The following is a paper i wrote about a famous reporter in Pete Jennings. I found his story to be very rewarding to follow your dreams and do what you love to do. I wanted to share it with my readers:
Introduction
Peter Jennings was a broadcaster by choice; he did it because he loved his job. Everyday, millions of people could see the professionalism when he preformed his job. Jennings was a trademark at the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and covered all traces of news reporting for the television channel. Jennings may have gotten an early start at being an anchor, but he went right back to the trenches. There, Jennings proved his knowledge, trustworthiness, and became a respectable anchor through many years as a foreign correspondence.
Childhood
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on July 29, 1938. Jennings was the son of a Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) journalist by the name of Charles Jennings and wife Elizabeth (Waite, 2010). They had Peter and his younger sister Sarah. Throughout his childhood, Jennings grew up around broadcasting. Sarah Jennings commented, “It’s no accident that Peter and I grew up in a household that was turned in to broadcasting, because our father was one of the original pioneers of public broadcasting in Canada (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
He got his first introduction to real life broadcasting when he was just nine years old. CBC selected him to host a weekly radio show for children featuring music and news entitled, “Peter’s People (Steinberg, 2005).” Charles Jennings was oversees at the time of the selection and was outraged that Peter was getting paid and the station did not talk to him first. Peter remembers the incident saying, “[My father] was pretty angry. Mostly, I think because I was getting money for it. And he thought they, the CBC, had done something wrong by going behind his back (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
Jennings struggled academically and dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen. Jennings claimed he was “bored” with school. “My parents were very disappointed with me in school, but not angry – maybe not angry enough, maybe not insistent enough that I apply myself,” said Jennings (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007). He went to work as a teller at a local bank, Royal Bank of Canada. Jennings tried to take night classes at a university, but the combined school and work load were too much for him. After three years spent as a teller, he returned to the radio as an interviewer for small radio station in Brockville, Ontario. Many of Jennings’s stories, including his coverage of a local train wreck, were picked up by the CBC. In 1962, Jennings was offered a job at CTV, a private Canadian television network, and rival to CBC his father’s employer (Sullivan, 2005).
Jennings’s Big Break
While working at CTV, Jennings was a lead correspondent of the CTV National News; Canada’s first nationwide newscast. Jennings was the first Canadian to arrive at the scene of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Jennings also covered the 1964 Democratic National Convention. It was there that Jennings got his big break when he was discovered by ABC News President Elmer Lower (Goldberg, 1990). Jennings described the experience stating, “So when I was first offered the job by Elmer Lower, I was very excited. And then I thought, what if I screw up? What if I can’t handle it? And I said ‘no.’ (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007)” Jennings indeed rejected the offer, terrified of broadcasting in the enormous United States. Six months later, Jennings reconsidered the opportunity and wrote back to the ABC president and told him he made a mistake and asked if he would reconsider. Lower did reconsider and in September 1964 of Jennings started work for ABC covering the Civil Rights movement in the American South. After only being with ABC for a few months, ABC executives were desperate to improve ratings; (comparable to those of Walter Cronkite on CBS and Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on NBC) and offered Jennings the position of anchor for the nightly newscast (Goldberg, 1990).
Youngest Anchor
Jennings reluctantly accepted the promotion and was the youngest anchor ever in the United States at the age of twenty-six (Steinberg, 2005). He was bitter about taking the job due to the lack of freedom of travel and the inability to cover world events. Jennings was ridiculed by critics, viewers, and colleagues for his inexperience. He was accused of just getting the part because of his looks and ability to speak well, and not because of his experience. Ted Koppel stated, “ABC was sort of a pathetic excuse for a news division. If they would have been more of a news division in 1964 they wouldn’t have hired Peter (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
Jennings’s days on air were a struggle as he missed pronounced “Appomattox” the site of a famous civil War battle and also misidentified the U.S. Marine Corps’s official anthem. Jennings stayed as anchor for three years and drew modest rankings. His sister, Sarah Jennings, described the experience, “I think the first go-round was not successful. It was just a ratings game obviously. And he was very young and inexperienced (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” Jennings also had harsh words of his stint as anchor stating, “I was the youngest anchor there had ever been in American television. I wasn’t qualified, mind you; I got the job because of how I looked and sounded rather than how intelligent I was (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” In 1967 ABC decided to expand its newscast from 15 to 30 minutes. Jennings asked for a reassignment and his superiors granted the request and moved him back to the field as a revolving reporter.
Back to the Trenches
Jennings began as a revolving reporter starting in January of 1968. Jennings spent much of the decade on foreign soil coving from places such as Cuba, Bangladesh, and the Middle East (ABC, 2005). Peter loved the Middle East coverage, as it gave him so much area and he was the only correspondent. “I had, as my responsibility for all those years, everything east of the Mediterranean all the way to India. I had all the Arab world, I mean I thought I died and gone to heaven,” stated Jennings (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).
In 1969, Jennings helped establish and was the name head of the ABC News Middle East bureau in Beirut Lebanon. This was the first television news desk in the Arab word. Jennings thrived in the Middle East and soon his expertise in Middle Eastern Affairs was unmatched among broadcast journalist (ABC, 2005). Jennings success and accolades in Middle East were numerous and world known. Jennings conducted the first televised interview with Palestine Liberation Organization Leader Yassir Arafat. Jennings also won the George Foster Peabody Award for his profile of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
Jennings and the Munich Games
Jennings’s biggest break came when asked to provide coverage of non-sport news from the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. This was an opportunity Jennings couldn’t pass down. “Roone Arledge called and said, ‘Would you like some rest and relaxation from the Middle East story, and would you come to Munich and do our non-sports features?’ It took me all of ten seconds to say ‘yes.’ (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007)” Jennings coverage helped ABC earn an Emmy for outstanding achievement in special events coverage.
During the Munich Summer Games the Arab terrorist group Black September seized the Israeli compound and took athletes hostage. Jennings hid himself and his camera crew inside the grounds to provide live television of the scene taking place (ABC, 2005). Jennings was first on the scene and used his expertise on the Middle East to describe the situation perfectly and identify the Arab terrorist group Black September. Bill Blakemore an ABC correspondent responded to Jennings newscast stating, “He was the first one who was able to call it, and he called it right (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
Triple Anchor
Jennings returned to the United States in 1975 as correspondent and news reader for A.M. America. The show cancelled after ten months and Jennings was reassigned overseas as chief correspondent. He stayed at this position until 1978 when ABC executives created a three-part anchor system for the World News Tonight; Jennings would be an anchor from London, Frank Reynolds from WashingtonD.C., and Max Robinson from Chicago. This was a new idea and a very different idea. Jeff Gralnick the executive producer described this set up, “The triple anchor broadcast was different. It was more popular-culture. It had more graphics. It was different because it had no choice other than to be different – to see if it could survive (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
Jennings enhanced ABC’s global coverage with is European perspective. Jennings reporting from London was able to provide an in depth background and coverage of Europe and the Middle East before rival news stations. Jennings notable documentary of the Iran hostage crisis earned him an Emmy (Sullivan, 2005). Jennings became the model for foreign correspondence.
Solo Anchor Once Again
In 1983, with the death of Reynolds, Jennings became the lead solo anchor once again. Jennings was the obvious choice. He had previous experience as an anchor, and also the looks and charm (Goldberg, & Goldberg, 1990). But Jennings did not want to leave London and become the solo anchor. Jennings and his wife Kati Marton debated over this decision both remembering them saying, “We don’t want to do this, we don’t want to do this.” Both agreed the move and job was necessary and on September 5, 1983 Jennings became to solo anchor of the World News Tonight (Goldberg, & Goldberg, 1990).
This intensified a ratings battle between the “Big Three” networks. ABC had Jennings, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) was anchored by Dan Rather, and National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was anchored by Tom Brokaw (Steinberg, 2005). The race became a public interest and was covered like ratings of a Presidential race. ABC notoriously in third place for decades became tied with the other two in July of 1986. Jennings and ABC took the lead the next week and three years later Jennings was consistently on top (Goldberg, & Goldberg, 1990). Jennings went on to be named "best anchor" by the Washington Journalism Review in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992 (Waite, 2010).
One of the factors that made Jennings a well received anchor was his ability to ask good questions. John Andrews a fellow colleague stated, “He was very, very good, always, at asking questions. He would ask his questions not in an aggressive way, but nonetheless, he was quite persistent. And he would charm people into giving answers (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” Tom Yellin an executive producer for a number of Jennings’s documentaries stated, “I think Peter’s greatest strength is that he was able to live a journalist’s life with the right values.”
During Jennings time as anchor he provided coverage and insight of dramatic events in United States history. In June of 1985, Jennings was on air for seventeen days straight reporting on the hijacking near Athens Greece. After the space shuttle Challenger exploded ABC received 10,000 letters commending his stabilizing presence. In 1988, some television critics declared Jennings the winner of a presidential debate he monitored between George Bush and Michael Dukakis. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Jennings contributed a marathon anchoring job as ABC and other news organizations scrambled to provide feedback (Sullivan, 2005).
Jennings Reporting on September 11
On September 11, 2001, Jennings responded when he came onto the air after the attacks reporting, “There is chaos in New York at the moment…..There is chaos (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” There was a notorious on-air conversation between Don Dahler and Peter Jennings as the New York Trade Centers collapsed:
Don Dahler: “It has completely collapsed.”
Peter Jennings: “The whole side has collapsed?”
Don Dahler: “The whole building has collapsed.”
Peter Jennings: “The whole building has collapsed?”
Don Dahler: “The building has collapsed….”
Peter Jennings: “My God! The southern tower, ten o’clock Eastern time this morning, just collapsing on itself.” -- (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007)
This was the start to a long few weeks for Jennings as he did newscasts to try to calm Americans in this time of frenzy. Jennings was able to maintain his feelings and emotions while on air. He was a calming force for Americans while they watched and wanted to know more facts and news about this tragedy (Steinberg, 2005). The mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, commented on Jennings by saying, “The thing that stands out about Peter Jennings, in general, [is that he was] very calm, very sensible, very measured, very balanced. September 11, it’s very difficult to be able to cover it in the balanced way because your emotions push you in so many directions. (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007)”
September 11 changed many Americans, and Jennings was one of them. He stated, “It is forty years since I came to the U.S. and in my entire experience, nothings has quite moved me as much as the coming together in the wake of 9/11 (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” As terrible as the events of September 11 were, there is something to be said of what Americans did for one another during the aftermath.
Jennings the Author and Interests.
Jennings was not only a reporter and anchor but also an author. Jennings and co-author Todd Brewster wrote a number of broadcast- related books. But his greatest work was The Century which became a best seller. The Century also appeared as a millennium-themed series on the History Channel and was narrated by Jennings (ABC, 2005). The big appeal of The Century is that the book is suited and enjoyed by all ages. Jennings is quoted in Publisher’s Weekly saying, “ I was in the bookstore one day and I saw an older man buying [the book] for his grandchild, and some younger people buying it for their parents (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).”
Jennings interests were not only news reporting and writing. Jennings loved being a dad and spending time with his children. Jennings also had a great love of jazz music, sailing, and tennis. Jennings gave his time back by volunteering at Soup Kitchens and was a generous contributor to many different charities (Sullivan, 2005).
Jennings the American
Jennings life was spent in the United States for an entire career as a Canadian. This allowed him to travel to countries during times of animosity between the United States and other countries. Jennings reported from Cuba when no Americans were allowed to enter the borders. But on May 20, 2003, Jennings became an American citizen. It is hard to imagine that Jennings made a career of reporting American news to millions of Americans without being an American himself (Steinberg, 2005).
Jennings Diagnosis and Death
On April 5, 2005 Jennings stunned the television audience when he announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer on a segment during the World News Tonight (Steinberg, 2005). "I think we all cried when he told us he was sick," John Banner executive producer of World News Tonight said. "It broke my heart, given what we were in the midst of doing (Steinberg 2006)."
Jennings started smoking when he was thirteen and he said he never knew he would become addicted. Jennings smoked most of his sixty-seven years. He gave up smoking with the birth of his children. But started smoking again during September 11 stating he was weak and gave in to the temptation (Sullivan, 2005).
Jennings immediately began chemotherapy treatments to treat the lung cancer. Despite the treatment, Jennings still continued off-air work and occasionally corresponded with fans and supporters on the “World News Tonight” website. Jennings died a few months after his diagnosis in his home in New York City on August 7, 2005 at the age of 65 (Sullivan, 2005).
Jennings Family Life
Jennings will always be known as a great anchor but he was also a very good father. Jennings was married four times in his life and also had two children, son Christopher and daughter Elizabeth. Jennings was first married to Valerie Godsoe of Toronto, Canada. The marriage was short-lived and ended in divorce. His second marriage was to Anouchka “Annie” Malouf whom he met while stationed in the Middle East. This marriage also ended in divorce. Jennings third marriage was to Kati Marton whom he met in London in 1977. Jennings and Marton were engaged after just three dates and married in 1979. The couple had daughter Elizabeth in 1980 in Britain and son Christopher in 1982 also in Britain (Steinberg, 2005).
Fellow correspondent, Lynn Sherr, described Jennings’s relationship with his children stating, “Peter became a dad a little bit late in life. But boy did he jump with all four feet! You couldn’t tear him away from those children when they were little (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007). Jennings and Marton divorced in April of 1997. Jennings married his fourth wife, Kacee Freed on December 6, 1997.
Jennings’s Legacy
Jennings may always be known for his good looks as an anchor but he forever changed the world of news broadcasting. Jennings reporting in the Middle East provided his credibility to be a trustworthy and respected news anchor. His presence on television provided millions of viewers comfort during tragic and devastating times. Jennings provided ABC with a staple figure of news media. Whether he was anchor, tri-anchor, reporter, or correspondent Jennings was professional and leader for the ABC news station. Jennings improved ABC from a little known American news network to a super power and part of the “Big Three” in news coverage. Jennings stayed with ABC for the entirety of his lustrous American broadcasting career.
Jennings was adored and respected by millions of American and also his collegues. Jennings proved to be one of the most respected journalists to ever live. He showed many examples on how to conduct and perform as a news anchor. “I think Jennings’s legacy for journalist is to listen to your gut. Report stories. Don’t be afraid to go to some place that nobody else is. Seek the truth. Pursue stories passionately. Tell them well,” said Jon Banner, executive Producer of World News Tonight. (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” This is exactly what Peter Jennings exemplified in his career. Jennings also had the ability to make the story easily understood so millions of American watch. “Peter’s journalistic legacy is that preparation and depth of knowledge is often the best way to simplfy a story into something that people can understand generally (Darnton, Jennings, & Sherr, 2007).” said Bob Woodruff, Jennings replacement as co-host of World News Tonight.
Jennings legacy is not only in the reporting world but also has an effect on health and world knowledge of lung cancer. Diane Sawyer featured a story about lung cancer on April 5, 2010 on World News Tonight the five year anniversary of Peter Jennings’s death. She reported that lung cancer still remains the most common fatal cancer but the death rate has fallen faster than any other form of cancer (Ariens, 2010). The percentage of high school students smoking is down to 20% it’s lowest. American’s knowledge of lung cancer is far greater with thirty-four states now have smoking bans in public places and there is a hotline to help smokers quit (Ariens, 2010). Peter Jennings not only provided the world with news but a new awareness of the harm of smoking and the effects of lung cancer.