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Monday, February 12, 2018

God and Norah O'Donnell

Norah O'Donnell's Sunday Tradition


Few people understand the constraints that journalists are under when it comes to personal beliefs better than I. When we're reporting, we're supposed to leave our religious views at the door. But what about those times when we aren't working?

I saw something on Sunday that broke my heart. It was an interview with Norah O' Donnell, host of  CBS This Morning, for Parade Magazine. The interview claimed to cover "truth in journalism and Sunday traditions." O'Donnell was asked how she spent Sundays as a child. She said that she grew up going to a Catholic church in San Antonio, Texas, and was never allowed to miss Mass, a routine that she claimed was "incredibly important" to her. Following that, she said she and her family would watch 60 Minutes.

The follow-up question was, "And how do you spend Sundays now?" Her response: "We have family dinners and watch 60 Minutes. That's one thing that's remained constant in 40 years." Her point was that she always wanted to be a 60 Minutes correspondent. Yet I can't help but wonder if she considered how her answer would sound. Did she mean to imply that what is most important to her and her children now, rather than her religious tradition, is a television show?

Having been interviewed myself, I know that sometimes answers can be edited to the point where the meaning changes. I hope that was the case here. But if not, what will O'Donnell's children say was incredibly important about their Sunday routines growing up?