Written in collaboration with Sarena Hall, Writing And Publication Studies Major, LaGrange College.
“Ever since I covered the Clinton Impeachment hearings, I kept thinking ‘This is the biggest story I am ever going to cover,’” said White House Correspondent Peter Baker, who has covered the last six presidencies. “What’s happening these days might be the biggest one I’ll ever cover.”
Mr. Baker, my class guest speaker — a New York Times journalist, and former Washington Post reporter, criticized the firing of the Inspectors General.
“Their job is to search for fraud and abuse. This is gets rid of accountability.” He critiqued the White House picking the press pool. “No president likes our coverage. Obama had some of the most investigations of leaks ever. Biden had few press conferences or interviews.”
He took issue with Trump calling the press “the enemies of the people” and saying they should be “illegal.” He disagreed with the claim that The New York Times is biased. “It’s not our job to be left or right, but to follow the facts, wherever they lead. Every time I check over my story, I ask myself if I’ve been fair.”
The White House correspondent — who also covered Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, and Hurricane Katrina — noted his concern over “news deserts,” where there’s no state or local coverage. He advised the students not to “check out for good,” but to also follow the facts.
“Our country has been around for almost 250 years. We’re resilient enough to get through the tough times.” He emphasized the need for change, but keeping with the core values.
Sarena Hall, a writing and publication studies major at LaGrange College, also covered the talk.
“When I attended the talk with Peter Baker, I hoped to learn how he has created his successful writing career. The event provided a valuable opportunity to gain some guidance from a very impressive individual. Mr. Baker’s thirty-seven years of experience, not to mention the awards he’s earned and the seven books he’s published, encouraged me. As a third-year student at LaGrange College with a major in Writing and Publication Studies, I know I want a career where I can write. Learning about his experiences, especially how he started his career, helped and inspired me.
“Writing is an important skill and an impactful form of expression. I greatly value the opportunities in my life that have brought me to be where I am, learning about something that I feel passionate about. Hearing Mr. Baker speak showed me that it is possible to find a career that suits not only my skills, but also my ideals. This sort of encouragement is vital for college students like me. Not knowing what the future holds can be intimidating, but during my time at LaGrange College, I’ve learned that the future I work for is the one I can surely achieve.
“When I asked Mr. Baker about the catalyst of his success, he shared that success often depends on determination. He told us of his experiences in college, when he worked to get into whichever newsroom he could. He sent applications to every news outlet he knew of, offering to work for free in order to gain experience. He said that he knew what he wanted to do, so he worked hard to achieve his goals.
“What resonated with me the most, though, was his encouragement to not let the answer ‘no’ get in our way. Mr. Baker shared that he was initially rejected by the news outlets he applied to work for. Out of all of the places he applied to, only one took him on. He told us that he chose not let the rejections discourage us. He said, ‘No one can tell you “yes” if you don’t ask.’
Mr. Baker encouraged us to always persist when pursuing our goals. I greatly appreciate his outlook. My favorite take away from his answer, though, was this: ‘No is just the starting point.’”