Norah O’Donnell is a staple at CBS News, now serving as the anchor of the CBS Evening News. The journalist spoke to HL about how she’s preparing to cover the 2020 election.
During a time when trusted news sources are continually blasted as “fake news” from the president, CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell has stood by her company, telling HollywoodLife.com that they are a “source for information, not affirmation.” “There are plenty of channels if you’re seeking affirmation. At CBS News, we really pride ourselves on being a trusted news source and that’s what we’re trying to do — real news every single night on the evening news. Our integrity is incredibly important,” the anchor told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview at Variety’s Salute To Service event at Cipriani 25. “I think a free press is incredibly important to the functioning of a democracy and it is one of the things that concerns me a great deal about the 2020 presidential election. There will be forces, both foreign and domestic, that will try and tear down the truth.”
Norah was honored at the annual event, presented by HISTORY and sponsored by USO, for highlighting the lives of the armed forces on CBS News. Looking ahead to 2020, she revealed her approach will “include a lot of fact-checking.” “My whole life has been about trying to establish myself as a journalist with integrity and so that’s why Republicans will do interviews with me and Democrats will do interviews with me,” she explained. “The American public is well read. They are, very, very smart, but we need to drill down in terms of the facts so that we can all make educated decisions. We’re trying to do that every night on the evening news.”
The mother of three added that, while it’s hard to check out from the 24-hour news cycle, she gets away from it all by turning off her phone. “I think we have to do that, so for instance this morning I was busy, busy, doing emails and texts and checking in. And so the best thing I did was put my phone down and go for a run,” she said. “The proof is in the pudding that sweat is your sanity, so I say to myself, ‘Do more of it!’”