Just 'Biden' Time

I like it when people show their appreciation for our military. I like it a lot, in fact. I've gained more appreciation for our service men and women since I moved to coastal North Carolina than I can even articulate.

So I think it's pretty cool when I get to do stories about neat people taking time to give back to our troops.

'Second Lady' Jill Biden was that neat person today. She came to Camp Lejeune to meet with members and families of the 2nd Marine Combat Battalion ahead of their deployment to Afghanistan.

I've met a whole bunch of politicians in my time at WNCT. I've spent time with NC's four most recent senators (Edwards, Dole, Burr and Hagan). I've lost count of how many times I've interviewed Gov. Bev Perdue ... and ahead of last November's election, I extensively interviewed eight or nine gubernatorial candidates. I've spent time with other state politicians and pundits -- and have had countless interactions with local politicians, too. I even covered President Obama's trip to Camp Lejeune in February, though my request to interview him was (ahem) inexplicably denied (or more to the point ... ignored).

I don't know if it's fair to call her a politician, since she doesn't hold elected office. But Jill Biden has been around politics for a long time. She no doubt knows how the game is played.

That said, there was just something about her interactions with the Marines and their families at Camp Lejeune today that makes her easily the most genuine and believable political figure I've met in my reporting career. I mean, I was very impressed -- and when it comes to politicians, that's saying something.

She's beautiful (especially for being 58 years old!), charismatic and even seemed rather humble. And her presence no doubt resonated strongly with the crowd at Camp Lejeune because she herself is a military mom (her stepson is in the Army National Guard and recently returned home from a deployment to Iraq).

And I think it's that connection with reality that makes her so believable. She truly seemed to understand and care about what the Marines and their families had to say. She exchanged hugs, handshakes and -- in my estimation -- heartfelt encouragement and concern with everyone there.

She told reporters in a press conference late this afternoon that her trips to military bases are something like listening tours. She said she was here to listen to what Marines and their families have to say -- and then take that information back to the White House to share it with policymakers.

I believe her when she says these trips are more than feel-good photo-ops. I believe it because she knows what every Marine and family member in that muggy gym was going through. Her handlers moved her quickly from person to person. But to me, it appears she did her best to have some sincere conversation with as many people as possible. And when it comes time for her husband or the President to weigh in on decisions about mobilizing troops or providing them and their families the resources they need at home and abroad, she has me convinced that she'll offer some sincere feedback.

I wouldn't consider myself naive -- but maybe in this case I am. Or maybe there are political figures who really DO mean what they say or truly DO act in the public interest. I certainly hope the latter is true of her. Because there are some monumental decisions that will be made over the next few months that have huge implications for our military members and their families.

Whatever those decisions are -- and however genuine she may or may not be -- I sure hope Jill Biden gets to weigh in with the stories she heard from everyone she met today at Camp Lejeune.

Accentuating The Positive

Working in TV news can be a heavy, heavy job. Think about it -- if you're depressed by the doom and gloom you sometimes see on your nightly newscasts, think about how it must feel to report it!

I think a lot of stations are pushing hard these days to do a better job of telling people about positive things going on in their communities. Viewers need a break from the stories about crime and corruption. And so do reporters. I mean, everyone likes a reminder that there are indeed good things happening in the world around them.

But we still have to report on the shocking crimes and the stories that leave you shaking your head. Reporters learn pretty quickly that we have to detach ourselves from what we're reporting, especially when it's horrible, heartbreaking news.

To some extent, we have to desensitize ourselves in order to not become totally disillusioned by some of the stories we cover. However, I think truly great reporters also stay in touch with their humanity and never, ever lose sense of the gravity of the stories they cover -- and the impact these real-life events have on real-life people. Tapping into our own emotions helps us convey the raw, human condition in the stories we report.

That said, covering the Cody Richardson story a couple of weeks ago really got to me. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much. Perhaps it was the sheer fact that he was so upset (for whatever reason) that he thought the best resolution was to strangle his wife. Perhaps it was the fact that this couple was so young. Or perhaps it was his cool, calm demeanor when he called 911 two days after he killed his wife to confess. (Or perhaps even the fact that a source closely connected with the case tells me he slept in the same bed with her body for a couple of nights before calling the cops.)

Whatever the case may be, covering that story for three or four straight days really shook me and left me in a foul mood. Maybe I just lost a little faith in humanity.

But then come stories like today's that restore your faith in humanity, that remind you that there are great people doing great things in the world around us and that give you a true feeling of emotional blessing when you get to be a part of them.

I got to cover a homecoming at Cherry Point. I've probably covered a dozen of them by now, but they never get old. It's always refreshing to watch heroes come home -- and to see the reactions of their friends and families once they're reunited after months of worrying and waiting.

It's a cleansing experience -- a good time that washes away the negative energy from troubling stories. I'm glad that we cover these stories fairly often at WNCT, to give the men and women fighting for our country (and the families who also sacrifice so much) their due. They certainly deserve it.

And it gives all of us a chance to accentuate the positive going on in the world around us.