It was definitely fate that I happened to be directing the PBS Newshour coverage of the Electoral College Count on January 6, 2021. We had been on a week-on, week-off schedule for the pandemic for ten months by then so it just happened to be my day.
What began at noon and expected to last maybe up to one hour, given previous instances of this practice on former election years. turned into something else entirely. You know. You saw it. There’s a difference between watching something so completely horrifying, depending upon your perspective as a citizen of this country, and actually having to orchestrate shots so our viewers could get the total picture of what we were seeing on multiple cameras. It’s definitely something I’ll never forget and many of us who are in the media are still in therapy to get rid of the jitters. We couldn’t turn away. We couldn’t blink. We had to watch the entire thing non-stop.
This is the kind of thing that stays with you.
I’ll be completely honest about how I was affected by that day. It was like a nightmare. There were already many weeks during the previous national political administration when I was physically afraid driving home from work in the evenings because of the rhetoric that had become more than lip service. There used to be a time when having a press pass or identification card would halfway impress people who wanted to hear about who you knew or what any number of television personalities were really like. During these more troubling times, many of us stopped wearing the free swag we receive from our stations or networks because we were being targeted. For years now I have refused to tell people what I do for a living when I’m on vacation because then the conversation becomes “the media this” or “the media that”. Back in the day it was more “can you get me a better picture on my television set” or “will you take the photo for me?”
I miss that period of innocence.
Things are different now.
People are out here thinking that everybody is making up the story when the majority of the outlets are merely reporting on the facts. I think the recent developments in a certain trial where the principal characters have admitted under oath that they were lying to their viewers should change some people’s minds – but if that’s the only news outlet someone watches, they’ll never hear about the trial or the admissions because that network isn’t broadcasting any stories about the trial. People will continue to believe the Big Lie because they won’t know any better. It’s crazy.
What happened at PBS Newshour on January 6 2021 was one of the most impressive displays of teamwork I have experienced in a very long time under such intense circumstances. We had a formidable correspondent inside the Capitol who we could not evacuate so she continued to report the story in the midst of the chaos. If ever I had to go to battle I would take Lisa Desjardins with me.
The production manager, Kam Johnson, kept Lisa’s signal connected all day. It felt like, if we could keep our eyes on her, we could keep her safe. We were tethered together by phone and whenever the signal dropped, Kam was quick to get it reestablished. That was the lifeline between Lisa and the control room.
Another correspondent was outside on the perimeter of the fray named Amna Nawaz who is now one of the new co-anchors of the PBS Newshour. We had to keep her crew moving away from the crowds and I feared for the safety of all my colleagues on the scene for all the hours they were there. Other news crews had been attacked and had equipment destroyed. We didn’t want to become a part of the story, especially not that way.
In the chair was the unflappable Judy Woodruff narrating the action while we in the control room provided the shots. Engineers kept finding other camera resources and would run down the hall with a new list for us to access in order to give our viewer every possible angle. All my technical directors and audio personnel were crisp and we fell into a very comfortable flow while we were on the air for the entire rest of the day, well into the evening, watching the situation continue to unfold.
All that said, months and months later, we were rewarded with The Peabody Award for January 6th Reporting.
https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/january-6th-reporting/
We also received a National Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Live Breaking News Coverage.
https://theemmys.tv/news/43rd-nominations/
For me, it was an honor to be recognized for a craft I’ve worked on improving since I was first allowed to direct local newscasts and some public affairs shows at W*USA (formerly WDMV) – also formerly known as The One And Only TV 9. Those were the really, really, good, old days in Washington television broadcasting. It also made a difference to me that it was Live Breaking News Coverage because that is some exciting, on-the-fly action.
There’s NOTHING like doing a live show but it was unnerving that the coverage was of this particular event, when our very democracy was under attack by people who would rather see some of us back in chains. Look at the guy in Tennessee right now who wants to revive lynching. You can’t make up all the sick stuff that happens out here in these streets, in these states.
I figured the Peabody Award and a National Emmy nomination would be a fitting way for me to say goodbye to a career…but not until the Black People knew about it. You already know that bad news travels fast but good news sometimes doesn’t get out the door.
With the help from some friends like Joia Jefferson and Maureen Bunyan, this news has finally made its way to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ):
https://blacknewsandviews.com/black-director-pbs-newshour-honored-for-jan-6th-coverage/
and most importantly to my Alma Mater,
The Mecca
The Hilltop
The Black Harvard
King of the Black Ivy League (I just made up that one but I kinda like it) –
Howard University
(HU – You KNOW!)
and the Cathy Hughes School of Communication Newsletter to Alumnae!
https://communications.howard.edu/news-events/newsletters
It’s in the February Newsletter.
My mom and dad are gone from this physical plane though they are with me in spirit 24/7/365 or 6 if it’s a leap year. They would have been the most proud. In lieu of them being able to celebrate with me and for me, I’m happy that now the Black People know, so my time spent in this industry has not been in vain. I now feel like I’ve contributed something to our ongoing story of success when given opportunity.
I can retire from television broadcasting as a happy camper and move on to whatever is next.
Thank you for indulging me.