Ann Compton Gives to Journalism, One President at a Time

Not as creative as an artist. Not as skilled as a computer technician. But like all of those professions, for women and men alike, the long hours of a job cuts into time with the family. As a White House correspondent, I have had four children, in five years, and never quit working. Sure, I  missed a couple of birthdays and Halloweens in election years, but the secret is flexibility—I could plan to duck out of the White House for school plays or kids’ doctors’ appointments, and I am married to a doctor who is always at home while I travel.

Q: Who has been your most fascinating interviewee?

A: Any president is fascinating, when you consider the awesome responsibility they bear, 24/7, for the entire four years of their term. 

Q: I was touched by your speech on the Washington Speakers Bureau website where you talk about September 11th and how your son at Vanderbilt put a human face on the day for you (when he noted that his fraternity brother had been killed). Do you believe the “personal story” goes further in journalism in reaching a public audience? And if so, do you do that in your network coverage, and how?

A: Personal has no place in journalism if it is an emotional connection for you. The story that day wasn’t my kids and I didn’t cry until the end of the day when I returned with the President to the White House and my job as a pool reporter was over. On the other hand, the best reporters draw on their knowledge and experience to tell them whether the story they are covering makes sense, and where to follow the best leads.

Q: How do you feel your work at ABCNews.com compares to the television broadcast? Who are you trying to reach?

A: When ABCNews.com started me doing an on-camera newscast each day during the 2000 campaign, we were too far ahead of the curve. The only people really watching broadband were at the office and primetime was about 11 a.m. through 2 p.m., when people were presumably eating lunch at their desk. Now, more than six years later, video from the Internet is everywhere. But remember—we are only a headline service. Americans need to turn to many sources to be fully informed.

Q: I’ve noticed in your coverage your attention to detail, which helps set a scene that we can’t see through the Internet and radio. What are you looking for, as far as details, when reporting on people, the president, and the news?

A: I look for human elements that illuminate an issue and make it clearer to the broader audience—a single illegal immigrant who fears for her children born in the U.S.