Veteran journalist relishes a good story

Veteran NBC newscaster Andrea Mitchell says it's time for a female anchor on a major-network news program.

"There are so many women who are well-prepared to be anchors," Mitchell said. "I hope that now that two of the networks (CBS and ABC) are about to choose new anchors, that they will consider a woman." (Names that have been bandied about as possible contenders are Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric and Elizabeth Vargas.)

That's not always been the case, of course. When Mitchell started at NBC, there were no other women in network-broadcast news.

"I was struggling with barriers that no longer exist," Mitchell said by phone from New York City. "It's a good reminder for younger women that it has not always been this way. It's a good lesson for journalists, too, not to be deterred by obstacles."

For more than 25 years, Mitchell has been dashing toward the big scoop -- whether with American politicians or foreign dictators. "I'm pretty hard to stop. When I get the scent of a story, I chase it down like a dog with a bone."

In fact, she picked up the nickname "The Designated Shouter" a number of years ago, after developing the technique when Ronald Reagan, who was hard of hearing, would walk from the White House to his helicopter, trying to avoid journalists. And she's not ashamed of it.

"That was the way it was done then," she said, "and I was a junior reporter trying to prove myself. Then I got used to it."

All of which is chronicled in her new book "Talking Back . . . to Presidents, Dictators and Assorted Scoundrels." She'll be in Davis County for a signing next weekend.

Mitchell has become famous for her ability to get meaty interviews with political leaders of high standing in various countries outside the United States; among them, Margaret Thatcher, then British prime minister; Fidel Castro, still the sole leader in Cuba after nearly 50 years; and Syrian President Hafez al Assad.

She considers Thatcher and Castro to be the two toughest interviews she has ever had, but adds Frank Rizzo, the controversial political boss and mayor of Philadelphia, as a close second.

When she asked Assad a tough question ("Why do you negotiate with terrorists?") the Syrian president answered her question -- but two of his henchmen literally carried Mitchell out of the room by her elbows (unseen by the TV camera) while President Clinton collapsed in laughter. (Rather than being distressed at Clinton's reaction, she was "amused" at his good humor.)

"I had the same experience in July in Sudan," Mitchell said. "When I was covering Condoleezza Rice 's visit to the capital, I asked a question at another photo opportunity and was dragged out of the room. A lot of dictators aren't used to answering questions from journalists."

The single most difficult public official with whom she has dealt was Donald Regan, President Reagan's authoritarian chief of staff. "He was very formidable, and I got on his wrong side early on."

An unusual aspect to Mitchell's role as a journalist is her happy marriage 18 years ago to Alan Greenspan, a noted economist who would, in 1987, be appointed as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (a job he will relinquish in January).

Although there could be ethical questions when a journalist covering politics is married to such a highly placed official, Mitchell and Greenspan have approached the situation with great care. "I don't cover economics anymore, and Alan and I don't discuss it at home. There have been no leaks or embarrassments for the 18 years we've been married.

"It helps that he is as close-mouthed as he is. He gets classified information all the time, but he has been very careful not to share any of that with me.

"I've also had a good relationship with my bosses at NBC."

At home, Mitchell said, she and Greenspan discuss their "mutual love for tennis, baseball, football, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He's just a very, very good person - - and he's amazingly supportive of me. He's incredibly flexible, and he's my most loyal viewer. I always know he's there, and his opinion is the most important one to me."

Mitchell loves politics, and she also loves traveling in foreign countries, "exploring different landscapes." She thinks part of her success has been due to her willingness to go at a minute's notice. "That's the exciting part of being a broadcaster."

Speaking of the manner in which Al Gore disappeared from the political scene once the 2000 presidential race was decided in favor of George W. Bush, Mitchell said, "We all underestimated the emotional impact that loss had on Gore. It was a devastating blow to him. Yet his concession speech was one of the classiest moments in American politics. He put the good of the nation ahead of his own ambitions."

Asked to predict the political landscape for 2008, she said, "I wouldn't discount Hillary Clinton becoming the Democratic nominee. She has the most money. But you can't count out Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, John Kerry, John Edwards -- or other people we haven't thought of yet. Six weeks is a long time in politics, and we have three years to go.