"I get involved in the beginning, less in the middle, and very much at the end"
About this Quote
There is a quiet power flex in Sawyer's admission: control isn't constant, it's timed. "I get involved in the beginning, less in the middle, and very much at the end" reads like a workflow tip, but it also sketches a philosophy of authority that fits legacy television journalism, where credibility is manufactured as much as reported.
The beginning is where the stakes are set: What story is this, who matters, what counts as proof, what tone is permissible. That's not just planning; it's framing. By claiming early involvement, Sawyer signals authorship over the narrative DNA, the part viewers rarely see but always feel. The middle, in contrast, is the messy stretch of reporting: chasing leads, logging tape, negotiating access, dealing with contradictions that don't fit a clean arc. Her strategic distance there isn't laziness; it's a vote of confidence in producers and field teams, and a recognition that too much star power midstream can distort the reporting or turn collaboration into deference.
Then comes the end, where journalism becomes performance. The closing phase is when scripts get tightened, questions sharpened, edits blessed, and meaning locked. It's also where risk concentrates: a miscue in the final cut can torch trust, invite lawsuits, or tilt political interpretations. Sawyer's "very much" is the tell. The subtext is that in TV news, the final version is the product, and the anchor's job is to own it - not just on camera, but in the decisions that determine what the audience will remember.
The beginning is where the stakes are set: What story is this, who matters, what counts as proof, what tone is permissible. That's not just planning; it's framing. By claiming early involvement, Sawyer signals authorship over the narrative DNA, the part viewers rarely see but always feel. The middle, in contrast, is the messy stretch of reporting: chasing leads, logging tape, negotiating access, dealing with contradictions that don't fit a clean arc. Her strategic distance there isn't laziness; it's a vote of confidence in producers and field teams, and a recognition that too much star power midstream can distort the reporting or turn collaboration into deference.
Then comes the end, where journalism becomes performance. The closing phase is when scripts get tightened, questions sharpened, edits blessed, and meaning locked. It's also where risk concentrates: a miscue in the final cut can torch trust, invite lawsuits, or tilt political interpretations. Sawyer's "very much" is the tell. The subtext is that in TV news, the final version is the product, and the anchor's job is to own it - not just on camera, but in the decisions that determine what the audience will remember.
Quote Details
| Topic | Management |
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