ABC News Anchor Bill Ritter on the State of Journalism Today

Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Bill Ritter, Anchor, Eyewitness News, WABC-TV, to talk about the state of journalism and media, the divisive rhetoric seen online and the importance of encouraging kindness and compassion.

1/27/2020 #2274

Excerpt:

"This is One on One. Bill Ritter's on the air with us here at public television . I was chewing on a piece of ice . That's the reason we'll do it live. We're live. Sorry I didn't mean to do inside stuff. That's all right. This is bill Ritter he's an anchor over at channel 7 Eyewitness News WABC you can check him out at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 and on the weekends for a close public affairs politics show Sunday morning at 11 o'clock. Terrific show. I can see my studio from my backyard or from your front yard here. It's right actually behind us. Yeah but you guys are moving in a few years. At four and a half years or something we're building a new Disney’s building a new ABC WABC building for Disney and everything else down in lower Manhattan But you love the Upper West Side don't you? And I'm gonna learn to love the Lower part of Manhattan. I love the Upper West Side. Tell folks where you came from because you had a print background yes I spent 15 years doing prints most recent most recently before I came into television I worked with LA Times and they said you know why are you going to television you know I said well I, I'm gonna do something maybe that I could fail at you know why why not give it a shot I was 30 almost 37 and I thought you know why not give it a shot something I try and they said television this is the LA Times. You're gonna be along around forever. Yeah And it is around and it's making a comeback it's doing good work but I, I it took a long time to get there and newspapers have not had great and not all newspapers have done well certainly in the last 30 years. Bill, and I have lots of conversations on the air and off and and one of the things we're very focused on not selfishly but hopefully for the larger good is the state of media and journalism...Here's the question social media you're actively engaged one of the things that always strikes me about you right with this thing. Yeah that thing. Yeah But one of things that strikes me about you and following you on Twitter and other social media platforms is you engage you attempt to engage in the most civil respectful dialogue particularly with people who disagree on the issues why long-winded question though why is it so difficult for so many of us who are obsessed with being respectful and civil to have respectful civil conversations with people who see the world politically differently why is that so hard it's a great question and now I'm reading after your question whether. No stop. You know..."