Engage Blog

There may be an unfinished post out there in the land of Oz.

#1 - I would like to know which person/people Gwen would credit as being her mentor as she came along. She may want us to believe that she was born as a savvy journalist, but I think that she grew into it.

#2 - During the NewsHour and Washington Week all of you journalists not only dig out the news for us, but you all seem to enjoy what you do and your collegues much more than a lot of people enjoy what they do. Or are you all excellent actors?

Thanks so much. Gwen, you're one of the best!!

Hi Gwen,

Thanks for answering questions! I am a news junkie and love to watch you on NewsHour and Washington Week.

My question... I was so upset to hear about your fellow media talk show host Tim Russert's passing. As a huge fan of Meet the Press, I'm feeling a hole in my Sunday mornings as NBC tries to fill his shoes. Do you have any interest in the gig?

Thanks!!!

Dear Gwen,
I admire your work and enjoy watching you. Who has been the toughest interview for you and why? Who would you like to interview you?

Thanks!
L.J.

How would you compare your broadcast work on PBS with your print work for the New York Times?

The media all-but-unanimously pronounced Colin Powell's fact-challenged Feb. 2003 UN presentation "compelling."

As a direct result, the public supported a disastrous and unnecessary war.

What has changed in Beltway reporting as a result of this deadly fiasco?

I know he's had his 2nd heart attack(?) since 1998. Is he okay? Will he return to the News Hour? I can't believe we haven't heard word one about his prognosis...I'm hoping this gaff will be repaired soon. Thanks so much.

Dr. Jennifer Manlowe

Did the Pentagons use of former analyst to promote the Iraq war in American media violate the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948?

I would like to know who is gaining the big profit from the current high gas prices: the well owner? the oil refiner? the gas station on the corner? Someone else?

With all the talk about FISA, why isn't it explained more clearly for people who aren't political junkies and are just getting interested because of the presedential election? Thank you. Can you offer a simple explanation?

I have constantly been amazed at your ability to cut through side issues proposed by others - whether talking heads or guests - and return a topic to its core issues.

That seems to be at the root of why I always enjoy hearing your views - on Washington Week in review - even when you are not the interviewer.

Many times a host - mostly on 'commercial' stations but even here on PBS -will seem to shout over guests. I hate that and watch such shows less as a result. I will not name names or programs in this paragraph.

But I wonder at the blurring of that as a distinction between PBS and 'commercial' stations. It seems that some stations believed they found a growth model through that as an emphasized 'mode of operation.'

Do you think that some the "shout fests" that distract viewers from core issues are beginning to enjoy an insidious growth here on PBS?

Gwen....my wife and I are big fans of yours.....2 comments...
1. who ever is in charge of your lighting on Wash. week should get big kudos....always makes you look the best of all the other programs you are on...
2. Whoever selects your clothes, (maybe you).....also gets the gold medal.....you always look really fantastic.
Tom
Toronto, Canada

Your interview of Al Gore last year begin rather abruptly:

GWEN IFILL: Mr. Vice President, welcome.

AL GORE, former vice president of the United States: Thank you.

GWEN IFILL: The book reads as a screed. It's an attack on media, on politics, and mostly against George W. Bush. Is that what you intended?

What specifically in the book in your view reduced it to the level of a screed? Looking through it on line I find quotes such as: "To the extent that money and the clever use of electronic mass media could be used to manipulate the outcome of elections, the role of reason began to diminish." Here is an excerpt from Time: "It is too easy—and too partisan—to simply place the blame [for what is wrong with our democracy] on the policies of President George W. Bush." Does this read as more of a screed than PBS guest Pat Buchanan's work?

Gwen over at the blog Firedoglake during a discussion about who would fill Tim Russerts shoes I suggested that you would be the person I would choose, but wondered out loud whether you would be willing to take a step down in integrity and step up in power and money? Someone at FDL said that there was "bad blood"between you and MSNBC...or maybe NBC. Is this true?

You would be my pick to fill Russert"s shoes. You are an incredible moderator. Would you take that job if offered?

Gwen, now that computers are getting involved in government, what do you think are the chances that direct democracy movements like the Metagovernment ( http://www.metagovernment.org ) could succeed?

You always have a firm grasp on the issues you address in your roundtable discussions. How many hours do you spend reading background resources on the issues? Whom do you consult with the most in preparing for your discussions? Who do you think was the smartest person you've ever interviewed or held a discussion with? Who do you think was the worst prepared? What was the most unexpected reaction from one of your guests?

I watch the News Hour every day. It is the only reliable source of news for me. 24 hour news channels are complete garbage in my opinion. You never get the full story from them and you never get expert, in depth analysis from the reporters. The're too busy trying to look and sound good. You, on the other hand, look good, sound good and are so smart. Keep up the great work. People like you and the News Hour are essential for our democracy and humanity as a whole. Your smile lights up my plasma screen!

Hi Gwen, you are a hum-dinger.

Here is my question:

To Senator Obama and to Senator McCain-
and to every member of Congress.

You swore to defend and protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. That was your oath of office.

The FISA bill is an attack of the Constitution and Lawful government.
Why aren't you defending the Constitution against it?

Dear Gwen -

I was struck by your ability not to be outraged whle I listened to your interview with the Zimbabwe ambassador to the US (or UN??) who was justifying his government's decision to go ahead with election despite the global community condemnation.

My question is: How do you manage to keep your personal politics at arm's length when you are engaging with people who are dissembling/dishonest/representing the dark side of humanity?

Dave
London, UK

Hello Gwen

My wife and I in Perth west Australia try not to miss any of your broadcast replayed for Australian viewers.We enjoy your skillfull
interviews and thoughful questioning.

Here in Australia we were living with gasoline prices of $4.73 per gallon which has now jumped to $6.00.

My question is? Would the price drop if the President threatended
to release supplies from the strategic reserve.?
What lasting effect would it have on the price speculation?

Hi Gwen. I've watched The News Hour regularly since I was a young adult (I've in my mid forties now). One of the things I enjoy about the program is the unbiased reporting. In depth news coverage about issues which affect Americans and the world as a whole. No matter what the subject.

I have noticed, however, you seem to have a clear political bias towards the republican party and the conservative agenda. While no specific references come immediately to mind, my partner and I have observed this, particularly during this campaign primary season and now the general election campaign.

My question then is, why do you allow your personal political bias interfere with your professional responsibilities?

Thank you for your response.

DangerWillRobinson

Why should people trust the information from a "news" program that is sponsored by The National Mining Association, Boeing, and Constellation Energy?

1. Back in 2006, you offered two guests discussing an issue, and they turned out to be on basically the same side. Have you considered that debates between two people who basically agree is how things were done in the Soviet Union and how things should not be done in the U.S.?

Details:

lonewacko.com/blog/archives/006003.html

2. At a "average voter" panel you moderated, a supposed "regular voter" (who turned out to be a wonk) made various inflammatory claims, none of which you called him on. Why didn't you do that? Was he a "plant", similar to what CNN did with audience members with their debates? And, why couldn't you find a regular voter who supports our laws?

Details:

lonewacko.com/blog/archives/005823.html

1. Politicians and commentators with an admitted bias on a position often produced facts to support their side of an argument. What do you do to ensure that these facts accurate? I ask this only because increasingly in various news organizations I see commentators use weak or unsupportable facts and their claims go unchallenged.

2. The Bush Administration has been famous for not engaging with the press and particularly with reporters they are concerned will press them on an issue. Have you experienced this problem? How do you strike a balance between robust coverage and agreeing to constraints made by the administration so as to get an interview?

Ms. Ifill,

I find your talent to be eclipsed only by your beauty! Your smile is as intense as your interviews. I have been one of your biggest fans for several years now and I have notice that you are not married; either your work schedule is just that busy or the gentlemen in our capital have lost their collective minds.

I hope that your name is at the top of the list of those worthy of following in the footsteps of your former boss and mentor (another one of my favorites) Tim Russert. Continued success to you!

Regards,

Treadwell47

Dear Gwen,

I think that you'd be the perfect person to fill the now empty Tim Russet spot at Meet the Press. You have a lot of credibility, have been a moderator of a serious, terrific political show. I think that picking you for the spot would show that the people at NBC really want the best person for the job.

There has been a lot of talk about how well-prepared and how persistent Tim Russert was as an interviewer. But while TR was better than most (You are, IMO, among his few peers), he was always forced to stop short of the truth, especially when the truth meant exposing the lies of a high-profile guest "get" and potentially alienating the show and reducing its chances of ever again securing an interview with the subject. Dick Cheney's "Aluminum Tubes" visit to MTP, the one that Bill Moyers rightly exposed in "Buying the War," is probably the most glaring example of this sad phenomenon. Without access to the "best" guests, a show dies. But using that access to ask demanding questions (and then not settling for prepared spin) can also be death for a show. In the end, isn't it true that this dynamic ensures that TV news interview shows are doomed to deliver pablum and prefab "answers"?

Thanks.

Gwen, First I want to say I admire your work and like the way you report the news. The question I have concerns the price of oil and how it is effecting every aspect of our lives. I live 50 miles from a huge oil find in Montana. Everyday I see oil tankers , many oil tankers going north for this oil. The Bakken shale formation is a proven thing in our part of the world. We know oil companies are not doing everything to get this oil out of the ground. We know they have offshore leases they are not drilling on. I guess my question is why isn't more pressure being put on oil companies to quit playing games . To do the right thing for the people in THEIR country. And one last comment we hear everyday about no new oil refineries being built. I live 200 miles from to huge oil refineries, actually 3. Exxon, Conoco and Cenex. All of these refineries have dramatically increased in size in the last 20 years. Increasing capacity, building new storage, and upgrading big time. So don't tell me no new refineries. Do some reporting on how refineries have increased in size that is a story. Thanks for your time, Sandy

I would like to know ,why hasn't the media pickup Ethe people hasn't said to any of our presidential candidates that the Voting Act that is past do to become law. People don't even think about people coming in to the country and becoming U.S. citizens while blacks who have been here for centuries still have to have a act that has to be signed every 7 years that can be done by Mr. Obama if this does happen how and why would he even sign a act that would be so past do that it would be morally wrong .

Gwen; I would like to know if Barak Obama is a Muslim? Peace be upon you. Ahmed

When is the CPB going to start reporting independently and stop acting like another propaganda arm of the Bush White House?

Further, are you planning to regurgitate American government propaganda to start more illegal, immoral, and unnecessary wars of aggression that ruin the nation, murder innocent people, and drain the blood of our youth and the national treasury?

I would like to know. If so, I will continue boycotting your biased, garbage, lightweight news coverage and telling everyone that they shouldn't waste their time on it. If not, then I will return to being a donating supporter.

Thanks,
Wexler

Can terrorist organizations and drug cartels "park" their excess dollars in oil futures markets without the United States government ever finding out about those transaction?

Why do I know so much more than you do Gwen? You are a pleasant person, but our country is in crisis. Ask a real question for a change . . . do a little of that journalism thing . . . please?

Seymour Hersh is reporting that our troops are already fighting inside of Iran. There is a private corporate controlled military force that is driving around killing Iraqi civilians.

I know its pledge week but . . . please . . . please . . . report the news before its too late.

Maybe it is already.

"87 channels and nothing on..."
Just saw this page and wanted to take the opp to say how grateful I am that there IS something worthwhile to watch - Washington Week and the McNeil-Lehr news hour - esp. with Gwen.
There's intelligence - common sense - depthful reporting - no stupid transitions - if something is sad they're not smiling through it - and your sense of humor and warmth adds so much. I turn off the tube feeling there IS some logic left in the world.

Thank you
Jackie

Ms. Ifill, you have mentioned that you have enjoyed social evenings with Secretary Rice. Has this led you to treat her differently? Are you perhaps more harsh in order to avoid the appearance of favoritism? Do you think you owe it to your viewers to detail your social interactions with her?
Are there other newsmakers with whom you socialize? If so, do these relationships cause you to report differently, and should we viewers know about them?
Some bloggers have posited the concept of a 'village' in DC that includes journalists as well as their subjects in a self-protective network of associations. Have you ever seen evidence of this effect?
Thank you,
Peter Crowley

What a completely sad and sorry excuse for any kind of news outlet you are. Pathetic.

Why is it that corporate commentators rapidly fall into line with vague Orwellian changes in language? As an example using "harsh interrogations techniques simulating drowning" rather than torture and water boarding or even the term coined by Torquemada during the Inquisition- "the Water Cure?"

The changes, similar to the non-reporting of civilian deaths in our wars tend to make our newscasts of our activities less repulsive.

Hi Gwen-
Thanks, as always.

Could you offer some insight on how stories are developed for the NewsHour. Do you consult as a team (Ray Suarez, Jeffrey Brown, and others) or are reports developed entirely independent of each other? I ask because sometimes the program seems particularly well-crafted with stories that build on each other. I'm curious to know how that happens.

Hi Gwen, I remember you from Meet the Press and I loved you on the show. I just did not know your name until Tim had passed. My question is what was like to work with Tim Russert?? I am also becoming a fan of yours on Washington Week. If I can't have Tim, I can have my friends on MSNBC and Al Hunt on Bloomsberg.

One other thing, the next time you are in Atlanta, give a bigger plug. I missed out on seeing John Harwood, who is also another one of my
faves.

Hi Gwen, I remember you from Meet the Press and I loved you on the show. I just did not know your name until Tim had passed. My question is what was like to work with Tim Russert?? I am also becoming a fan of yours on Washington Week. If I can't have Tim, I can have my friends on MSNBC and Al Hunt on Bloomsberg.

One other thing, the next time you are in Atlanta, give a bigger plug. I missed out on seeing John Harwood, who is also another one of my
faves.

As much as I tire over the decades debate regarding women's pro choice and pro life stance, I am particularily interested in Sarah Palin's response to the question of " Do you support the rights of women to choose either abortion or a preventative measure such as birth control" ? Because we know that Sarah Palin is pro life ; what we don't know is if Palin is also against birth control and sex education. Many pro life advocates DO NOT believe in birth control and want to RESTRICT women's access to birth control in all sorts of ways (lack of insurance coverage, severe overcharging and passing state bills to deny a pharmacist filling a birth control prescription because of religious reasons). So I think the question is very relevant to this election and would prefer to hear Palin speak to this issue not only from her own experience but for all women. What is her position; one of prevention or one of restriction or ??? We are listening. Judith Ingram

Why were important foreign policy questions not asked during the Sept 26th presidential debate? The important issues relating to causes of terrorism, identification and recruitment of supporting nations, reactions to France's leadership in the Russian invasion of Georgia, role of congress in declaring and ending war,etc.were among issues not addressed. There did not appear to be any clear winners of the debate but unfortunately Jim Lehrer, one of the world's nicest person, was a loser in his role as moderator and question chooser.

In a debate with Giuliani and Romney, John McCain said,"I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I've been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism. I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn't a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn't a governor for a short period of time."
[John McCain--explaining at an Oct. 2007 debate why Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are not qualified to be president]

Sarah Palin, why are you more prepared and qualified to be president than Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani?

It's been widely touted on the news this week that Sarah Palin is sequestered in "Debate Camp" to bone up for the debate this Thursday night.

But the "job" of Vice-President, or heaven forbid, President, that could confront her is something that cannot be "crammed for." I'm a Vietnam Veteran, never been in politics, but I know a LOT more about our country, other countries, economics and the world situation that she does, with years of reading, study and actual experience overseas as well as running my own company. That is experience that's in my bones, so to speak.

Though almost ANYONE can cram for a big test, and even do well at it, do they have the knowledge, experience and ability to USE that knowledge after that test is over? When you're given the answers to possible questions, does that give you ANY of the knowledge you need to go out in that field and actually do something with them? If someone crams for an exam in medicine or science or any field that requires more than mere scholarship, would you trust them to diagnose an illness, perform an operation, build a bridge, tunnel, or even a home?

Some might, but not anyone I know.

Thank you.

Hi Gwen:

I have a question for Governor Palin

Can you tell us what the job of Vice President is NOT within the Judicial, Executive and Legislative Branch?

Hi Gwen:

I have a question for Governor Palin

Can you tell us what the job of Vice President is NOT within the Judicial, Executive and Legislative Branches?

Hi Gwen,

Please ask Governor Palin this:

Your decision for you, your husband and senior staff not to testify in "troopergate" makes you look guilty - AND that you are following the example of V.P. Cheney. Is Dick Cheney your role model for Vice President?

i would like to know how sarah palin can kill animals if she is so pro life.