Howard Kurtz interviews Katie Couric for his Washington Post column today. Excerpts:
• On the subject of how both Couric and Sen. Hillary Clinton are covered by the press: “I identify with her to a certain extent because we share a gender. I’m sensitive to coverage that can be very subtly stacked against her, maybe a headline that has a little more snarkiness about her…I understand that kind of coverage because I’ve experienced it myself.”
• On the amount of time the broadcast networks spend on Iraq War coverage: “It’s a conundrum. Just because people have tired of this war doesn’t mean we should stop covering it. You wrestle with it on a nightly basis.”
• On the evening newscast ratings game: “I’ve never really judged my worth by ratings. It was nice to be number one on the Today show, but to me it was more important to do a good show. Our broadcast, I think, is of really good quality. Hopefully more people will come to it. I feel really good about the job I’m doing every single night.”
• On the viral video outtakes of Couric in lighter, off-air moments: “I thought it was funny. It’s really hard to show that side of my personality on the evening news, and that’s a frustration for me.”