First Day at the Desk

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Wearing white after Labor Day isn’t a fashion crime anymore. But if Katie Couric really wanted us to focus on her reporting rather than her wardrobe, she shouldn’t have flouted one of the oldest rules in the book. Notwithstanding her white jacket (which wasn’t even winter white), her debut on the “CBS Evening News” last night was largely successful.

Ms. Couric chose a tasteful, yet playful manner in which to acknowledge her new post. After stating briefly that she was happy to be there, she wasted no time in getting straight to a feature on Afghanistan, followed by a not-exactly-groundbreaking story on oil. To introduce a new feature on the show, she tossed in an endearing note of self-awareness: “And coming up, something new for the evening news, besides me, ‘Free Speech.'”

The feature, though, could use some work. “Free Speech” will include “opinion and commentary from a wide range of Americans,” says the CBS News Web site. Let’s hope some of them have something more to say than Morgan Spurlock, creator of “Super Size Me” and an American hardly in need of a soapbox.

Though she didn’t come up with a sign-off — and took the easy way out by asking viewers for suggestions — Ms. Couric seemed sincere in thanking viewers for watching. Which might have something to do with the $15 million she’s being paid: No one wants to be a high-priced flop.

Did she nod her head too much or smile too much? Maybe. But that’s a matter of taste — and probably also a matter of nerves. Regardless of how many years she’s spent in front of the camera, she’s a performer in a new role on the first night. Her calm, straightforward delivery —with a voice that rolls with a comforting caress of each syllable — will win out.


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