Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Saying goodbye, in lieu of flowers

I haven't really said anything substantial on this blog as of late. Not necessarily because I haven't had anything of substance to say, I've just had difficulty finding time to get it done. Things are changing in my life however, and there will be more "substance" in the future.

I was on the phone Sunday night with a good friend who has always been a devoted viewer of ABC news. That includes the local affiliate and most definitely the evening newscast featuring Mr. Peter Jennings. As per usual, she had her TV on and was watching the local news on the ABC affiliate. As we were talking, Charlie Gibson broke into programming with the announcement that Mr. Jennings had passed. It was as if my friend was just informed of the death of a close friend or family member. Without a doubt, we underestimate the impact that the news media has on peoples lives.

Last night on the Nightly News, there was a story documenting the enormous number of people who had visited the ABC News website message boards to share their memories and feelings of grief surrounding Peters passing. What is remarkable is the number of people who vowed on the website that they were quitting smoking because they were inspired by Peters story. More on this story can be found here.

ABC News has released a list of several Peter Jennings tribute funds for well-wishers. "If you would like to show support, in lieu of flowers, Peter Jennings' family asks that you contribute to one of the organizations that he supported, worked for and believed in deeply," ABCNews.com says. The groups are Coalition for the Homeless, Women In Need, Teach For America, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Lung Cancer Research Fund. Here are the mailing addresses and phone numbers...

I agree with Ted Koppel, who on Monday's Hardball said this: "The passing, one way or another, of Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings from the anchor desks, is the end of an era. But why must that be seen as a bad thing? In any field, people grow older and are replaced by younger, talented people. It's worth mentioning that when Dan and Tom and Peter, and even I, came along, there was a lot of looking back with nostalgia to Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Eric Sevareid, Walter Cronkite. Things change."

Now, we just have to find those younger, talented people.

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