Our Man at the White House
Story by Suma Clark
Photo by Shana Raab
White House producer for NBC News since October 1997, Ken's career includes work at Nashville's Channel 2; CNN; the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., where he won a Peabody Award for a documentary; and at NBC's Dateline. Ken might be found in one of three places: at the White House working with correspondents deciding how to cover the first family or the vice president; at the news bureau editing videotape; or on a field assignment (or preparing for one). "If the President is on the road," says Ken, who's been to more than eight countries in the last year.
"Working at the White House is perceived to be prestigious, but the hours are long and it's very taxing - you're continually adjusting your body clock; you're trying to balance what the public needs to know and wants to know," he explains. But one of the driving forces for Ken is realizing that he has the opportunity to "be a witness to history."
Reflecting on the unexpected turns in covering President Clinton, Ken says "You wrestle with what the polls, family and friends, your own conscience, and your bosses say. It's very difficult and frustrating." He describes Clinton as "one of the most charismatic persons I've ever seen; his conviction on certain issues is unparalleled. But then, I ask myself 'How can he be so stupid in his personal life?'"
There's no place for personal bias in Ken's work, however. "It's not our place as journalists to harden or soften stories. It's our responsibiltiy to make a story as balanced and accurate as possible." His awareness of the media's power makes him worry that "perhaps the media has grown too aggressive. Within a moment, [it] can change our stock market or defense status; we have the ability to change lives."
The unavoidable competitiveness of the '90s is troubling, too: "In the rush to get on the air, we also rush to judgement."
Ken gives back to MTSU by speaking to classes, remembering from his own student days how meeting and hearing Emory King, then NBC White House correspondent, influenced him. That was just part of what made him "well armed" at graduation. "I had professors who went above and beyond - they believed in me more than I believed in myself," he recalls. "I came to MTSU (from Chicago) for football but also because I'd heard there was a good communications program," he tells current students. His down-to-earth advice includes some pointers for getting that first job: "Have some idea of what you want to do, but make it reasonable. Think of a second-tier job; for example, if you want to be a reporter, get in the door by applying for any available job. Employers are looking for experience times three; show what you did, where, and when. And go back to the stations where you interned - start there." Stressing the importance of experience, he says, "It's not enough to do an internship; you need to have done something that actually aired. Go to the station and pick the worst shift, the most unpopular, and volunteer. TV is not something that is handed to you; you have to work."
He tells students to have a good attitude and avoid frustration by realizing that many decisions revolve around money; to seize any opportunity for learning and gaining experience. "Remember, opportunity is where luck and preparation meet," he smiles.
Ken explains that while being a reporter seems glamorous, it's the off-camera people such as the news directors and producer who decide what stories will air. "It's a great business - every now and then you will change the world, make a difference."
This article has been reproduced with permission. The original story was printed in the Summer / Fall 1999 issue of MTSU Magazine .Photo by Shana Raab.