Different views of Katie Couric

Posted Sep 12, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 12, 2006 at 02:22 PM

  I received some e-mails about Katie Couric’s first week:

  “I wondered if you could tell me if Katie has had a face lift?  I can’t decide if she has had one done or is just trying to keep her face from showing any emotion. I like her and have watched her two shows but she seems stiff and starched.  Just wondered if it could be a face lift.”

Thanks

March Becraft

Next e-mail:

“Dear Mr. Belcher:
My compliments on your article about Katie Couric for extending beyond (the media’s missed the mark again) the nonsense the average person really doesn’t care about.
Although my purpose here is not to discuss myself, if I tell you something about myself first it may help you understand why so many average people think Katie not only deserves it, but will do just fine.
I’ve lived in Zephyrhills for 5 years.  For 53 years before that I lived in Northern N.J.  I lived within 30 miles of the World Trade Center.  My house was in the flight path of 93 and the one that hit the Pentagon.  I saw the two giant plumes of smoke in the horizon.  I knew people who lost someone that day.  There is no way to describe how far from ground zero the real confusion and terror spread.  Every time we heard a chopper or jet overhead,  praying it was ours.  Walking into a convenience store and seeing the expression of sadness or fear on the clerk of middle eastern heritage.  Like he wanted to say he was sorry or please don’t be mad at him, he didn’t do it.  I don’t know if I’m going to see the movies, because I can barely watch the previews.  If anything that day we needed to cling———to connect.
That’s what Katie does———-she connects.  She comes from a sensible, grounded, middle class background.  She’s not financially extravagant, in spite of her wealth.  Her mother scolded her for buying a red convertible, because it was too showy.  She made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in her kitchen with her daughters and took them down to the workers at ground zero.  Her intelligence and experience interviewing world figures and celebrities speaks for itself.  Her class and grace dealing with personal tragedy. 
From what I’ve read and heard she is attempting to bring the news and attitudes beyond what a lot of us are fed up with, “there’s 12 people that matter and then there’s the rest of us”.
So that’s my point of view Mr. Belcher, just an average person, who practiced nursing for 26 years, and likes calling her friends up north in a blizzard, while she’s wearing t-shirt and shorts, to hear them yell “shut-up”.  And why Katie has so many “average people” fans like me.”

  Ruth Mason

And this one:

“I read your article on Katie today, and I have a few comments.

I have always loved to watch Katie Couric, and I was excited to see her go to the CBS News.  After watching her last night, for the third time this week, I was angry when the news cast ended. 

I want the news to be news of facts.  Not slanted with CBS’ opinions.  It is so obvious that CBS hates the Bush Administration and the war.  They did a story about how support was dropping in (I believe it was)Jacksonville for the war, but when they interviewed a couple of soldiers and a coffee shop waitress, they did not say that they didn’t support the war.  And the way they edited her interview with The President, made little sense.  They did not show his full answers to any of her questions.  Then they flash to her, and she has some bulls**t look on her face…it made me sick.  Love him or hate him, I will make that decision.  I don’t need the CBS Evening News to tell me how to feel.

I can now see that the days of fun loving Katie are gone!”

Kristina Chutz