Press Pass

Yesterday was an exciting day for William and Mary … more so than usual.  On the eve of Charter Day–the day we celebrate our receipt of the royal charter from King William and Queen Mary–William and Mary played host to CNN’s John King.  He interviewed our new Chancellor, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who is an alumnus of the College and hosted his show, John King USA live from outside the President’s house, with our beloved Wren Building, the oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States, in the background.  William and Mary students, faculty and staff packed the Wren lawn and showed their Tribe Pride. There was even a massive cut out of our new Chancellor appearing on television.

Earlier in the day, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview Mr. King. I mean,  John (he refused to be interviewed unless I called him by his first name).  It was a wonderful opportunity for this aspiring journalist to not only interview a news maker (yes he’s a journalist but he made a lot of news on our campus) but to also get to know a man who has been at the forefront of political reporting, especially in this exciting 2012 election.  John King was very generous, giving me a 10 minute interview – that’s a lot of time in television – during the most stressful and busy part of his day.  He had just wrapped up his interview with Chancellor Gates – the first since leaving his cabinet position – and was in the process of prepping for his show.

So what is something King’s viewers don’t know about him and his John King USA staff?  They drink a lot of coffee and always make it a point to celebrate the end of a successful show every night.  The CNN chief national correspondent is also extremely down to earth and has a great sense of humor.  To hear his advice to young journalists, get his take on 2012 politics including his headline-making exchange with Republican Presidential Candidate and Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich in a recent GOP Debate, and see what John King is really like behind the scenes (there were plenty of laughs) watch my interview.

Happy  Charter Day, William and Mary!  It has been 319 years of friendships stronger than the bricks on which we walk each day, challenging academics and endless opportunities to broaden our interests.  I am proud to call this campus and its community my second home.

Lauren Stephenson
Class of 2013