A Rose by any other name

ROSE. One of the “saving graces” of broadcast news and public affairs.

He may not be as popular as Bryan Williams, but Bloomberg talk show host and journalist Charles “Charlie” Rose is acclaimed by many knowledgeable viewers as one of the “saving graces” of broadcast news and public affairs.

The first time we “discovered” Charlie Rose, what struck us most about him was his obvious mastery of his material. Whatever his interview subject would say, he would follow up on with a brief remark that indicated that he had made it a point to do enough research on his guest to avoid being caught offguard—and sold a bill of goods.

How different he was from some local interviewers, who think they’re so good that they need to do very little research at all, and just try to get by with bombast and brio.

Local interviewers should watch Rose at work to realize what they need to do—but, of course, many of them don’t have the time or the inclination, because they’re too busy going from one interview to the next, pretending that they know what they’re doing.

Charlie Rose’s interview subjects cover a very wide range, but his careful preparation for them enables him to do well on each assignment, from complex political issues to the heart and soul of a controversial artist.

Above all, Rose is constantly looking for the human and personal element that can make a complicated topic insightfully clear to viewers, because he’s bothered to seek out the person behind the important, world-changing newsmaker.

Clear and empathetic

Best of all, he’s able to make everything clear and empathetic for laymen, rejecting officious jargon and cant in favor of the simplicity of basic truth. This is by no means easy to do, but Rose is prepared to put in the difficult work required—and we all benefit from the rigorous standards and work ethic he’s set for himself.

It’s no wonder, therefore, that Charlie Rose is acclaimed and honored even by his peers, who know a master when they see him in full thought and action. As early as 1976, Rose was already winning awards like the Peabody, then came his first Emmy in 1987 for his interview with Charles Manson.

He has also been a correspondent of the prestigious news-magazine show, “60  Minutes,” since its inception. Among the many celebrities he has interviewed are US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, Bashar Al-Assad, Warren Buffet, Leonardo Di Caprio, Quentin Tarantino and John Oliver.

Further indicating the high regard Rose’s peers have for him is the New York Times report that Rose encouraged a discussion between the leaders of NBC and Fox that led eventually to a mutual reduction in ad hominem attacks between Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann on their respective news programs.

We hope that local viewers will go out of their way to watch Rose’s Bloomberg TV programs, to raise their expectations of what other shows by lesser TV lights should provide them. As for Rose’s local TV counterparts, they can keep deluding themselves into thinking that they’re doing great work, or they can watch this TV news and public affairs master in action, blush—and humbly vow to do much better work!