Ford: Representing The WH Press Corps

Gerald Ford called Tom Brokaw last year and asked the former NBC Nightly News anchor to participate in his eventual funeral service. “I think he wanted to be sure the White House press corps was represented,” Brokaw said this morning at the Washington National Cathedral.

Brokaw also said:

“As a journalist, I was especially grateful for his appreciation of our role, even when we challenged his policies and taxed his patience with our constant presence and persistence. We could be adversaries, but we were never his enemy, and that was a welcome change in status from his predecessor’s time.”

And:

“There were other advantages to being a member of this press corps that we didn’t advertise quite as widely: We went to Vail at Christmas and Palm Springs at Easter time, with our families. Now cynics might argue that contributed to our affection for him. That is not a premise that I wish to challenge.”