CNN anchor John Roberts is profiled in Toronto’s Eye Weekly, and responds to the “sixth estate” (the blogosphere and others who are “relentlessly parsing the content of television news”).
Roberts is asked about his most recent comment that was picked up by some on the Net — his use of “we” when referring to Democrats.
“Feedback from viewers is great,” he says. “But that’s different from the ranters who will rant about anything, especially those fierce partisans taking issue with whatever doesn’t fit their view of politics. We’re not going to change their view of the world.”
He also discusses the distinction that makes CNN avoid partisanship. “We’re offering personality, not partisanship,” he says. “That means being personable with the guests and connecting with them, while never injecting my own opinion.”
The feature traces Roberts life in television back to his days as a VJ (which The Daily Show recently parodied): “I never got my ears pierced, never got tattooed, never really had the full immersion into that culture. The main part of the job wasn’t just throwing to the videos, it was connecting to the most intelligent people we could find.”