10 Plus 1: Armen Keteyian On Investigative Journalism And "The Media"
(CBS)
What do you do at CBS News?
I'm the new chief investigative correspondent for CBS News, having come on board in the beginning of March. I report across all our platforms but primarily for the "Evening News with Bob Schieffer." I'm also the head of the network's new investigative unit, which includes producers and other support personnel in both New York and Washington.What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?
My initial answer would be Congress, and focusing even more on issues such as special interest groups, conflicts of interest and lobbying. Overall, I think we do a very credible job of covering the Hill with our Washington bureau, but the daily demands of a network news broadcast are often at odds with the time needed to dig deep enough to uncover wholesale waste and corruption. Agencies like the FDA, FAA and Homeland Security touch millions of American lives everyday. I think we need to know more about how our tax dollars are being spent.Give us a great behind the scenes story.
Well, I haven't been behind the scenes all that long. But what never fails to amaze me is Schieffer's ability to connect with an audience through that camera every night. I spent eight years as a correspondent with ABC News in New York from 1989-97 and I marveled at Peter Jennings' connection with his audience. Bob is just as good. The rhythm of his writing, his "folksy" nature on air, the calm and wisdom he projects, are easy to say but very difficult to do. You can't fake it. And as I sit at the desk with him sometimes, leading and tagging my pieces, watching him read the TelePrompter or engage in Q&A with correspondents, I find myself thinking we're so lucky to have him. And to answer your next question: Yes, I believe Katie has that same rare skill. In spades.Have you ever been assigned a story you objected to? How did you deal with it?
No, I can't think of a story I've been assigned in my network TV career that I flat-out objected to. That's not to say while working a few pieces I've felt we were on the wrong path or, worse, should never have gone down the road to begin with. At that point, I've voiced my opinion and we've made adult decisions on whether to continue or pull the plug.If you were not in news, what would you be doing?
Is this a wish list? My dream growing up in the suburbs of Detroit was to be a professional baseball player. I got as far as playing Division I baseball at San Diego State before reality set in. That said, if I had a second chance I'd think a criminal investigator for the FBI would be fascinating work – not C.S.I. kind of stuff but real old-fashioned shoe-leather investigations with a bit of forensic science mixed in.Do you read blogs? If so, which ones? If not, what do you read on the Internet?
In my former life in sports I never read blogs. Now, in the world of news, I think it's incumbent upon me and my staff to, at the very least, have a sense of what's being said in Blog Heaven. As far as the Internet … I'm pretty basic right now – CBSNews.com, CNN.com, Yahoo.com, and public interest sites in D.C. and California. If folks have any suggestions, feel free to email me through CBS News Investigates on our Web site. I'm all eyes and ears.What's the last really great book or movie you found?
Before I started this job I read Murrow's Boys, and right now I'm in the midst of the fascinating Ghost Wars by Steven Coll. I try, however, to mix work-related non-fiction with a real love of suspense and mystery novels. I could curl up with almost anything by Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Dennis Lehane, George Pelicanos, Michael Connelly, and the master himself, John D. MacDonald, creator of Travis McGee. As for movies, my most recent favorite was "Inside Man," driven by an extraordinary script.What is your first memory of TV news?
It's a bit blurry now, but in mind's eye I can still see the caisson rolling down the street carrying the body of President John F. Kennedy, and Walter Cronkite on air, informing and healing a grieving nation.If you could change one thing about the profession of journalism, what would it be?
A better definition of the phrase "the media." In a world where the Big Three networks get tossed in the same salad bowl as the tabloids, blogs, wild-eyed Web sites, and an entire alphabet soup of cable channels, I believe the perception of what "quality" first-rate journalism is about has been so devalued, the distinction so blurred, as to be almost meaningless in the public eye. It shouldn't be. Standards and practices are everything at CBS News; they drive what we do every day of the week, just as they do in many other networks and newspapers and magazines around the country. But not all. Not nearly all. And that's why, at times – especially when people or politicians lump all of us together and blame "the media" -- I want to scream.Who is the most fascinating person you've covered and who is the biggest jerk?
No jerks. At least not publicly. As for fascinating, I've had the pleasure of interviewing a ton of sports "stars" over the years – from Tom Brady to Peyton Manning to Coach K down at Duke. The one interview that rises above all others has to be legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. In the three hours I spent with him we barely talked about his 10 national championships but rather his role as a teacher and his definition of success (essentially being the best you can be.) He was almost 95 years old, so alert and quick … reciting stanza upon stanza of poetry. I felt I was in the presence of an oracle. Coach Wooden is a national treasure – simple as that.Finally, a question just for Armen: Do you think the fast pace of the news cycle poses a threat to investigative journalism?
Instead of a threat I believe the accelerating pace of the everyday news cycle opens up huge opportunities for networks willing to invest in investigative journalism. And CBS News, under President Sean McManus, has made just that kind of reporting a priority, and must as importantly, backed it up with money and manpower. Even in sports I was always kind of a contrarian – covering sports as news and not so worried, as my career built, about who won and who lost. I feel like I'm in somewhat of a similar situation now with CBS News. At a time when many are cutting back on investigative journalism because of the time and money necessary to produce pieces, here at CBS we're going in the exact opposite direction. Both Sean and I believe stories that make and break news and that truly resonate with our audience will help differentiate us from our competitors. And they don't have to be long, drawn-out affairs. I feel the strength of our investigative unit is its versatility -- the ability to react to news on a daily basis, to move stories forward, while at the same time producing longer-term pieces that knock your socks off.