Meet the Press Moderator David Gregory Meets the Students

David Gregory, moderator of Meet the Press, visited Social Science Teacher David Sahr’s “Politics in America” class on April 6 for a lively and wide-ranging session.

“I’ve always loved the news, have always been curious,” said Mr. Gregory, who decided he wanted to be a journalist when he was 15. By age 18 he was on air as a summer reporter for KGUN-TV in Tucson, AZ.  “I was so ambitious I lay awake at night, thinking about what I could do,” he said. He studied international affairs at American University, and joined NBC News in 1995. He was White House correspondent during the presidency of George W. Bush, a position he held until he was named moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press in December 2008.  He is also a regular contributor for Today and serves as a back-up anchor for the broadcast, as well as a regular contributor and analyst on MSNBC.

“[Meet the Press] is about accountability, and balanced, long-form conversation,” he said. Even though it’s the longest-running program  on network TV (63 years), it continues to adapt, and Mr. Gregory wants younger viewers in their audience. He was glad to hear that the students had watched the program, and said, “We want you to download it and watch it on your iPads.” (You can download a Meet the Press app for an iPhone or Blackberry from the program’s website.)

Known for being a tough questioner, Mr. Gregory was asked by students about his most memorable interviews and his interview technique.  He talked about the challenges of an hour-long interview he did with Hillary Clinton, and last year’s programs from Afghanistan with General Petraeus. He also felt the Meet the Press after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was important for addressing the tone of political discourse. He stressed the need for prior research, planning, and pacing in conducting any interview.

Mr. Gregory also discussed the present-day culture of Washington, and how the concepts of compromise and legislating – “a craft, a process, built on trust, which is the heart of government” – have been "demonized" of late. As an antidote to Washington cynicism, his advice to the students is, “Use your own heads when you look at the media narrative—ask, does this make sense?”

Mr. Gregory, who is 6’ 5” tall, was asked whether his height had affected his career. He laughed and said, “It’s the thing people say most often to me – I didn’t know you were so tall!” While his height has sometimes posed a challenge on small TV stage sets, he says that the Meet the Press set is “totally proportional—everything’s big. “

Mr. Gregory’s appearance at NCS capped a special day for the “Politics in America” class; that morning they toured the White House, a visit arranged with the assistance of Bruce Reed (father of Julia Reed ‘11), chief of staff for Vice-President Biden. We thank Mr. Reed and Mr. Gregory for providing these valuable perspectives—and for Mr. Sahr, for once again introducing our students to notable people and places of Washington!