!
- Susie
Katie asked fair questions -- and I'm not sure how anyone can characterize her questions, nor the way she asked them, as "mean-spirited" or "sensational." The Edwards knew they were appearing on "60 Minutes," not "Oprah" or "Ellen."
Clearly, by agreeing to the interview in the first place, they expected such questions to be asked...and may have even wanted the opportunity to answer them.
The "some" used by Katie in the course of asking her questions probably refers to the range of opinions among the general public regarding the Edwards' decision. What was she supposed to do: say "'Joe Blow' wants to know why...." ? She was merely the conveyor of those quesitons because she had the opportunity to ask them and get answers.
For the record, some of us find the prosecutorial tone, the hearsay framing of the questions, the fairly blunt assault on marital character, the insinuating manner, and the rest of the bag of tricks Ms. Couric employed as abhorrent when used by any of her male confederates in the news business as when used by her. If there is a double standard here, it is only in that many of us hoped that CBS News and its main anchor would live up to its often promoted standards and traditions rather than ape those of Fox News and other Murdoch style tabloids.
P.S. - It is a clear sign of the celebrity tabloid driven mentality behind the way CBS approached this interview that they cite the Edwards%u2019s expressed satisfaction with the interview as a defense. As if they responsibility is to the Edwards rather than the truth or the public interest. I don%u2019t give a *** how the Edwards's felt %u2013 I%u2019m a viewer and I was cheated.
Would Mike Wallace and his personal life be questioned if he had done the interview? Unlikely.
I really like John Edwards, so let's dignify him and focus on his answers instead of on Katie.
By the way, bravo to Katie!
Here's what I came away with from your interview:
So, how does it feel to know you're going to die?
How did it feel to tell your children you're going to die?
Is it selfish to run for president when she's going to die?
Will you be able to concentrate on the campaign when she's about dead?
How do you cope with thinking you're getting better, but you're going to die?
Does it make your squint, looking death in the face?
Are you starting to feel dead yet?
On the Edwards campaign - Sorry, but it will peter out sometime in 2007. Why? You cannot run a presidential campaign without huge resources. These resources will evaluate the risk that Mrs. Edwards will get worse and that her husband must curtail his campaigning or quite altogether. No choice, cruel as it is. Without these resources ($, paid staff, volunteers, etc), the campaign will cease.
I am very disappointed in you. Where is the compassion you once displayed when you were the host of the Today Show. Many times you interviewed people who faced many heart-wrenching things including some serious health issues. You always allowed your voice to resonate the compassion many of us watching could tell you felt. But the tone of this interview lacked compassion and your attitude came across as quite INSENSITIVE and you appeared very CALLOUS and SELF-RIGHTEOUS. Has it been that long since you faced a similiar issue with your own husband's health issues? How would you have felt if someone asked insensitive questions of you after you returned to your job after only a brief absence when he passed away. I lost my husband in 2003 to diabetes complications and still feel concern
for anyone I hear has suffered similiar consequences. Katie, I was a fan of yours when you were on the Today Show, but in what seems like an all out effort by CBS to portray the Evening News in a serious light, it has caused a once likeable personality to appear very hard-nosed and calloused. Lighten Up, CBS and Katie Couric or you will never be number 1.
An Open Letter to the Senator Edwards
Dear Senator Edwards,
Did you actually see the interview that aired, 03-25-07, on 60 Minutes? Given your statement, I'm not so sure that you have. You know...a lot of things may have been done in post production that you're not aware of. If your interview was shot with one camera...you're in for an eye opener, Senator. This, because, Ms. Couric has a ton of "face time" in your interview. "Face time" that shouldn't be there if your interview was shot with one camera. (The "face time" I'm addressing includes Ms. Couric asking you questions [in a bit of an unruly tone] while the camera is on her. This could have been filmed and edited into your interview -- long after the interview was over). This would explain why you don't understand what all of the fuss is about.
If you actually did see the 60 Minutes interview that aired on 03-25-07, please accept my apologies for disturbing you with my concerns. It's, just, that I (and, so it seems, a great deal of Americans) found Ms. Couric's demeanor quite disturbing.
My prayers go out to you, Elizabeth and your family.
Wishing You, Elizabeth and Your Entire Family Much Success (Always) in Life,
Todd
Todd Somers
Pasadena, CA
Katie this STENCH and SHAME will never leave you. This is YOUR LEGACY, this is your low speed getaway ride in white bronco OJ moment, Katie - just like w/ OJ all of America is watching. The difference is, at that point, we didn't want him to pull the trigger to escape the glare. As for you CancerousKatie With you SOME WOULD SAY....anything that causes extreme suffering and lasts for eternity will do. Here's to NEVER EVER watching you on any show ever again.
That's what some people are saying.
While I agree you asked Mr. Edwards, fair and reasonable questions, the way in which they were asked were smug and biased. You repeatedly harped on the negatives of John Edwards moving forward with his career. The use of the phrase "some would say..." means to the average viewer "I would say..." and as a journalist, it is your public obligation to interview in an objective manner, not a persuasive manner. If there is one thing I took from the interview, it is that CBS clearly sees John Edwards destined to fail as a presidential candidate because his wife has cancer.
Sincerely,
Amanda
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by miznurse36
March 28, 2007 7:48 PM PDT
- I think the Edwards are courageous people. Shame on Katie Couric for the way she came at them. I mean she of all people should know what it's like to deal with cancer. I mean it's not like she stopped working when her husband had it then died. And what's with the "some people" who are these people and what sources did Katie use to quote them. Best wishes to the Edwards family.
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P.S. I never really cared for Katie Couric on the Today Show and I rarely watch her on CBS News.