It was 20 years ago today: US Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was Speaker of the House, and Bill Clinton was President. First Lady Hillary Clinton was making headlines of her own, promoting a universal health care plan. There were many who believed a president’s wife should stick to softer issues, like literacy or highway beautification. Speaker Gingrich was certainly not a fan of the Clintons.
Connie Chung
CBS News anchor Connie Chung hosted a prime time news magazine called “Eye To Eye.” It was up against NBC’s “Seinfeld,” so it didn’t last very long. But in early January 1995, one edition of Chung’s show got a lot of attention. So much so, it pretty much ended Chung’s career as a national journalist.
Kathleen Gingrich
Chung interviewed Kathleen Gingrich, Newt’s mother, and the following exchange took place:
At 70 years old, and not in the best of health, the Speaker’s mother was believed to be unaware that her whispered comment, said to be “just between you and me,” would be broadcast. Chung, on the other hand, said “I think she knew what we were doing,” indicating that the presence of cameras and microphones should indicate to anyone that their comments were “on the record.” Unless, critics said, they were told it was to be “just between you and me.” Here’s a story on the controversy I did for WRCB:
The next few years were not kind to the participants in this controversy. Kathleen Gingrich’s health declined, and she died in 2003 at the age of 77. Her son the Speaker ran afoul of some of his own party members in 1998, opting not to seek another term in House leadership, and was even reprimanded for ethical wrongdoing. As for Connie Chung, the whispering incident cost her the co-anchor seat (alongside Dan Rather) at CBS, and led to short-lived jobs at various networks before eventually fading out of the spotlight.
I’ve used the video story above when speaking to college journalism classes, and it always sparks a lively debate. Most participants come down on the side of Kathleen Gingrich, believing that she was tricked into revealing her son’s unflattering description of the First Lady. However, some believe that Connie Chung was doing her job as a reporter, getting a valuable piece of information regarding the House Speaker’s true opinion of Hillary Clinton. Newt Gingrich held nothing back. He called Chung’s broadcast “unprofessional, despicable and unfair.”
Personally, I think “Just between you and me” is pretty clear. There’s a big difference between “you and me,” and “let’s show this to millions of people.” And while Newt Gingrich was fair game, his mom really shouldn’t have been. I don’t like to see anyone’s career go down in flames, and prior to this incident, had no reason to be critical of Connie Chung. I’ll just say that was not the route I would have taken. My interview with the Speaker’s mother would probably not have yielded headline news as this one did, but I would hope my reputation, whatever it was, would have remained intact.
Although Connie Chung never again reached her previous level of prominence, she appeared in Chattanooga last year to speak to a large group. By all accounts, she was warmly received. In fairness, she had a successful career, far beyond the dreams of most aspiring journalists. But those few seconds back in January 1995 surely cost her millions of dollars in income. To my knowledge, she has long defended that interview, and her decision to air the whispered comment. I can’t help but wonder though: if Connie Chung could do it all over again, would she do the same thing?
