The women's magazine Marie Claire didn't only interview (in her case, badger) Fox's Megyn Kelly. They've published interviews with five powerful women in TV news, starting with Subrata De, a senior producer for NBC Nightly News.
When asked what it's like to work for NBC anchor Brian Williams, she said he's "wickedly funny," but "I just wish he'd eat a vegetable every now and then. When we're on the road, we often have standoffs over fast food versus healthy food. He usually prevails, due to sheer stubbornness. Somehow, we always end up at Arby's."
Will this come up with Mrs. Obama the next time Williams comes to the White House for a burger run with the President?
NBC's De also said her start in journalism came with Michael Moore: "I started as an intern at TV Nation, the satirical news show, in New York City. I would sit in a back room slogging through tons of research, but I loved it."
That show began on NBC for nine episodes in 1994, and then moved to the entertainment network Fox for eight episodes in the summer of 1995. In 1994, MRC's newsletter MediaWatch chronicled an early version of the Moore documentary "Sicko," which touted Cuba's health care:
NBC Sports anchors Ahmad Rashad and Bob Costas dove into the realm of health reform when they hosted the "Health Care Olympics" for Michael Moore's TV Nation on August 8. The sports team traced the progress of patients with injured legs through hospitals in Cuba, Canada, and the U.S. The three systems were rated on access, delivery, and cost.
After the patients were admitted, Rashad hailed Canada: "Long waits are typically more characteristic of Canada with rationing of services due to limited resources but...the patient... practically sailed through the check-in process." Rashad critiqued the U.S., where the wait was one hour less: "The U.S. really struggled with access to medical care but that's one area Americans always have been in trouble because of the 39 million citizens who are uninsured." The Cuban was admitted directly to surgery.
NBC claimed Cuba cost the patient nothing, in Canada just $15, and in America $450.70, as if such costs were not incurred elsewhere. Canada took the gold for "over twenty years of universal access." Rashad awarded Cuba the silver: "Cuba had some pretty great moments and wins points for such a comprehensive medical system...until they find a way out of economic isolation, it's going to be hard to sustain the quality of the system." And the bronze? "Unfortunately, it may take a while for the United States to make its way through the insurance obstacle course and who knows what could happen with reform...it came in third," announced Rashad. But if free health care in Cuba is so superior, why aren't Americans rafting their way?
