CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who celebrated his 20th anniversary at the cable news channel in May, answered 20 questions from The Hill about his experiences there. Blitzer will also be celebrating five years hosting “The Situation Room” this week.
Blitzer reveals, among other things, the most embarrassing on-air gaffe that he had during his time there:
Early on, when I was covering the transition after Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992. Every other day he would announce new Cabinet members, and we were taking it all live. One day I just froze and I couldn’t remember the name of the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Usually when you forget something like that, one of your producers gets in your ear and reminds you, but nobody in the control room knew what I was talking about. Here I was, the former Pentagon correspondent, and how could I not know who the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee was? I felt like such an idiot. Eventually I remembered, but it probably took five or 10 seconds.
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Blitzer also talks about the origin of “The Situation Room,” what he would do if he wasn’t a journalist, and his crazy schedule:
It takes a long time to get the show ready. Two hours on television just doesn’t automatically happen. I’m up early, I’m reading newspapers online, talking to my staff, coming up with ideas. I’m on the go from early in the morning until 7 p.m., and when that show’s over then I can start to relax and go home or out to dinner.
It is an interesting read. Check out the full interview here.
(h/t ICN)