FOLKS, MY FIRST GUEST IS A VETERAN
JOURNALIST WHO HAS SERVED AS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
FOR CBS AND CO-HOSTED "CBS THIS MORNING."
SHE NOW TAKES THE HELM AS ANCHOR OF THE "CBS EVENING
NEWS."
PLEASE WELCOME NORAH O'DONNELL!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST WEEK.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: ANCHORING THE "CBS EVENING NEWS."
THAT'S PRETTY HEAVY STUFF.
BUT BE HONEST, AFTER SEVEN YEARS ON THE MORNING SHOW, DID YOU
TAKE THIS JOB JUST SO YOU CAN SLEEP IN?
( LAUGHTER ) >> THAT WAS PART OF THE
CALCULATION, YES, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE BREAKFAST WITH MY CHILDREN.
>> Stephen: I'M JOKING, BUT IT CAN'T BE INSIGNIFICANT, YOU GET
BACK ON A HUMAN SCHEDULE.
>> YOU KNOW, GOOD FRIENDS WITH EVERYBODY AT "CBS THIS MORNING,"
BUT IT IS A GRIND GETTING UP SO EARLY IN THE MORNING, BUT NOW I
GET UP AT 5:00 A.M., WHICH IS CONSIDERED SLEEPING IN.
>> Stephen: OH, LAZY BONES!
( LAUGHTER ) FIRST OF ALL, HOW HAS THE FIRST
WEEK BEEN?
DID YOU GET A GOOD BAND BECAUSE EWHEN YOU'RE HOST AG SHOW, YOU
HAVE TO HAVE A GOOD BAND.
>> ARE YOU AVAILABLE?
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT'S THE BIGGEST
DIFFERENCE FOR YOU SO FAR?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S 30 MINUTES, SO IT'S JAM PACKED WITH NEWS, AND
THIS IS A LEGACY BROADCAST.
>> Stephen: FROM TWO HOURS TO 30 MINUTES.
>> YEAH, SO IT'S KIND OF APPOINTMENT TELEVISION AT 6:30.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME, TUNE IN AT 6:30 P.M.
ALSO ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: OH, WOW.
YOU GUYS ARE ON THE MOBILE DEVICE NOW.
>> YEAH, WE'RE ON IT.
>> Stephen: OKAY, THAT'S GOOD.
BUT FOR ME, A JOURNALIST OF 20 YEARS, IT'S A LEGACY
BROADCAST.
>> Stephen: WHO WAS THE FIRST WOMAN YOU SAW ANCHORING?
BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY THIRD SOLO ANCHOR OF A EVENING NEWS
BROADCAST TO BE A WOMAN.
WHO'S THE FIRST FEMALE JOURNALIST YOU SAW AND ADMIRED?
>> I GREW UP IN A MILITARY FAMILY, AGREE UP ALL OVER THE
WORLD AND NEWS MEANT A LOT.
I WAS TALKING TO FAMILY FRIENDS AND IT REALLY WAS BARBARA
WALTERS.
( APPLAUSE ) AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS FROM CANT
IS ACTUALLY HERE TONIGHT IN THE AUDIENCE.
( CHEERING ) YAY!
AND THEY REMINDED ME I ACTUALLY USED TO CALL THEM UP AND LEAVE A
MESSAGE ON THEIR MACHINE, HI, IT'S BARBARA WALTERS, I'M
CALLING YOU FOR AN INTERVIEW.
SO EVEN AS A YOUNG GIRL, I WAS IMITATING BARBARA WALTERS AND
WANTED TO BE LIKE BARBA BARBARA WALTERS BECAUSE SHE WAS THE MOST
POWERFUL WOMAN ON TELEVISION.
>> Stephen: MY WOMAN HAD A BOOK ABOUT HOW TO ASK ANYONE
PRACTICALLY ANYTHING.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, HOW DO YOU GET YOURSELF TO ASK THE PERSON
WHO DOESN'T WANT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, THE QUESTION THEY
DON'T WANT TO HEAR, WHAT DO YOU DO BEFORE YOU ASK THAT QUESTION
THAT'S GOING TO GET THEIR BACK UP?
>> I TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT, I REALLY DO.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I THINK IT'S THE HEART OF GREAT
CONVERSATION AND GREAT RELATIONSHIPS IS TRUST AND
INTEGRITY, SO I DO TONS AND TONS OF RESEARCH, I THINK 90% OF
GETTING THE RIGHT ANSWER IS ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION, BUT
IF I TREAT SOMEONE WITH RESPECT AND THEN ASK THEM A TOUGH
QUESTION, WHICH YOU KNOW I LIKE TO DO, BUT DO IT RESPECTFULLY, I
CAN USUALLY GET A GOOD ANSWER.
>> Stephen: WELL, THIS NEWS SEAT THAT YOU'RE IN RIGHT NOW IS
THE MOST STORIED ONE ON TELEVISION.
THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT CRONKITE BUILT.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT DOES THAT JOB MEAN TO YOU?
>> IT MEANS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT.
I HAVE BEEN READING WALTER CRONKITE'S BIOGRAPHY.
HE HELD THE POST FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, WAS KNOWN AS THE MOST
TRUSTED MAN IN AMERICA, THE MOST TRUSTED VOICE.
ONE TO HAVE THE THINGS HE SAID IS JOURNALISM IS WHAT WE NEED TO
MAKE DEMOCK SE WORK.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND I SO FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IN
MY BONES ABOUT HAVING AN INFORMED ELECTORATE AND ALSO
HAVING A TRUSTED NEWS SOURCE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE LOTS OF SOURCES OUT THERE OF
AFFIRMATION, BUT WE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE "CBS EVENING
NEWS."
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT WILL SUCCESS
LOOK LIKE TO YOU?
>> SUCCESS MEANS, YOU KNOW, WINNING REPUTATIONLY, AND IT
MEANS PEOPLE COME TO OUR BROADCAST AND PLAY IT STRAIGHT.
THEY PLAY A BALL A BALL, A STRIKE A TRIKE, I TRUST THEM,
THEY DO IMPORTANT NEWS AND NOT ONLY POINT OUT ABUSE AND
CORRUPTION BUT ALSO POINT OUT WHAT'S GOING RIGHT IN AMERICA,
PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING GREAT SERVICE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND
WE'LL TELL THOSE KINDS OF STORIES.
SO I WANT TO HAVE A BROADCAST ABOUT INTEGRITY.
THAT'S IMPORTANT HAVING AN INFORMED ELECTORATE THAT WILL GO
TO THE POLLS AND MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, YOU GOT SOME
PRAISE.
SPEAKING OF CALLING A BALL A BALL AND STRIKE A STRIKE, YOU
GOT PRAISE MONDAY FOR BEING THE ONLY ONE OF THE MAJOR NEWS
BROADCASTERS TO DESCRIBE DONALD TRUMP'S TWEETS ABOUT THE SQUAD
AS RACIST.
WHAT WAS THE EDITORIAL PROCESS, WHAT WAS THE DECISION, HOW WAS
THAT REACHED?
BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE DID THAT.
BEYOND LOOKING AT IT AND GOING, OH, THAT'S RACIST, WHAT WAS THE
DECISION?
>> RIGHT, AND WE LOOKED AT THE HISTORY OF THOSE WORDS AND THE
CONTEXT OF THOSE WORDS.
>> Stephen: MEAN "GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM"?
>> YES, TO GO BACK.
I THINK IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF COLOR AND A MINORITY, THAT'S A
PHRASE YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD IN YOUR LIFETIME AND IT'S A VERY
HURTFUL PHRASE, AND IT'S AN HISTORICALLY RACIST TROPE.
WE CALLED THEM RACIST TWEETS.
WE DIDN'T CALL THE PRESIDENT A RACIST.
WE DIDN'T LABEL HIM.
WE CALLED THE CONTEXT OF WHAT THESE REMARKS ARE.
>> Stephen: HE MIGHT HAVE FOUND THOSE REMARKS ANYPLACE AND
JUST ACCIDENTALLY TWEETED THEM.
( LAUGHTER ) KNOWS WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
>> AND WE'RE REPORTING THAT, AFTER THE PRESIDENT USED A RALLY
IN NORTH CAROLINA TO REPEAT THOSE PHRASES AND THEN THAT THE
CROWD SHOUTED IT BACK, THAT HE RECEIVED HIS WIFE MELANIA TOLD
HIM TO STOP, IVANKA TOLD HIM TO STOP, A NUMBER OF CONGRESSIONAL
REPUBLICANS WENT TO THE VICE PRESIDENT AND TOLD HIM THIS
SHOULD NOT BECOME A RALLYING CRY AT POLITICAL RALLIES BUT THAT'S
GONE TOO FAR.
>> Stephen: MIGHT BE TOO LATE BECAUSE THE CROWD SEEMED TO
ENJOY IT.
HE HAS CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL.
>> THAT'S WHY I THINK JOURNALISM IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, WHAT
WE DO, IT E EXPOSES US TO THE MISTAKES PEOPLE MADE, IT CAUSES
OTHER PEOPLE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE, ALL OF THAT
INFORMATION IS INCREDIBLY KEY.
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU SIGN OFF THE SHOW, SO FAR YOUR SIGNOFF
HAS BEEN "AND THAT IS THE "CBS EVENING NEWS"."
AND CRONKITE THAT HIS "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" AND PEOPLE SEARCH
FOR A WAY TO SAY GOODBYE.
I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE SOME OF THE CHOICES THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT
FOR YOUR SIGNOFF HERE AND I WAS HOPING YOU COULD TAKE US THROUGH
SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DECIDED NOT TO SAY DURING THE END OF
YOUR BROADCAST.
>> HOW DID YOU GET AHOLD OF THESE?
>> Stephen: WE MADE 'EM UP.
( LAUGHTER ) THOSE RIGHT THERE.
MIND GIVING THOSE A SHOT RIGHT THERE?
IMAGINE YOU'RE SAYING GOOD NIGHT.
CAMERA 3, YOU'RE A FINE BROADCASTER, THERE.
>> OKAY.
THIS IS FROM STEPHEN COLBERT.
>> Stephen: THESE ARE THE REJECTED SIGNOFFS THAT NORAH
O'DONNELL DID NOT WANT TO SAY.
>> I'M NORAH O'DONNELL AND YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP, FOLKS.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: THAT WOULD HAVE
BEEN GOOD.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD.
THIS ONE?
>> GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK WITH ALL THAT.
( LAUGHTER ) I'M NORAH O'DONNELL, AND THAT
NORAH O'DOES IT.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: PRETTY GOOD.
PRETTY GOOD.
>> THAT'S GOOD.
AND THAT IS THE "CBS EVENING NEWS."
WOW, I NEED A DRINK.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THE "CBS EVENING
NEWS" AIRS NIGHTLY!
NORAH O'DONNELL, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH TOPHER GRACE!