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Connie: A Memoir
Connie Chung
4.37
328 ratings51 reviews
In an industry dominated by white men, Connie Chung stood alone, the first and only Asian woman to break into the television news industry. This is her extraordinary story, told with incisive wit and remarkable candor. Connie Chung is a pioneer. In 1969 at the age of 23, this once-shy daughter of Chinese parents took her first job at a local TV station in her hometown of Washington, D.C. and soon thereafter began working at CBS news as a correspondent. Profoundly influenced by her family’s cultural traditions, yet growing up completely Americanized in the United States, Chung describes her career as an Asian woman in a white male-centered world. Overt sexism was a way of life, but Chung was tenacious in her pursuit of stories – battling rival reporters to secure scoops that ranged from interviewing Magic Johnson to covering the Watergate scandal – and quickly became a household name. She made history when she achieved her dream of being the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News and the first Asian to anchor any news program in the U.S. Chung pulls no punches as she provides a behind-the-scenes tour of her singular life. From showdowns with powerful men in and out of the newsroom to the stories behind some of her career-defining reporting and the unwavering support of her husband, Maury Povich, nothing is off-limits – good, bad, or ugly. So be sure to tune in for an irreverent and inspiring this is CONNIE like you’ve never seen her before.
GenresMemoirNonfictionBiographyAudiobookFeminismHistoryBiography Memoir
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336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 51 reviews
Hannah Im
1,535 reviews78 followers
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October 3, 2024
There’s a lot going on in this book. Things that stuck out: 1) the moment with Jimmy Carter cracked me up, 2) my estimation of Maury Povich has hugely risen after reading this book, 3) her family dynamics are out of Asian whack (she essentially acted as the oldest child would, though she is the youngest), 4) the amount of red tape she must’ve gone through had to have taken years to get through (guessing), because she names names!!!, and many of these people are still alive!!!!!, 5) Dan Rather, you are a tiny, tiny man, and I hate that the public has already forgiven you for your compromise of journalistic ethics, which you do not deserve, especially given what you did to Connie Chung, and I shall never forgive you.
I just realized Constance Wu may have been among the generation of women who chose their names after Connie Chung. (I read this book after seeing this post on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAEq_6lyU...)
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Gemini
1,164 reviews
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September 26, 2024
I Like Her
I didn’t know much about Connie Chung, but there was something about her that appealed to me. I always thought that she was so bright and so pretty. I was interested in learning more about her. Immediately, I was drawn to her candor. She didn’t hold back on how she felt about people. She was a little sassy and a lot spunky. I loved that. She came off as so poised and unbreakable. I really enjoyed learning about her courtship with Maury. Her family’s background was also very interesting. I wasn’t as invested in some of her political recollections, but I loved hearing about her career path. She spilled some good tea about some big name folks. I’m glad that I got to know Connie Chung better. She’s my kinda lady.
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Sierra SeaWitch
57 reviews
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October 5, 2024
I received an advance copy and am so excited to share how much I loved this book! CONNIE is funny, heartwarming, thoughtful, and did I say funny?! Between the surprising story of her family's escape from a war-torn China to the inner workings of a broadcast news station to Connie and Maury's adoption journey… I didn’t know what to expect and was amazed throughout. I kept calling out to my husband, “Hey! Did you know…” and would repeat some tea or tidbit she dropped probably once a chapter. I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook next so I can hear the story in her own voice.
8 likes
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Stacy
26 reviews2 followers
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September 23, 2024
An icon!!!!
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Stanjay Daniels
599 reviews18 followers
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September 30, 2024
Dive into Connie’s absolutely thrilling memoir and embark on an awe-inspiring odyssey! From the roots of her immigrant parents’ bold journey to the U.S. with dreams of weaving a promising future for their family, to Connie’s unique perspective as the only U.S.-born individual in her clan, her tale is electrifying. Witness her relentless pursuit of a dream career, navigate the high seas of a male-dominated journalism landscape, and balance the joys and trials of marriage and motherhood.
As a child of immigrants myself, Connie’s narrative struck a deep chord, shedding light on the universal hustles for familial duty and personal success. Her candid exploration of facing racism and sexism head-on is nothing short of courageous. It’s a beacon for women everywhere! Plus, getting the inside scoop on her most impactful news stories and celebrity interviews? Utterly fascinating.
Having Connie voice her own story in the audiobook added a layer of intimacy and charm that was simply captivating. Her confidence and warmth leap through each word. Buckle up for an unforgettable journey through Connie’s life – an emblem of resilience, ambition, and the sheer power of storytelling.
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Sharon Bautista
146 reviews9 followers
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September 23, 2024
Before this book, I hadn’t really thought about how culturally distant the heyday of television news is and that my generation may be one of the last that can remember the voices of Connie Chung, Dan Rather, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw et al emanating from the living room TV. Chung covered basically all of the news of my childhood and adolescence, which is the same stuff it seems that Netflix and competitors love to turn into limited series these days: Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis, silicone implants, Nancy and Tonya, OJ, the Oklahoma City bombing, etc.
Chung’s story is a messy one, largely of grit and—more than I expected—candid compromises. She doesn’t much communicate her distinct talents or passions or the lasting effects of the paths she paved. The end of the memoir makes it seem like her primary legacy is all of the women who have been named after her, which feels faddish like television. Ultimately, that legacy also points to the perniciousness of the racism and misogyny that Chung pushed past and that feels devastatingly contemporary.
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Kristi
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October 6, 2024
This was great on audio! I didn’t realize the span of Connie’s career and all the barriers she and all female news anchors were up against. I particularly enjoyed Connie’s humor and how positive she is. Also, from how she describes her infertility, I feel our autoimmune disorder are the same or similar. She was brave to tell her story. Probably my favorite memoir so far this year.
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Amanda ~lilacsandliterature
191 reviews82 followers
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October 1, 2024
So good. Connie is a badass for the ages.
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Savannah Vetter
148 reviews2 followers
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September 25, 2024
Connie Chung is a freaking bad ass! This was an incredibly fun listen (read by Connie) and who knew she was married to THE Maury?
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Mediaman
1,164 reviews70 followers
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October 8, 2024
Self-admitted liar Connie Chung weaves some fascinating tales (thankfully slamming the horrible Dan Rather and the mean Bryant Gumbel) mixed with a shockingly large inability to recall specifics and details. For a supposed "journalist" she lacks many of the basics of what it means to be an honest reporter, unless she's attempting to do creative writing. While her stories hit all the important marks in her life, many are either insufficient in specifics or are simply difficult to believe.
It's filled with put-downs of men but constant bragging about herself, her husband, and her child. There are a number of false claims made, a lack of understand about the TV business, and a dramatic lack of introspection to consider her own many flaws. She hides behind repeated claims of sexism or racism, which is difficult to hear from a rich successful woman who did things no other had ever achieved.
It's laugh-out-loud absurd when she repeatedly claims to hold to high "journalistic" standards of "truth," then also mentions her lying, cheating, and stealing. So much for her understanding of the words "ethical journalism." While I welcome her lightly sharing her many faults (as well as her repeatedly hinting at sexual affairs she had with some famous men), she lacks introspection or redemption. Instead she's a tease--thinking we will appreciate her coy suggestiveness as being a bad girl. You'll just roll your eyes that a nationally known (and historic) anchorwomen would do these kind of things, much less mention them.
Chung, of course, was famously caught on camera with Newt Gingrich's mother, asking a question that Connie said would be "just between you and me." Then she made Mrs. Gingrich's response the headline of the entire interview that was made news throughout the world (that Newt thought Hilary Clinton was a "bitch"). Chung devotes a chapter to it, unsuccessfully trying to defend herself but never stating the truth--that she lied to Mrs. Gingrich and broke all journalistic honor by airing what the source was told would be confidential. Even with a camera running, if a reporter says it's off the record they can't use it. Period.
Chung was no stranger to lying. She admits that she would tell "fibs" when younger in order to keep herself from being embarrassed by the truth about her lower-class status in America. Even as an older adult, when the National Enquirer told her they were doing a story on her newborn baby, she agreed to cooperate, writing, "We would mask any accurate information and allow the tabloid to make mistakes." Yes, you read that right. She intentionally allowed lies and covered up the truth. That's unethical and the opposite of true journalism.
She also frequently in the text says that she can't recall specifics and details about almost everything. Major life events? She doesn't recall much and there are years that are skipped. Do you think she'd confirm with siblings or co-workers or even online? Nope, usually she just says she has a bad memory.
So how can you believe when she tells the harrowing story of her family leaving China, which happened before she was born? She admits she never talked to her parents about most of it--so how can she claim things happened with such certainty?
Or what do you do with her claim of being sexually assaulted in college by her family doctor? Here are her words: "The exact date and year are fuzzy, but details of the event are vivid." But those "details" take up only a couple sentences and there honestly isn't much to it. His touching her private parts was part of an exam, and the weirdest part was that she claims she was brought to orgasm before he bent down to give her a kiss ("a peck on the lips"). But she can't remember when this happened? She writes that those details are "insignificant." Well, Connie, without any evidence those details become very significant and raise suspicions about the validity of the story.
She didn't tell others, lied to avoid going to see the doctor again, and then decades later says husband Maury Povich was the first she ever told about it: "Was it before or after we were married? I don't remember." Seriously? She doesn't recall telling the supposedly most horrific thing in her lifetime for the only time she has ever told it?
Then Connie dares to defend feminist operative Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who claimed future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were teens. First, the two situations were completely different, and second, there was zero proof of either event occurring. You cannot just simply believe an accusation when there is no evidence, and there are cases where women try to falsely accuse men for a variety of reasons (including political) or have false memories. Wish we'd as a society work as hard to find out the truth about accused men as liberals are trying to free actual killers and criminals.
It's extremely ironic (or hypocritical) when later in the book Chung describes a similar unwelcome sexual advance by Senator George McGovern, the Democrat running for president of the United States. He invites her to his vacation home while his wife isn't there and tries to kiss her "in a dark, narrow hallway." This is not reported by her as a sexual assault or harassment, but she seems to take it as a compliment, writing, "It was not an aggressive act. Just a surprising one."
So the doctor that kissed her just a few feet from his wife in the office was a bad guy but this married famous American Senator that coerced her into his private home while his wife was gone was being nice by giving her an unwanted kiss? Why, because McGovern was a powerful political liberal that she doesn't want to make look bad? The book is filled with these types of contradictions, which diminish her repeated claims of being a consistent feminist truth-teller.
So there is no evidence here for a number of claims she makes. As a "journalist" she should know better--her spewing her opinions doesn't make any of this accurate or true. Her ridiculous claim that she feared speaking up to support Blasey Ford because "In telling my story, I crossed the invisible line I had assiduously avoided my entire career. Shielding my personal thoughts and biases, especially in my news reporting, was crucial to my credibility." Ha! Is she serious? She was one of the most obnoxious, opinionated, mean-spirited, anti-conservative "journalists" out there. Just look at the Newt Gingrich story, where an off-the-record comment was misused unethically to make the Republican Speaker of the House look bad.
Connie Chung should be ashamed. True journalists shouldn't hide their liberal biases as she claims and pretend of be objective. They have to be fair and handle accurately the truth but it's better to admit up front that you have biases, then let us decide whether we can trust what you present to us. In this case, she's delusional and in denial, offering a life story that isn't objective or completely honest.
china journalism memoir
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Best Books of 2024
Connie Chung Signed Off, but She Isn’t Done Talking
In a frank and entertaining new memoir, the TV newscaster recounts how sexism, and Dan Rather, sidelined her groundbreaking career.
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A photograph of Connie Chung shows an Asian American woman in a bright crimson blazer and white collared blouse, sitting behind an anchor desk in a television news studio. She is smiling; her right hand holds a pen and the opposite arm rests on a sheaf of papers.
Connie Chung at the “CBS Evening News” anchor desk. She shared the top job with Dan Rather for two years.Credit...CBS, via Getty Images
By Margaret Sullivan
Margaret Sullivan is executive director of the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security at Columbia Journalism School and the author of “Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) From an Ink-Stained Life.”
Sept. 17, 2024
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When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.
The day she was named co-anchor of the “ CBS Evening News” alongside Dan Rather, Connie Chung felt that she had reached the pinnacle of broadcast journalism.
“Thursday, May 14, 1993, was the best day of my professional life. … I had my dream job,” she writes in an entertaining and revealing memoir that traces the triumphs and disappointments of her prominent career.
The anchor appointment meant even more because she was a Chinese American woman, brought up by strict parents; in accordance with tradition, she lived with them until she was nearly 30, even as she was climbing the ladder — often wearing stiletto heels.
In “Connie,” Chung writes breezily and with irreverent humor about the scoops, the internal politics and the pure hustle that eventually got her to the top. She worked the Watergate beat for CBS in Washington in the 1970s and moved to Los Angeles to anchor the CBS-owned local station before her big break came — and big, it certainly was.
In her era, network newscasts ruled the airwaves, cable news was just beginning its rise and news flooding in via smartphone was more than a decade away. The evening anchors were household names.
Rather had been named the immediate successor to the revered Walter Cronkite at what was nicknamed the Tiffany Network, so the promotion of an Asian American woman to work alongside him was quite a breakthrough.
But Chung’s seat at the anchor’s desk would be short-lived.
Image
The cover of “Connie” is a black-and-white photograph of Connie Chung wearing a white blazer.
In a chapter titled “The Ax,” she describes the life-changing, if not entirely unexpected, call from her agent just as she was about to go on the air one evening. That telecast, only two years after her appointment, would be her last on the “CBS Evening News With Dan Rather and Connie Chung.”
Rather again would anchor solo. Years later, he too would famously be ousted from the anchor chair, and eventually from CBS altogether, after his involvement in a controversial story about George W. Bush’s Vietnam-era service in the National Guard.
As Chung persuasively maintains, sexism shadowed her career.
“Many men in television news, especially those who became anchormen, contracted a disease: big-shot-itis,” she writes. “It was characterized by a swelling of the head, an inability to stop talking, self-aggrandizing behavior, narcissistic tendencies, unrelenting hubris, delusions of grandeur and fantasies of sexual prowess.”
Network bosses stuck her with frothy reporting assignments. Instead of covering wars like the guys, she was relegated to stories like the ice-skating scandal involving Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.
Worse, though, was the network’s handling of her 1995 interview with Newt Gingrich’s mother, an incident that would become known in TV circles as “Bitchgate.” During a face-to-face exchange, the new House speaker’s mother confided to Chung, in a whisper, that her son had called Hillary Clinton a derogatory name; when CBS released a brief, out-of-context clip of the recorded interview, it gave the false impression that Chung had tricked her.
But it’s Rather who is most directly in Chung’s cross hairs. She portrays him as controlling, unwilling to share the spotlight and even as the perpetrator of a stealth campaign to TV critics and colleagues about how her journalism didn’t measure up.
After she was dumped from the evening newscast, CBS offered Chung various less prestigious roles. As she struggled with whether to accept, fate intervened. Over the years, Chung had suffered several miscarriages, and she and her husband, the well-known talk show host Maury Povich, had been trying to adopt. Only two days after she tumbled from the journalistic heights, word came that a baby boy had been born and would come to them as adoptive parents.
Approaching 50, Chung walked away from CBS News, and into life as a mother. She describes the happiness that her long marriage and new baby brought, and brings candor and vulnerability to her later efforts to revive her career.
“I succeeded in having it all, although at different stages of my life,” she reflects. “First a career, then a baby. … Surely, the topsy-turvy order is not for all.”
What sweetens the memories is that another consolation prize would come along. In 2019, she writes, a young reporter named Connie Wang got in touch. As it turned out (and was later documented in a 2023 New York Times Opinion piece, “Generation Connie”), a remarkable number of Asian American parents had proudly named their baby daughters after her.
For Chung, who felt great pressure to bring honor to the family name — she sometimes wished she were a man and thus better able to do so — this discovery had great meaning. “I had always perceived my career as rocky,” she writes. “Dare I rethink my life’s work was worthy after all?”
Chung’s heartbreaking career was also groundbreaking — not only in the moment and on the air, but in the “sisterhood of Connies” who form a living legacy.
CONNIE: A Memoir | By Connie Chung | Grand Central Publishing | 336 pp. | $32.50
See more on: CBS News, Dan Rather
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MDCooks8 commented September 18
MDCooks8
MDCooks8
The Old New World
Sept. 18
Dan Rather has worked extremely hard to have his record and reputation cleaned up in order to whitewash his past, which is great to hear about Connie Chung putting the record straight about Rather.
39 RecommendShareFlag
David G commented September 18
D
David G
Hudson Valley NY
Sept. 18
To be honest, I never thought too highly of Connie Chung as a journalist. My most vivid recollection is her tawdry pursuit of the execrable Tonya Harding.
On the other hand, when I read Dan Rather’s memoir, it confirmed that he was just an old gas bag, exaggerating his journalism successes, and minimizing his often shoddy reporting.
I’m glad for her current happiness.
I think we’ve heard enough from both of them.
19 RecommendShareFlag
Eisenhower Dwight D. commented September 18
E
Eisenhower Dwight D.
Safe
Sept. 18
Having met Dan Rather through a close friend of mine and his, I can tell you that he is not only imperious, but highly protective of his mythic personal brand, unlike Edward R. Murrow.
21 RecommendShareFlag
Chris commented September 18
C
Chris
California
Sept. 18
I remember her coming across as very smart and articulate. Part of what this shows though, I think, is that the news is also a business, even more so now, but even 30 years ago. Sending her to interview Tanya Harding was probably good business and even CBS News had to mix high brow and low brow to “pay the bills” and give the people “what they wanted”. I think her marriage and association with Maury Povich probably did not help her image if she wanted to be taken more seriously and seen as a serious news reporter!
11 RecommendShareFlag
Eben Spinoza commented September 18
Eben Spinoza
Eben Spinoza
Bay Area
Sept. 18
Chung started out as a local reporter in NYC.
Her ascent seemed completely natural.
12 RecommendShareFlag
camper commented September 18
c
camper
Virginia Beach, VA
Sept. 18
Connie Chung is a journalistic icon, in my opinion.
37 RecommendShareFlag
000-222 commented September 18
0
000-222
New York, NY
Sept. 18
I'm assuming there was more stuff that wasn't fit to print. That's how this has worked. The people falling over backwards to give Rather or network news in general the benefit of doubt are showing their ignorance of the longstanding extent of antiasian bias and silencing of women when it comes to these things.
25 RecommendShareFlag
Jules commented September 18
J
Jules
Oregon
Sept. 18
Should have kept Chung over Rather. Hind sight is 20 20. Thanks for all you did Connie Chung. You are one good looking, smart, professional and fun-to-listen-to woman.
37 RecommendShareFlag
Dane Claussen commented September 18
D
Dane Claussen
Greenville, PA
Sept. 18
When Walter Isaacson at CNN hired Connie Chung, I wrote him a letter telling him it was a mistake and that CNN would end up firing her--which is exactly what happened, and sooner rather than later. Not exactly ready for national prime-time.
(BTW, does the book tell the story of when Bill Gates criticized her and walked out in the middle of an interview because she asked him about a topic that his people and her people had agreed in advance that she would not ask him about?)
4 RecommendShareFlag
Nancy commented September 18
N
Nancy
Maryland
Sept. 18
One of the best stories about Connie Chung appeared in the NYT last year. I the video at the end of the article truly made me tear up.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/11/opinion/connie-chung-named-after.html?searchResultPosition=3
I can’t wait to read her book.
12 RecommendShareFlag
Dianes commented September 18
D
Dianes
California
Sept. 18
I always liked Connie Chung. It is a shame that Dan Rather, who I had met, would act badly towards her.
Television expands egos who are too immature to resist the allure of power.
16 RecommendShareFlag
Ben commented September 18
Ben
Ben
NJ
Sept. 18
I suspect Rather would not have been happy with ANY co-anchor. I’d need more facts before I would accuse him of sexism.
8 RecommendShareFlag
JJ commented September 18
J
JJ
USA
Sept. 18
I remember watching her interview with Newt Gingrich's mother, and thinking how much respect I lost for her at that moment. But let's keep that "just between you and me."
6 RecommendShareFlag
bob commented September 18
b
bob
bobville
Sept. 18
Forget her ethnicity, she was just a great newscaster.
14 RecommendShareFlag
Ann commented September 18
A
Ann
New Orleans
Sept. 18
Connie Chung was highly regarded as an anchor by the public and I am surprised she did not know how well thought of she was by so many.
Dan Rather was a bully and definitely fit her characterization of him. This is well known among those who knew him professionally and personally.
17 RecommendShareFlag
Rachel commented September 18
Rachel
Rachel
Brooklyn
Sept. 18
Reading many of the comments on this review and the perimenopause article yesterday is like a depressing window into the sexism, subconscious and otherwise, that still pervades virtually every corner of American life. Remembering the way the elevation of a supremely qualified Black man to the presidency turbocharged displays of public racism and indirectly contributed to our current political nightmare (to be clear: none of it Obama’s fault, it was the unworthiness of many citizens), I’m despairing of November’s outcome…either voting will once again result in the objectively worst, least qualified human possible defeating an eminently superb and far superior woman candidate, just as it did 8 years ago - or, if Harris wins, the male rage (and cross-gender racism) her victory and subsequent power would evoke is almost certain to be incoherently incandescent.
26 RecommendShareFlag
Don commented September 18
D
Don
Burlington CT
Sept. 18
I'm trying to think of a significant, meaty story that she ever broke ... or even one that she significantly advanced.
Coming up empty.
5 RecommendShareFlag
Chris Allen commented September 18
C
Chris Allen
ATL
Sept. 18
While certainly not Cronkite or Wallace, Connie Chung was a capable journalist who did a good job throughout her career. Look forward to the book.
Rather’s behavior, however, is yet another example that all too often the biggest enemy of women are the “Progressive” men (Lauer, Clinton, Weinstein, Diddy, Don Lemon, Charlie Rose, Hart, etc . . .) who claim to advocate for them. Male feminism generally ends when said man actually loses something he feels entitled to.
13 RecommendShareFlag
David H. commented September 18
D
David H.
Miami Beach, FL
Sept. 18
Connie was the best. I also thought the personality and rapport during Connie's interviews, for instance, recommended more than reading a teleprompter in the manner of "anchors".
3 RecommendShareFlag
Mookie commented September 18
M
Mookie
Emerald City is Closed
Sept. 18
As a biracial 4th Gen Asian American, I was elated Connie was catapulted to the nightly anchor desk.
Discovering Maury was her partner was too funny.
The Bitchgate seemed a purposeful inside job.
Seeing the patriarchal alter egos of male anchors is so Machiavellian and creepy.
Thank goodness network news isn’t the staple anymore.
I boycott them.
8 RecommendShareFlag
WG commented September 18
W
WG
WI
Sept. 18
Some of these "news anchors" may start out as journalists, but are quickly morphed into what the Brits more accurately label "news readers". TV is a very inefficient place to find news.
13 RecommendShareFlag
John commented September 18
J
John
WPG
Sept. 18
Does anyone else see the pattern here ? Connie Chung anchoring the news -- suddenly she's gone. Katie Couric anchoring the CBS evening news -- suddenly she's gone! Nora O'Donnell anchoring the CBS evening news -- suddenly she's gone. Apparently CBS is incapable of having a female national news anchor. The problem isn't Connie or Katie or Nora -- the problem is CBS.
40 RecommendShareFlag
Alice Pope commented September 18
A
Alice Pope
Los Angeles
Sept. 18
Sorry, but I’m not buying this new version of the facts. Chung lost me forever when she betrayed Newt’s mother…I suggest readers go back and watch the clip on YouTube.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Patricia commented September 18
P
Patricia
Tampa
Sept. 18
I hope there is some comfort to her in knowing just how very insecure she made Dan Rather.
7 RecommendShareFlag
Bob commented September 18
B
Bob
Vail Arizona
Sept. 18
The photo of Connie Chung, surrounded by women who had been named after her, is one of the most touching I have ever seen.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/11/opinion/connie-chung-named-after.html
Even more touching is that she had no idea that her name had spread so widely until 2019.
Truly and amazing legacy of inspiration.
7 RecommendShareFlag
Ray commented September 18
R
Ray
Maryland
Sept. 18
Who is Dan Rather! This 24 year old barely recalls, but Connie Chung - that is a name that will be remembered.
9 RecommendShareFlag
Gold Coast commented September 18
G
Gold Coast
Chicago
Sept. 18
Not jumping on the hagiography wagon here. She was often ill informed and embarrassing in pursuit of lame gotcha moments trying to pass as Hard-Hitting. Watch the interview with Navratilova: what an affront.
7 RecommendShareFlag
FredT commented September 18
F
FredT
Nyc
Sept. 18
Having been married to ab ABC WOMEN of CC’s age group,I can confidently say my wife and Connie were born 50 or say 55 yrs to soon.
RecommendShareFlag
SLP commented September 18
S
SLP
Washington, DC
Sept. 18
When Rather was touring with his first book, he kept the overflow crowd waiting for over an hour at Politics & Prose in DC. When he finally showed up, he spoke for 10 minutes and then stopped, saying, "We're here to sell books." I believe Chung when she says he's arrogant and sexist.
5 RecommendShareFlag
AR commented September 18
A
AR
San Francisco
Sept. 18
I can still hear my racist grandfather ranting and claiming to not understand "that woman." People today can't possibly imagine all the racist hate she faced, and in particular the anti-Asian vitriol. Sadly we see it again today. God help Chinese Americans.
Chung was a pioneer. She was one of the first non-whites allowed on network television, a redoubt of racism. The racism and exclusion of non-whites from TV was absolutely unbelievable in my youth. Even into the 1980s MTV refused to allow Black rap music on TV. Consider that. Today we don't even think about it. How wonderful.
Years later I was at the Maryland home of Connie Chung for a reception for Congressman, Mervyn Dymally, and I was honored to meet her parents. We all laughed at my sad story of my grandfather and the horrors of anti-Asian hatred, and celebrated how far we've come.
There is an unfortunate cleansing and makeover of the history of racism that leaves younger people with misconceptions. I remember the jeering white crowds in the 1970s that absolutely hated Mohammed Ali, as was true about Martin Luther King, let alone Malcolm X. Today they are portrayed as as beloved uncles. But in their day they were reviled and attacked by the elites, including by this newspaper. Connie Chung also faced horrific racism. I can't imagine what she must have gone through on the job. All the insults by grinning white men.
Understanding that reality actually underscores just how far we have really come.
Thanks Connie.
22 RecommendShareFlag
John D commented September 18
J
John D
San Diego
Sept. 18
When in doubt, claim sexism.
4 RecommendShareFlag
RainyDaySprite commented September 18
R
RainyDaySprite
US
Sept. 18
Beautiful, graceful, soft spoken Connie Chung was made for TV and to give us the news.
I still remember loving seeing her face and listening to her delivery as Saturday anchor on NBC? circa 1984/85. A lasting impression of her because she is that striking.
Biased people who haven’t read Ms. Chung’s book, commenting here, questioning Chung’s account of her experience with Rather. None of what you say has to do with anything that Ms. Chung says about Rather or her experiences. And you make opinionated, unsupported generalizations about your personal, biased observations of workplaces and power.
You weren’t there next to Rather and Chung, to comment or dispute her. And haven't even read the book to inform your biased, sexist, (possibly racist inspired) claims doubting her account. That you find it necessary to dispute what she writes because of your bias is sad. Why can’t you just believe her? I do.
10 RecommendShareFlag
carol m commented September 18
c
carol m
MD
Sept. 18
Another successful Montgomery Blair grad. You go Connie!
RecommendShareFlag
Ron commented September 18
R
Ron
Cleveland
Sept. 18
Never liked Dan Rather and not surprised to hear he was such a cad. Would have loved to see her take over that solo role rather than Rather (pun intended).
5 RecommendShareFlag
Gin commented September 18
G
Gin
U.S
Sept. 18
Talk about courage! It reminds me of a short story / picture book titled,
A donut and a frog by Stephanie D …
Life and careers are intertwined and it is all about rolling!
RecommendShareFlag
Ugly and Fat Git commented September 18
Ugly and Fat Git
Ugly and Fat Git
Boulder, CO
Sept. 18
So the Anchorman was a documentary? Not a comedy. Dang it.
2 RecommendShareFlag
Pat commented September 18
P
Pat
CA
Sept. 18
She said, he . . . hasn't had his chance to address this issue yet. Connie Chung had her moments, but she's no Dan Rather. Few are.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Mark commented September 18
M
Mark
L.I.
Sept. 18
Always a big, big fan & I am a white male.
4 RecommendShareFlag
KB commented September 18
K
KB
Phila, Pa
Sept. 18
She was always a class act and real natural beauty who never seemed to take herself that seriously…
6 RecommendShareFlag
Marsha Hammond commented September 18
M
Marsha Hammond
Asheville
Sept. 18
A toast “to the Connie’s.”
Goddess bless you.
3 RecommendShareFlag
NoTrumpFan commented September 18
N
NoTrumpFan
Pa.
Sept. 18
She described Donald Trump to a tee...
4 RecommendShareFlag
Steve commented September 18
S
Steve
Inland
Sept. 18
Linda Ellerbee did it before Connie Chung, and while she wasn't an anchor on the flagship NBC Nightly News, she anchored one of the finest news programs aired, NBC News Overnight. After her days at NBC ended, she founded "Lucky Duck," a company that produced real news for children on Nickelodeon.
Ellerbee's memoir, "And So It Goes," was a great read, funny as hell and didn't contain a single complaint about sexism in the industry.
8 RecommendShareFlag
Joe commented September 18
J
Joe
CA
Sept. 18
Kudos to Ms. Chung for going toe-to-toe with the cadre of entitled Bros. Rather did not "replace" the unreplaceable Walter Cronkite. Cronkite was the legitimate heir to Murrow.
The tradition of actual Journalism ended with Cronkite's death in 2009. "Hairdo" Rather was a shallow Phil McGraw/Geraldo Rivera journalist impersonator.
6 RecommendShareFlag
actuality commented September 18
a
actuality
NY, USA
Sept. 18
"“Many men in television news, especially those who became anchormen, contracted a disease: big-shot-itis,” she writes. “It was characterized by a swelling of the head, an inability to stop talking, self-aggrandizing behavior, narcissistic tendencies, unrelenting hubris, delusions of grandeur and fantasies of sexual prowess.”
Does this apply to Maury Povitch too? Or just people in hard news?
2 RecommendShareFlag
Lillas Pastia commented September 18
L
Lillas Pastia
Washington, DC
Sept. 18
Ho, hum. Yet another victimization tale. Guess we haven't had enough of those books.
3 RecommendShareFlag
Lisa commented September 18
L
Lisa
Arizona
Sept. 18
Could not stand Dan.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Monterey Bill commented September 18
M
Monterey Bill
Monterey, California
Sept. 18
DONE is tied with AIN'T as the ugliest word in English.
RecommendShareFlag
Gowan McAvity commented September 18
G
Gowan McAvity
Bedford, NY
Sept. 18
Sisterhood of Connies. That’s just beautiful. Connie Chung is already more memorable than Rather. Now it’s official. So many lives deeply affected. So many children named Connie. Connie changed the world.
14 RecommendShareFlag
Complainathon commented September 18
C
Complainathon
UK
Sept. 18
It seems so strange now how deeply entrenched sexism was in the 1990s. Women were not yet allowed into the most important roles. The fact that Connie Chung in 1993 was the first female nightly news anchor at CBS says so much. Women made up 51% of the population and 0% of the national news anchors and we simply accepted that. We accepted that women made up about 20% of the TV news reporters. We accepted that women who made it onto the news desks on our local TV stations were always 25 years younger than any man who sat beside them, and that as soon as they turned 40 they disappeared from our screens. I was a newspaper reporter back then and I remember interviewing a female TV news anchor in New Orleans, who told me 'Most local evening news desks look like a rich man's second marriage.' It infuriates me to think that this was ever acceptable, and it makes me angrier that much of this still goes on. Women need to be angry about what happened to Connie Chung, and we need to stay aware that sexism still inhibits our lives and our success, and that most men remain deliberately unaware of this, so any changes that happen will happen because we demand it and fight for it. I'm glad Connie enjoyed her early retirement with her children, but in truth I wonder what she would have done if she had a choice. She deserved a choice. All women truly want is the right to make the same difficult choices that men take for granted.
36 RecommendShareFlag
Thierry LaJambe commented September 18
Thierry LaJambe
Thierry LaJambe
San Raphael
Sept. 18
I admit that because I never watch commercial television, and certainly not Network (Keyword!) News, I have no idea who this woman is.
That makes me, in one respect, the perfect observer. I’m untainted.
So, my observation is that Ms Chung is a very lucky woman. To have discovered, albeit reluctantly, that the valuable qualities of life are not found in the workplace, or by contrived “achievement” in the corporate maze, she learned more than most of the people who devoted their lives to keeping her down. Like any Casino game, it’s rigged, and the best way to survive is not to play at all.
She wins. Congratulations Connie Chung.
15 RecommendShareFlag
Ann L. commented September 18
Ann L.
Ann L.
Atlanta, GA
Sept. 18
Connie is one of many incredibly talented women-and men- who never got to anchor the CBS Evening News. I understand it's distressing to lose your grip on your brass ring, but there might be more to it than sexism.
8 RecommendShareFlag
John commented September 18
J
John
AL
Sept. 18
I was young when she was on CBS but remember my dad, the newswatcher in the house, always had a lot of respect for her. Later, in my 20's a network brought her back briefly (was it CNN? MSNBC? I can't recall) and I watched some of her interviews and she either was very rusty after a long time away or she just wasn't as good as my childhood memories suggest. It was painful.
2 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
RainyDaySprite commented September 18
R
RainyDaySprite
US
Sept. 18
@John If your account is accurate, it could be because she was restrained by network management in how she could interview. That is one reason Curry left the Today Show.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Wells commented September 18
W
Wells
CA
Sept. 18
My husband worked with Connie at CBS. She's a true gem.
34 RecommendShareFlag
Orange County commented September 18
O
Orange County
California
Sept. 18
Women always accuse men of having issues of working with them. The truth is, it’s the other way around. I am a fan of Dan Rather and I did not like the setup of them working together. I felt she was a distraction.
9 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
RainyDaySprite commented September 18
R
RainyDaySprite
US
Sept. 18
@Orange County Always? Women always accuse men of having issues? Always? How is the fact that you didn’t like the set up of them together proof that this is truth?
You tell on yourself with this misogynistic fallacy.
10 RecommendShareFlag
Ann commented September 18
Ann
Ann
California
Sept. 18
I always saw Ms. Chung as a courageous woman who maintained high professional journalistic and professional standards. She paved the way for many women sho came afterwards. Those we see on our TV screens owe a lot to her and other female trailblazers of this era. Thank you, Connie Chung. We are in your debt and owe you the deepest gratitude and respect.
36 RecommendShareFlag
Amy commented September 18
A
Amy
Seattle
Sept. 18
I’m an Asian-American woman that watched her evening broadcast in college. She was a role model to me and to so many Asian-American women. That’s her legacy.
48 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
DM commented September 18
D
DM
CT
Sept. 18
She was a role model to non-Asian women as well. I, too, along with my mother, and undoubtedly countless other women, admired and respected Connie Chung.
30 RecommendShareFlag
RainyDaySprite commented September 18
R
RainyDaySprite
US
Sept. 18
@DM Hear! Hear!
3 RecommendShareFlag
G Harrison commented September 18
G
G Harrison
Midland, Texas
Sept. 18
I admired and respected Connie—her character and principles shown on screen. I wondered why I didn't see her as much on air. Now I know. I'm glad she influenced others as well while on TV. She's a worthy role model.
26 RecommendShareFlag
NT commented September 18
N
NT
NWWA
Sept. 18
What is most disappointing here are the comments, and I supposed at this point I should no longer be shocked at this.
This is a memoir from an important person in many of our lives who clearly had an impact.
It is not a factual text book or court document. She clearly believes she was a victim of sexism and other prejudice. She clearly believes she deserved better.
This is her perspective, it is not the truth. This is a very important distinction. I am certain Rather has a perspective. It is just as believable that he would have treated a male journalist in this situation as a threat.
It seems The NY Times readers need a little refresher in confirmation bias.
But as the old saying goes...this side, that side, the truth is in the middle.
She is a pretty impressive person, if you are my age or older it is hard to not know who she is. I'll read the book for certain - and I know my mom will too, she is a fan!
I hope she talks about what it was like to be a serious journalist in a household with the likes of Povich.
I honestly wish I could go a day without hearing people blather about trauma, journeys, toxic, representation, and so on - these words have lost all meaning; and they do not make you sound profound. Not even a little. They make you sound unwell.
24 RecommendShareFlag
3 Replies
Ronnie C. commented September 18
R
Ronnie C.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sept. 18
@NT she sounds like a neat lady and her husband seems like a fan. Her priorities changed with her son. Much respect and love to the PovChungs.
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Wonderdave commented September 18
W
Wonderdave
Los Angeles
Sept. 18
@NT Absolutely, people should just bury their trauma and never discuss it. That would give them the appearance of someone 'well'.
2 RecommendShareFlag
WG commented September 18
W
WG
WI
Sept. 18
@NT But there was serious journalism in Maury’s family. His father was Washington Post sports columnist Shirley Povich and his sister Lynn was a Newsweek editor.
2 RecommendShareFlag
Kevin Murphy commented September 18
K
Kevin Murphy
NYC
Sept. 18
Connie Chung was always a first rate newscaster and complete lady while Dan Rather was everything she described male newscasters as being. I always thought the BBC had the best model for the news where the network was the prominent name of the broadcast, not the newscaster.
32 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
Mark commented September 18
M
Mark
New York, NY
Sept. 18
@Kevin Murphy That is no longer the case at the BBC.
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Ronnie C. commented September 18
R
Ronnie C.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sept. 18
@Kevin Murphy it’s disappointing to hear Dan R was (ahem) typical and threatened and perhaps a little mysoginist, but CC was obviously tough as nails and dealt with it. I’d like to pretend that Rather secretly revered her whilst threatened by her.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Marion commented September 18
M
Marion
Georgia
Sept. 18
This memoir sounds great! I watched Connie as a kid and always admired her. She seemed to have a strength and dignity that felt affirming to me as a young girl.
26 RecommendShareFlag
Jerry Fitzsimmons commented September 17
J
Jerry Fitzsimmons
Jersey
Sept. 17
Glad the book seems well received, Ms Chung definitely came into the industry not as severe as Jackie Robinson in baseball but definitely no day at the beach. Men at that time probably would like a do over in welcoming the opposite sex to their business and Dan most likely has that wish. Glad she’s upbeat and from the comments, sharp and relevant.
27 RecommendShareFlag
Peter Hill commented September 17
P
Peter Hill
Los Angeles
Sept. 17
I enjoyed Connie Chung's work for CBS. But those half hour network newscasts are only about 20 minutes minus commercials. And 20 minutes of news time is really not long enough to justify 2 anchors.
12 RecommendShareFlag
3 Replies
John D commented September 18
J
John D
San Diego
Sept. 18
@Peter Hill Exactly, which is why there is one anchor today on each network evening newscast. Chung was stunt casting.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Ronnie C. commented September 18
R
Ronnie C.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sept. 18
@Peter Hill hmph
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QQ commented September 18
Q
QQ
USA
Sept. 18
@Peter Hill Perhaps so. Rather should have been removed, not Chang.
1 RecommendShareFlag
WVW commented September 17
W
WVW
VA
Sept. 17
Connie Chung was much admired and respected reporter in DC in the 70s. It was no surprise to see her named as co-anchor with Rather. Unfortunately Rather's ego left so space for Chung.
She found she had exceptional talents in another area and what a lucky child to have her as a mother.
Her memoir will be a good read.
29 RecommendShareFlag
Chandra Varanasi commented September 17
C
Chandra Varanasi
Broomfield
Sept. 17
Honestly Dan Rather was never a smooth anchor. He used to be high strung, and tense. He used to take himself to seriously. You remember when he walked off the newscast and threw a tantrum because an NFL game went a bit long and cut into his newscast slot? Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw used to come across as more polished and relaxed on screen.
45 RecommendShareFlag
Baba commented September 17
B
Baba
Ganoush
Sept. 17
TV News old guy retired producer here.
There are thumbs up and down for Connie in the comments.
That’s because she was good but limited.
However, she did her best and was by all accounts, very professional.
30 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
Greg L. commented September 18
G
Greg L.
Brewster NY
Sept. 18
@Baba
Limited by...? Others?
RecommendShareFlag
Susan RJ commented September 18
S
Susan RJ
Colorado
Sept. 18
@Baba When you’re offered fluff stories t cover and your co host doesn’t want you there it puts a limitation on what you can achieve.
3 RecommendShareFlag
BFF commented September 17
B
BFF
SFO
Sept. 17
I love Connie. She was among a handful of Asian Americans who made it to national visibility in a role that was smart, serious, and aspirational. We stopped watching the evening news with Dan Rather after she left. She just brought an extra something special to the broadcast, maybe I just like the duet model better.
The youngest generation lives in a time where women are fighting for their health care, they don’t have to look back very far to see where Republicans are trying to take us. Connie shattered ceilings and her recognition will come, I have no doubt.
70 RecommendShareFlag
CKJuneau commented September 17
C
CKJuneau
Connecticut
Sept. 17
Interesting to read the comments and note the disparity between those who think she was a superb reporter and anchor and those who think the exact opposite.
13 RecommendShareFlag
Judy, Ph.DMaryland commented September 17
J
Judy, Ph.DMaryland
Sept. 17
Connie and I were Mass Media majors at the University of Maryland, College Park in the late 60s. She was talented and smart and it was easy to see how opportunities opened for her at the time.
Haven’t all of us women had to fight for equality in the male dominated environment?
I worked in medical education, where the male doctors opened doors much more easily than the women.
You did a terrific job Connie. I can’t wait to read your book
175 RecommendShareFlag
Monsignor Juan commented September 17
M
Monsignor Juan
The Desert
Sept. 17
Connie Chung may have lost to Rather in the short term, but eventually it was her reputation that prevailed. I am very happy that her life is going well and for her service to journalism.
75 RecommendShareFlag
Former teacher commented September 17
F
Former teacher
Usa
Sept. 17
I just attended the NY public library event featuring her in conversation with Walter Isaacson. Her passion for authentic, straight to the point investigative journalism is more evident than ever. It was to my my utter delight that she answered my audience question about what she would like to see more of in broadcast journalism today and she answered in one word: facts
Very excited for this memoir after an inspiring evening!
169 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
Ronnie C. commented September 18
R
Ronnie C.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sept. 18
@Former teacher love, love, love…. This.
2 RecommendShareFlag
Cassandra commented September 17
C
Cassandra
Virginia
Sept. 17
I remember Connie Chung vividly. I always thought she was great and I never understood what happened to her or where she went. She seemed to just abruptly disappear.
I guess this explains how and why.
It sounds like things worked out okay for Connie personally. I'm glad of that.
Still I can't help feeling that so many talented women have been derailed, pushed aside or even crushed---a huge loss to them personally and also to all the rest of us.
246 RecommendShareFlag
Norman Barnes commented September 17
N
Norman Barnes
Seattle
Sept. 17
Connie Chung was the consummate professional and, like many, I was very sorry to see her sidelined by CBS, much to the latter’s shame.
It’s really nice to know she went on to enjoy even greater happiness away from the camera with her husband and child.
83 RecommendShareFlag
Robert commented September 17
R
Robert
nj
Sept. 17
CBS didn’t get it right then and their mis-management of on air talent continues to this day. The reporters on the CBS Evening News are great. The anchor desk and network executives are not.
26 RecommendShareFlag
Patrick commented September 17
P
Patrick
Richmond VA
Sept. 17
I thought she was the epitome of a polished well positioned television anchor. She made Americans accept the fact that we are Chinese and American. I loved watching her every evening and she brought hope and Rather brought hubris and undeserved gravitas-he wasn’t Cronkite nor Huntley and Brinkley or Annie of that era -he was a field anchor at best. Connie was the future and way ahead of her time.
73 RecommendShareFlag
William Franklin commented September 17
W
William Franklin
San Diego
Sept. 17
I thought she was beautiful. She dated Glen Frey. I was never jealous of Glen until I found that out. How lucky for us that she broke through so many barriers to find early success.
37 RecommendShareFlag
Helen commented September 17
H
Helen
Massachusetts
Sept. 17
I appreciate her willingness to be open about the sexism. Women need to be willing to disclose this in order to keep it visible.
119 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
MBator commented September 18
M
MBator
Cincinnati, OH
Sept. 18
@Helen it took her long enough. She didn’t talk about it at the time, or since.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Prairie Girl commented September 17
P
Prairie Girl
Texas
Sept. 17
She was a groundbreaker and an inspiration to a lot of women, including me. We and the following generations owe her our thanks.
59 RecommendShareFlag
Don commented September 17
D
Don
Burlington CT
Sept. 17
I'm still waiting to hear someone cite a major, meaty news story that she broke ... or substantially advanced.
I can't think of one.
26 RecommendShareFlag
15 Replies
EYA commented September 18
E
EYA
East Villlage, New York
Sept. 18
@Don You’re blaming her for that, if it’s even true? Did you miss the part about how the network kept her away from those types of prestigious, eye-catching assignments? That’s how they play. And, by the way, don’t think women in seats of power are incapable of playing the game the same way to preserve their prominence. I have seen that in one particular corner of arts journalism when I was new in the field. It’s real. I remember Chung’s work and always found het respectable and refreshing.
7 RecommendShareFlag
Linda commented September 18
L
Linda
NH
Sept. 18
@Don
It says...... right in the article she wasn't given opportunities lile the male reporters and esp from Dan Rather
1 RecommendShareFlag
WR commented September 18
W
WR
NJ
Sept. 18
@Don Name one that Rather broke.
2 RecommendShareFlag
View All Replies
Thor commented September 17
T
Thor
Germany
Sept. 17
I had no idea of what went on behind the scenes. I also didn’t think about CC being Asian or a woman. She had a clear, articulate voice. Thanks for the CC! And NYT covering it.
36 RecommendShareFlag
VJR commented September 17
V
VJR
North America
Sept. 17
I remember that piece "Generation Connie". It was wonderful.
I always liked Connie Chung and was bothered when she was no longer co-anchor at CBS.
I did feel it was a bit of a stunt - not so much because CBS wanted a woman co-anchor per se - but because Rather was just not Cronkite and they had to do something. Connie was both a good journalist and a beautiful woman, so I could see that as motivation for selecting her to co-anchor.
I miss her being on the air, but it is nice to know she is doing well.
59 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
Ronnie C. commented September 18
R
Ronnie C.
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Sept. 18
@VJR is it possible that she’s even more beautiful now as a ——- yo woman? (Rhetorical question)
RecommendShareFlag
Zac S. commented September 17
Z
Zac S.
Montana
Sept. 17
I grew up watching this woman and remember thinking she was eminently reasonable, intelligent and that the world was a vast, interesting and beautiful place. She was a great news anchor. I wish we had more like her.
117 RecommendShareFlag
Shannon commented September 17
S
Shannon
New York
Sept. 17
Connie Chung and Maury Povich established an ongoing half-tuition scholarship for dozens of students every year at the CUNY Graduate School for Journalism. I, along with many low income students and students of color, were happy recipients. One can say the couple had a huge impact on journalism long after her retirement.
615 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
AuntAgatha commented September 17
A
AuntAgatha
India
Sept. 17
@Shannon
What a wonderful thing for them to have done!
It's so nice that you not only benefited from their action, but that you acknowledge and appreciate it with such warmth.
Kudos to all three of you!
64 RecommendShareFlag
Carlos commented September 18
C
Carlos
Las Vegas
Sept. 18
@Shannon
Maury Povich's contribution to journalism? An afternoon talk show that set the bar as low as it could possibly go, and then he went lower. Manipulative, disgusting, unprofessional. He and Connie seem very happy with each other, which is nice, but don't call Povich a journalist.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Moi commented September 17
M
Moi
Here
Sept. 17
Having met most anchors back in the day (and having had one major anchor as a tenant) I firmly concur in "big-shot-itis". To a man they were insufferable - and contrary to rumour terrible dinner guests.
60 RecommendShareFlag
B Lewis commented September 17
B
B Lewis
Birmingham, AL
Sept. 17
I saw her on Watch What Happens Live and I like her. She has a very good sense of humor. Maybe she was supposed to be there for 2 years. There was something else for her to do. So she became a mom and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Some men can't see (no vision) and some men can't share (selfish). The behavior of Dan Rather sounds like the same behavior of Harry Reasoner a decade earlier when Barbara Walters stepped onto the Evening News at ABC. I don't know what they are afraid of, but they need to get over it and come into the 21st century. That's a shame, because there are very qualified people of all races and genders in this world, that if given the chance, can do the job too.
92 RecommendShareFlag
The Poet McTeagle commented September 17
The Poet McTeagle
The Poet McTeagle
California
Sept. 17
When she was working at the local LA CBS station and her fellow reporter Jim Hill who did the sports was interviewing Magic Johnson, Magic would always want to say hello to Connie. "Hiiiii Connniee!". He was a fan.
109 RecommendShareFlag
Doug Ritter commented September 17
D
Doug Ritter
Rome Italy
Sept. 17
How sad to read that Dan Rather was so sexist and an obvious toxic employee. Brava Connie!
189 RecommendShareFlag
5 Replies
Wang An Shih commented September 17
W
Wang An Shih
Savannah
Sept. 17
@Doug Ritter
" controlling, unwilling to share the spotlight and even as the perpetrator of a stealth campaign to TV critics and colleagues about how her journalism didn’t measure up."
Doesn't sound like it was sexist. Could have been the same with a male co-anchor.
21 RecommendShareFlag
Blue In Texas. commented September 17
B
Blue In Texas.
Austin
Sept. 17
@Doug Ritter
Dan Rather is a legend and a hero of journalistic integrity. He was so before she showed up on the scene. I think he probably was very competitive. I'd like to know more about his involvement with what she is stating.
26 RecommendShareFlag
LiamD commented September 18
L
LiamD
Delaware
Sept. 18
@Wang An Shih Didn’t Rather collide with Roger Mudd (in my opinion his superior) when it was time for someone to succeed Walter Cronkite?
3 RecommendShareFlag
View All Replies
David commented September 17
D
David
LA
Sept. 17
Standing proudly on the shoulders of Nancy Dickerson.
34 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
LiamD commented September 18
L
LiamD
Delaware
Sept. 18
@David Remember Pauline Frederick?
2 RecommendShareFlag
Mr. Sparkles commented September 17
M
Mr. Sparkles
Tampa
Sept. 17
We care about this now why?
Connie should be a US Ambassador or Senator but this book is 20-30 years too late
12 RecommendShareFlag
Mr. Sparkles commented September 17
M
Mr. Sparkles
Tampa
Sept. 17
Don’t you just love the old equipment in the photo. Looks like the Star Trek deck.
24 RecommendShareFlag
Steve commented September 17
S
Steve
Inland
Sept. 17
Anyone who thinks Connie Chung doesn't have a sense of humor didn't see her take on "Thanks for the Memories" during the finale of "Weekends with Maury and Connie." I recommend googling it.
15 RecommendShareFlag
Bok Choy Man commented September 17
B
Bok Choy Man
Greenland
Sept. 17
Empathize, as a male, with her comments.
Right after college I had a public TV/radio internship in DC. I must have had to go to ABC for some reason, and as I was passing from one doorway to another, Sam Donaldson accelerated past me through the next doorway, turning back to smirk at me to seemingly show who was the boss alpha male. I thought it ridiculous and petty at the time. Still do. Though grew to like him as a journalist.
43 RecommendShareFlag
Padonna commented September 17
Padonna
Padonna
Berlin
Sept. 17
"During a face-to-face exchange, the new House speaker’s mother confided to Chung, in a whisper, that her son had called Hillary Clinton a derogatory name; when CBS released a brief, out-of-context clip of the recorded interview, it gave the false impression that Chung had tricked her."
So what was the full context?
Actually, it was the relentless pursuit of Tonya Harding that earned her a place in the pantheon next to her husband.
19 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
KDF commented September 17
K
KDF
Virginia
Sept. 17
@Padonna I would be curious to know the full context, too, since from what I recall, it was this misstep that led to her demotion — and with good reason. A journalist who cannot be trusted to keep something off the record as promosed is a journalist many people won’t want to talk to.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Sandra commented September 18
S
Sandra
CA
Sept. 18
@Padonna
Thank you.
I was worrying about my memory loss!
She did a very mean, low thing in that interview with Newt’s mom.
I would never watch her after that. It was a cheap trick and not worthy of a “journalist”.
RecommendShareFlag
Mr C commented September 17
M
Mr C
Cary NC
Sept. 17
She was ahead of her time. When I was looking for Dean’s position 1988, there were no Indian American as dean if a business school. Then finally in 1989 i was hired to found obe school. The same year we had another Indian American also became dean. Now many men and women Indian Americans are heading prestigious universityiez.
11 RecommendShareFlag
Sally commented September 17
S
Sally
Hudson, NY
Sept. 17
Connie Chung has a rest stop named after her on the NJ Parkway. Not too bad!
28 RecommendShareFlag
Bruce A commented September 17
B
Bruce A
Brooklyn
Sept. 17
What happened to Connie Chung is similar to Barbara Walters being forced out by Harry Reasoner after being named the first female co-anchor at ABC. Reasoner died more than thirty years ago without apologizing for his behavior. Did Rather, who is still widely praised as a senior statesman in the news business, ever apologize for what he did?
179 RecommendShareFlag
5 Replies
Dan commented September 17
D
Dan
Schiavetta
Sept. 17
@Bruce A Walters was no more qualified to sit next to Reasoner than Chung was to sit next to Rather.
There were real newswomen in those days, e.g., Nancy DIckerson, Pia Lindstrom, Norma Quarles. Neither Walters nor Chung had much substance.
23 RecommendShareFlag
Baba commented September 18
B
Baba
Ganoush
Sept. 18
@Dan
Walters didn’t have an ounce of Chung’s modesty and connection to coworkers.
5 RecommendShareFlag
Jazzy-JO commented September 18
J
Jazzy-JO
Massachusetts
Sept. 18
@Dan and yet, despite your negative opinion, Barbara Walters and Connie Chung are the two names that the public still remembers and celebrate - for good reason.
10 RecommendShareFlag
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RCS commented September 17
R
RCS
Princeton Junction
Sept. 17
I always liked and respected Connie for her reporting and her professionalism. Unfortunately, her career at the top as a Co-Anchor with Rather was short lived because of sexism.
It’s definitely a paradigmatic example of our highly chauvinistic societal and corporate culture.
No wonder, we still don’t have a female President yet even after over 200 years of democracy. Now Trump is mocking Harris for her gender and race.
Deplorable!
153 RecommendShareFlag
DJD commented September 17
DJD
DJD
SD
Sept. 17
Connie Chung was never a good reporter and she was a terrible anchor, if hard news was your thing. I am sure that she suffered from sexism and that mean ol' Dan Rather, but she also benefitted from lookism, and that's largely how she landed at the anchor desk.
27 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
Jazzy-JO commented September 18
J
Jazzy-JO
Massachusetts
Sept. 18
@DJD Name me one male TV reporter that didn't have a pretty face. They are all beefcake. A pleasing physical appearance is a pre-requisite in a visual medium.
2 RecommendShareFlag
Annie Bee commented September 17
A
Annie Bee
10,000 lakes
Sept. 17
Disappointed to hear about Dan Rather's behavior.
55 RecommendShareFlag
Carmen commented September 17
C
Carmen
Dallas
Sept. 17
Go, Connie! You inspired so many people. Thank you.
31 RecommendShareFlag
Jeff Cosloy commented September 17
J
Jeff Cosloy
Portland, OR
Sept. 17
I’m sure she’s made a good case for being undeservedly sidelined due to generalized white male preference. I don’t otherwise understand how the cool, corporate David Muir outdraws the warm, authoritative Lester Holt and Norah O’Donnell.
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1 Reply
Frequent Flier commented September 18
Frequent Flier
Frequent Flier
USA
Sept. 18
@Jeff Cosloy Did you see the debate? Muir was a true reporter, "coolly" correcting Trump's lies. Speaking truth to power. That's why we like him.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Silvercloud commented September 17
S
Silvercloud
US
Sept. 17
One of the best journalists of the last few decades!
Connie always brought warmth, a humble attitude , trust and a hard working ethic to her viewers.
What a difference from today's so called right wing " journalism" that jumbles conspiracies , opinionated " news" , outright lies and sensationalism!
21 RecommendShareFlag
Borgeat commented September 17
B
Borgeat
Boulder
Sept. 17
Some people will always be threatened by strong women. It’s so utterly childish and disappointing, but it’s true.
39 RecommendShareFlag
Bruce Savin commented September 17
B
Bruce Savin
Montecito
Sept. 17
Connie Chung is a class act!
31 RecommendShareFlag
ray franco commented September 17
r
ray franco
atlanta,ga
Sept. 17
Though always a likable newscaster, Chung never seemed to have any depth to her interviews......then or now.. She misses the point as to why thought she was shallow.
21 RecommendShareFlag
Dave commented September 17
D
Dave
Montana
Sept. 17
I always looked forward to her News reports.
7 RecommendShareFlag
Shrisha Rao commented September 17
S
Shrisha Rao
Bangalore, India
Sept. 17
Haven’t seen the book, but I seem to recall that CNN and Ted Turner also treated Connie Chung badly later. CNN has a poor history with Asian on-air talent (how many Asian headliners, including men, can you recall at CNN—ever?).
17 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
AuntAgatha commented September 17
A
AuntAgatha
India
Sept. 17
@Shrisha Rao
You are, of course, entirely right.
I no longer watch TV (no need to), but I was an avid watcher of CNN for about two decades and your point is very well made.
5 RecommendShareFlag
AuntAgatha commented September 17
A
AuntAgatha
India
Sept. 17
@Shrisha Rao
You are, of course, entirely right.
I no longer watch TV (no need to), but I was an avid watcher of CNN for about two decades and your point is very well made.
And, a cheery hi from down the road in Mysuru.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Alix commented September 17
A
Alix
New Hampshire
Sept. 17
So, if my memory is correct Rather subtly (...or not so subtly...) pushed out Cronkite and then set his sights on Connie. It seems the "big story" here is how Mr.Rather changed the face (...or faces as the case might be...) of the leading network news station in the US at the time...... Oh and then he made an error and got a shove and then something else happened and he got the boot....Edward Murrow is rolling around in his grave as I write this. I guess reporting the news is secondary to one's ego. Shouldn't it be the other way around? The news should be first and foremost and one's ego shouldn't enter the situation at all....
13 RecommendShareFlag
Kathy commented September 17
K
Kathy
SF
Sept. 17
I’m so sick of men who think they’re 1,000 times better than they are. As they puff and promote themselves they deprive us of the far better work we require.
I don’t wonder why our society is so backward. It’s poor quality men and the people who excuse them.
25 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
Tay Lor commented September 18
T
Tay Lor
NW
Sept. 18
@Kathy
It’s the testosterone.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Young Wozniak commented September 17
Y
Young Wozniak
San Francisco
Sept. 17
Connie Chung is a Legend.
16 RecommendShareFlag
RH commented September 17
R
RH
ME
Sept. 17
Isn't she the reporter who violated one of journalism's basic rules, against misrepresenting (lying) to an interlocutor about the confidentiality of an interview?
11 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
Sandra commented September 18
S
Sandra
CA
Sept. 18
@RH
Yes. She is.
RecommendShareFlag
heyomania commented September 17
h
heyomania
pa
Sept. 17
No surprise that male egos got in the way of
Ms Chung’s career advancement, but does a
longstanding grudge - getting her story out -
warrant a book. It’s old news, time to move on.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Dan commented September 17
D
Dan
Schiavetta
Sept. 17
Dan Rather spent years doing serious reporting — in Vietnamese jungles, in combat with the Nixon White House. All Connie did was recite the news and do the occasional glitzy interview. She was not qualified to sit next to Rather.
This was not sexism. This was hiring a celebrity. They could have easily gotten a real newsman, someone like Pia Lindstrom or Norma Quarles.
26 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
Blue commented September 17
B
Blue
Montreal
Sept. 17
@Dan Read the article again. She talked about how she was assigned those superficial stories, instead of the meatier ones that she would have liked. That's part of a sexist work environment.
36 RecommendShareFlag
Frequent Flier commented September 18
Frequent Flier
Frequent Flier
USA
Sept. 18
@Dan I worked with Dan Rather on a major 60 Minutes story. He was a delight to work with. Respectful, knowledgeable, professional. He has a successful second career in news now at age 92. Let's hear both sides of Connie's story.
8 RecommendShareFlag
Dan commented September 17
D
Dan
Schiavetta
Sept. 17
Rather spent years doing serious reporting — in the jungles of Vietnam, and doing battle with the Nixon White House. All Connie did was read the news and do some glitzy interviews.
4 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
David commented September 18
D
David
USA
Sept. 18
@Dan Try actually reading the article. Those were the only stories CBS would assign her to cover. Had they assigned her more meaty stories she would have done a great job.
1 RecommendShareFlag
Mike commented September 17
M
Mike
CA
Sept. 17
I always liked her reporting and her top-notch anchoring. CBS decision-makers and Rather should be ashamed of themselves.
94 RecommendShareFlag
Joel Alan commented September 17
J
Joel Alan
Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 17
Talk about Big-Shot-Itis, I was in Oklahoma City for the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building. Connie Chung showed up as Miss-Big-Shot-New York-Anchor and patronized just about all of the first responders she could find.
CBS had to pull her out of here and we deeply resented her. I notice that she fails to mention any of that, but she was pretty
much toast thereafter.
44 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
Dave commented September 17
D
Dave
Arkansas
Sept. 17
@Joel Alan My goodness. I did not know this.
3 RecommendShareFlag
Joel Alan commented September 18
J
Joel Alan
Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 18
@Dave See the Wikipedia article dedicated to her.
RecommendShareFlag
Green Apples commented September 17
G
Green Apples
Boston
Sept. 17
"... she suffered several miscarriages..."
I'm always disappointed that society seems to relegate the miscarriage, even a series of miscarriages, to a lesser tier of trauma than many other physical and emotional setbacks. I'm sure that the author of this review is a caring and feeling woman, I'm not blaming her or her editors. It's frustrating nonetheless.
My guess is that to have several miscarriages, especially with the implication here that they are in the pursuit of a successful pregnancy, is easily among a woman's most foundational, painful and enduring life experiences. I think such a struggle deserves its own measure of respect in considering a person's life journey.
Thanks for listening.
72 RecommendShareFlag
Ron Outwest commented September 17
R
Ron Outwest
California
Sept. 17
My personal observation is that Connie could have shared the spotlight with Dan Rather. Establishing a career and a personal family life is difficult and Connie would have been not unlike Nora O'Donnell who is currently the news anchor. CBS tends to cement in News anchors at least the spotlight can be shared so that others can have time off and do some reporting too.
4 RecommendShareFlag
Eric Dillingham commented September 17
E
Eric Dillingham
Saint Augustine
Sept. 17
I’d like to think that the sexism that was prevalent back then no longer exists but it’s never very far from the surface if the woman is attractive.
There are/were many good female news casters that have come and gone. I always loved Linda Ellerbee and there were more that I’m sure never really got the chance they should have.
48 RecommendShareFlag
Carroll commented September 17
C
Carroll
Dallas
Sept. 17
She worked hard and did well--kudos to her.
Also photogenic-and, for many reasons, associated with strong, rich men. So, there's that.
Whining--sorry, but no
14 RecommendShareFlag
BobB commented September 17
B
BobB
California
Sept. 17
I never really trusted Connie Chung. She always seemed to tell the news as if her perspective was the only one that mattered. Her interview on CBS Sunday Morning echoed that. Too proud to accept any responsibility for her downfalls or demotions. Always blaming men for her shortcomings. And the incident with Newt's mother was evidence of her nefarious ways of getting and telling the news.
39 RecommendShareFlag
4 Replies
Kathy MacKenzie commented September 17
K
Kathy MacKenzie
Palm Springs
Sept. 17
@BobB
As a flight attendant crew member trying to get to work in New York from PDX I was given the last seat on aircraft which was next to Ms Chung in first class. She had all her stuff loaded in the seat assigned to me. She huffed about loudly making it known she was annoyed in not getting that seat too. Saying “can’t you sit somewhere else”? She then refused to turn off her phone after push back from gate. And proceeded to call home in the middle of the emergency demonstration. Talking loudly about Maury her husband. The crew put up with her bad behavior. I was in my seat next to her fuming she couldn’t just simply follow the rules. I lost all respect.
86 RecommendShareFlag
Hal C commented September 17
H
Hal C
San Diego
Sept. 17
@BobB And here we have Exhibit A of the biases she had to deal with.
16 RecommendShareFlag
Leland commented September 18
L
Leland
new york
Sept. 18
@BobB The breast implant imbroglio that she was responsible for started a spate of harmful pseudo science that lasts today.
3 RecommendShareFlag
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Cecilia commented September 17
C
Cecilia
NYC
Sept. 17
Big-shot-itis. Best description of what happens to men in power that I've ever read.
I would love to read this. Thank you for being courageous and giving us the scoop, as always.
225 RecommendShareFlag
linny commented September 17
l
linny
Chicago
Sept. 17
As an Asian American woman who grew up with very little representation in American media, my eyes welled at the thought she might have humbly underestimated her impact in the world. Thank goodness for Connie Chung. Plus she just seems like a really cool person who would be a lot of fun to be around.
438 RecommendShareFlag
2 Replies
RCS commented September 17
R
RCS
Princeton Junction
Sept. 17
@linny
Very touching tribute indeed - as an American of East Indian descent - I can relate to your sentiment
#staywell - all the best
9 RecommendShareFlag
Blackmamba commented September 18
B
Blackmamba
IL
Sept. 18
@linny
Nonsense.
Because they were kidnapped and enslaved Africans don't know their national origin nor ethnicity.
Neither Asians nor Europeans nor Hispanic Latinos have that dilemma nor excuse.
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rjs7777 commented September 17
r
rjs7777
nk
Sept. 17
Chung has always been respected and feared, because she is smart, and both her subjects and her audience know that.
118 RecommendShareFlag
Seamus commented September 17
S
Seamus
New York
Sept. 17
I enjoyed watching Connie Chung when she first started out on the local news in Los Angeles. She was very good. There's the initial moment when I see a person's ethnicity but that fades and I just want to hear the news and see their reactions. Always wondered what happened to the plasticine Rather and her accounting sounds plausible. I've met newscasters and they're a lot more Hollywood than one would imagine.
39 RecommendShareFlag
Concerned Citizen commented September 17
C
Concerned Citizen
NY
Sept. 17
I came to the US in 1993 Jan and remember Connie's smiling face on TV as one of my enduring memories.
87 RecommendShareFlag
Morgan commented September 17
M
Morgan
Alberta, Canada
Sept. 17
Connie brings a lot of wisdom to her piece which is unexpected and inspiring.
49 RecommendShareFlag
1 Reply
RQ commented September 17
R
RQ
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