Couric: My Biggest Job Is Getting Viewers “To Understand Why They Should Care”

Some quotables from Parade’s cover story on Katie Couric:

> On her CBS gig: “I have a big job to do. The biggest job isn’t telling people what happened. It’s getting them to understand why they should care.”

> On the loss of her husband: “I’m doing great. My kids are thriving. But when I see a father walking down the street with a little girl and holding her hand, my feeling of loss is palpable. I’m so envious. We were ripped off. I was ripped off, and that’s all there is to it… But this is the life we’ve been given, so what can you do?”

> On criticism: “She mentions what Australians call the ‘tall poppy syndrome’ — building up a public figure in order to chop that person down. ‘Maybe it’s my size. Maybe it’s my looks. Maybe it’s my gender. Maybe it’s just…’ She doesn’t use the word ‘jealousy,’ but it hangs, unspoken, in the air.”

> On her future: “It’s not as though I know I’m going to be on the air until I’m 75… I don’t know how long I’m going to do this. I may want to write. I may want to work for NPR. I don’t know what I’ll do.”