Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life

353 Pages·2007·3.7 MB·English

by  Kate Darnton, Kayce Freed Jennings, Lynn Sherr

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Biography
“A very special biography....Full of surprises, full of smarts,
full of spirit, just like the man named in the title.”
—LARRY KING
For many Americans, Peter Jennings was the voice and face that gave shape
and meaning to every day’s news. In this oral biography, readers witness Jennings’
P
extraordinary rise to the top of his profession and get to know the man on the other
side of the camera. Memories from Peter’s friends, family, competitors, colleagues,
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and interview subjects reveal facets of a man many of us felt we knew well—but
t
only because he greeted us every weekday evening from our television sets.
e
r
From Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life
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“ Peter had insecurities. We all have them. I had them; Dan had them. I thought it
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was a job requirement if you were an anchorman: You had to be insecure.”
—TOM BROKAW n
“ He was the quintessential foreign correspondent, with or without the trench coat.
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He also had another quality, which was rare in this business sometimes: He cared
Peter
more about substance than he did about show.” —TOM FENTON i
n
“ He rose to the top of his profession based on dogged determination and an
incredible curiosity, a lot of talent and hard work, and you knew that all of that
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was going to be bearing down on you every time he interviewed you.”
A Reporter’s Life
—PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON s
Jennings
“ He believed that the truth matters. And when you fi nd it, keep looking.”
—TOM YELLIN
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“ Anybody who talks about Peter Jennings and doesn’t talk about his loyalty,
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particularly his loyalty to his friends, just doesn’t know him very well.”
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—DAN RATHER p
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r
About the Editors: t
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Kate Darnton is a contributing editor to PublicAffairs, living in Boston, Massachusetts. r
Kayce Freed Jennings is executive vice president and cofounder of The Documentary ’s
Group, an independent production company. She was married to Peter Jennings from 1997 until L
his death in 2005.
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Lynn Sherr has been an award-winning correspondent with ABC News since 1977, most e
notably with 20/20.
CCoovveerr dpehsoitgon: :© R oMbiecrhtoa edl eO V’Nicqei ldl/eA Cmuemripctainc hBroadcasting Companies, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58648-644-0 $14
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9 781586 486440 AN Kate Darnton, Kayce Freed Jennings & Lynn Sherr
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Peter Jennings
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P e t e r J e n n i n g s
A Reporter’s Life
Edited by
Kate Darnton,
Kayce Freed Jennings
& Lynn Sherr
PublicAffairs
New York
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Copyright © 2007 by The Peter Jennings Foundation.
Published in the United States by PublicAffairs™, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information, address PublicAffairs, 250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321, New York, NY
10107. PublicAffairs books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S.
by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please
contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut
Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, call [phone], ext. 5000, or email
[email protected].
Book Design by Timm Bryson
Set in 11.5 point Adobe Garamond
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peter Jennings : a reporter’s life / edited by Kate Darnton, Kayce Freed Jennings & Lynn
Sherr. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58648-517-7 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-58648-517-2 (hardcover)
1. Jennings, Peter, 1938–2005. 2. Television journalists—Canada—Biography. I. Darnton,
Kate. II. Jennings, Kayce Freed. III. Sherr, Lynn.
PN4913.J46P48 2007
070.1’95092—dc22
2007034529
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
PBK: ISBN-13: 978-1-58648-644-0
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Contents
Introduction by Lynn Sherr vii
Contributors xi
chapter one A Canadian Childhood 1
chapter two Boy Anchor 17
chapter three The Talking Trench Coat 33
chapter four Roving Anchor 61
chapter five Flying Solo 79
chapter six Making the News 101
chapter seven World News Tonight 135
chapter eight Enthusiasms 173
chapter nine September 11 203
chapter ten The Man 217
chapter eleven Citizen 249
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vi Contents
chapter twelve “I Have Lung Cancer” 265
chapter thirteen Legacy 283
chapter fourteen “Finally, This Evening ...” 295
Acknowledgments by Kayce Freed Jennings 297
Notes 301
Chronology of Peter Jennings’ Life 311
Selected Documentaries and News Specials 313
Photo Credits 317
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Introduction
Lynn Sherr
This book would have been anathema to Peter Jennings. I can hear his usu-
ally well-honed skepticism now: “A biography? Of me? Whatever for?
Surely there are more important subjects.”
Not this time.
For more than four decades on American television, Peter Jennings re-
ported the news that defined our lives, a reliable authority who earned our
trust with his constant search for the truth. As the sole anchor of ABC’s
World News Tonight for his last twenty-two years, he cemented that bond
with a presence so commanding and a face so familiar that dedicated view-
ers placed their confidence in him to convey everything from the muddle of
Middle East politics to the thrill of the millennium, from the purity of a
child’s question to the horror of 9/11. He informed us and calmed us and
led us on grand adventures, a lifetime of service that helped shaped the per-
ceptions of tens of millions of Americans. Peter’s death from lung cancer in
2005 silenced a mighty voice. But his impact is indelible.
The principles that made Peter a broadcasting legend still reverberate
along the corridors of ABC News, informing the program that he led and
energizing the people who worked with him. His legacy is our commitment
to serious journalism, a goal that he fought for daily, and tenaciously, pitting
vii
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viii Introduction
his dynamic presence against the increasing commercial challenges of a rap-
idly changing business.
Outside the office, the magic of his friendship continues to brighten the
lives of everyone lucky enough to have connected with him personally. And
for those who knew him only as the suave TV anchor who reported the news
every night and made the world understandable, the memory of what we
had—and what we’ve lost—has not disappeared. You cannot work for ABC
News without having someone, somewhere, come up to you and say, “I miss
Peter Jennings.”
We all do.
Here, then, is a chance to remember him; to celebrate his life, and to
learn about this man who was, in heart and soul, a reporter.
For those of us who worship the same career gods, that is the ultimate
compliment. Peter Jennings was curious and insatiable in his drive to un-
cover the facts. He never took anything at face value and regularly chal-
lenged the status quo. He was fiercely competitive, but at the core a softie
whose concern for the most vulnerable beings on the planet could dissolve
him into tears. Even on the air.
Especially when the subject was his children. Nothing could make Peter
smile more brilliantly or show more concern than the mention of Lizzie
and Chris, the twin suns illuminating his personal universe. He cherished
their innocence as youngsters, then respected their individualism as adults,
a doting dad whose love knew no bounds.
The still point at the center of it all was his wife, Kayce. Their shared
passion—for life, for each other, for telling stories that make a difference,
and opening doors for those less fortunate—created an enviable partner-
ship that is reflected in the family’s decision to channel proceeds from this
project into the Peter Jennings Foundation, so that the dreams of others can
be realized as well.
That, too, is Peter Jennings’ legacy.
The words that follow come from his friends and family and colleagues
and competitors, and from some who got to know him as the questioner on
the other side of the camera. Most were recorded in the sorrow and shock
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Introduction ix
of the period between August 7, 2005—when Peter left us—and August
10, 2005, when ABC News aired a two-hour tribute to the man who had so
gracefully led our network. Because the interviews were conducted so
quickly, the voices are unusually raw—barely edited—captured in candor
and honesty, and reproduced here almost exactly as they were spoken. They
are by no means the only people whose lives intersected Peter’s. But they
produce a remarkably similar narrative with many recurrent themes, a uni-
versality of perception that arises from uncommonly gifted storytellers.
Also included are some excerpts from the memorial service for Peter one
month later, when those who knew him best had a chance to consider his
life even more thoughtfully.
Some of Peter’s own words are here too, culled from the many scripts,
speeches, and letters he wrote over the decades and selected from some in-
terviews he reluctantly gave to the reporters who could convince him that
his thoughts were, in fact, important to record.
The intimate portrait they paint is a triumph of collective memory—a
non-revisionist history of an era, of a profession, and, ultimately, of a most
astonishing human being. Think of it as a conversation, a conversation
about Peter Jennings and the reporting that he championed.
People were Peter’s touchstones. As you’ll read within, he connected with
every person he met. He didn’t use them. At a big event, Peter Jennings’
eyes never roamed the room for someone more important to buttonhole.
He zeroed in on you and made you believe that you were the only person
on the planet. He dazzled. He surprised. He worked his tail off to get it
right. And he understood the privilege and responsibility that come from
being a television star.
Not that he was a saint. He was not. Peter Jennings could be a pain in
whatever part of your anatomy is most vulnerable. He judged our words,
our clothes, our beaux, our goals. He could make you nuts. And yet, in the
end, he was often (no, Peter, not always, but often is pretty good) right.
Peter was our anchor in every sense of the word: as a loyal pal, a caring
colleague, the strongest link in our effort to chronicle the times that we live
in. For some of us, going out on assignment, or risking our careers, or lives,