Ann Curry's rookie mistake

From Newsweek's "My Favorite Mistake" series. This story is from TV newscaster Ann Curry.

After more than 30 years in television news, my list of mistakes is pretty long, beginning with my first exclusive in Medford, Ore. I put myself through journalism school with the help of some small scholarships. I was working as a cocktail waitress, and thought, there’s got to be a better job than this. I became a general-assignment reporter at a local TV station, and I was the first woman to ever be a reporter for the station. I had a lot to prove. Before I got the job, the top producer pulled me aside and said, “You shouldn’t become a news reporter—women have no news judgment. And besides, you can’t carry the camera.”

This was small-town television, so I was both the camerawoman and reporter. It was a massive story, about thousands of dollars that were missing from the city budget. I had an exclusive interview with the city manager. As he was talking, he was sweating like the guy on Broadcast News. I knew the interview was good, but when I got back to the station, I discovered I forgot to load the film into the camera. Imagine what I felt like! I drove back to City Hall, and begged him to do the interview again. He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and gritted his teeth. He answered the same questions, but some of the drama of the interview was lost. I guess the lesson was not to let your exuberance make you lose focus.