Questions with Veronica
Questions from June 2007
Q: What are some pressing news stories that are defining the future we will live in?
Veronica: I would have to say the war in Iraq and its effects will continue to play a key role in the news for years to come, but that’s not to ignore domestic issues that are also so important on many levels. I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what happens with Congress in the coming year. Also, I feel that one domestic issue that doesn’t get enough attention by the national media is education. It’s something we need to focus on more and no one ever talks about it in much detail I think it’s frightening. Think of the many bright, young minds who aren’t able to seek a higher education and what that will mean for the future of this country. I think we need to pay more attention to education, and I feel it’s the news media’s responsibility to maintain focus in that area.
Q: How do you see the news and information industry changing?
Veronica: It’s changing in dramatic ways. Whoever thought we would be this connected? You can have the world at your fingertips in an instant and not even leave your desk. CNN.com’s Pipeline video news service is proof of that. Pretty soon your computer will be your television, and your phone and your camera etc.
Q: What are some of your favorite places in the world?
Veronica: I love London for the nightlife, the diversity and the shopping -- especially the shoe shopping! I also love Boracay in the Philippines, which is my favorite island in the world. It’s peaceful. There aren’t many signs of western culture. It has limited electricity – I think the entire island runs on one generator, and maybe they have a backup. It’s like being on Gilligan’s Island! It’s incredibly beautiful. I don’t think I have ever been in such awe of just one place in my life and the people are so happy. It really is a paradise.
Q: Who are some of the journalists you admire?
Veronica: I have always been a big fan of Ann Curry. I grew up watching her and I think she has an incredible ability to connect with people. Once I was at Rockefeller Center in New York watching the NBC crew doing the “Today” show and during a break she came outside the studio. I saw her stop to talk to people and at one point she even hugged someone in the audience. It seems as if she’s the same person off camera as she is on camera, which is refreshing to see in this business. When I was an aspiring journalist watching her work, I loved the way she always paid attention to the human element in the stories she covered. Plus, the fact that she was an Asian-American woman in a prominent position meant a lot to me. Recently I confessed to a friend of mine, Betty Nguyen, who’s also a journalist that when I was little, I not only admired Ann Curry, I wanted to be her. She was the only one on television who looked kind of like me, so I could relate to her. She has been a huge influence on my work. On another level, it’s somewhat surreal to be working on the same CNN team as news-breaking and hard-working journalists such as Wolf Blitzer and Christiane Amanpour because I grew up watching them work on television.
Q: What prompted you to get into the news business?
Veronica: I was working as a music journalist in Los Angeles and I found myself wanting to tell stories that mattered to younger people – stories that didn’t fall under the music umbrella. So I took a job in Yuma, Arizona, a small TV news market not too far from L.A. During one of the stories, I met a man who was in his 40's, a heterosexual, who contracted AIDS from a one-night stand – a woman who he met at the local watering hole. Despite being near death, he was committed to spending his final days talking to kids at area schools about the reality of HIV/AIDS and who can catch it. That was pretty heavy. I spent some time with him in the classrooms, and it was interesting to see the kids’ faces. They were in high school. He started his speech by saying, “Do any of you know someone with AIDS?” Of course no one raised their hand. But I’m sure they were shocked. Eventually he established a rapport with them and started his speech. And it really floored the kids. I also reported on a lot of immigration issues… drug busts. I did a series on the nation’s nursing shortage, the health care crisis, the homeless. For another story, I went to San Luis, Mexico, where a woman had set up an orphanage for needy children where different doctors would come in and donate their time. Many of the kids didn’t have shoes or basic necessities. I stayed and spent the day playing with some of them and I remember watching one kid who had a hearing problem. They thought he was deaf in one ear. The doctor did some digging around and it turned out the kid had a pinto bean lodged deep in his ear –and the doctor was able to remove it.It sounds funny and crazy, but somehow it wasn’t. It was just an example of people doing what too few of us do at all – small things that have big consequences.
