Acclaimed journalist and news correspondent Byron Pitts spoke at Union South Monday night as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
Since 2009, Pitts has been the Chief National Correspondent for “CBS News” and a contributing correspondent for “60 Minutes.” He has also written a book on his experiences with faith entitled “Step Out on Nothing.”
During the lecture, Pitts described some of the experiences he has had during his more than 30 years as a professional journalist, including interviews with the last six presidents of the United States and the coverage of Ground Zero in the aftermath of Sept. 11 that won him an Emmy.
According to Pitts, his past work covering events in Iraq and at Ground Zero have led him to come to peace with death but never come to peace with indifference.
“Indifference can be a deadly weapon. The good and decent people who have been blessed with skill, talent and opportunity and take that and hoard that to themselves and don’t share it with others and are indifferent to the problems of their community and those around them…That is dangerous,” he said.
Pitts said these experiences have also taught him the importance of service to one’s community, country and family.
Pitts also described his upbringing in East Baltimore where he was born to a young mother and was functionally illiterate until he was 12 years old. He said doctors told his mother he was “mentally retarded” and advised her to institutionalize him, but his mother refused and with her help Pitts learned to read and went on to attend college.
Before the lecture, Pitts attended a pre-program discussion with students co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and during the talk he advised young journalists to remain optimistic about the future of the field, which he said remains a vital part of American democracy.
“As long as children love to hear stories whispered in their ears, there will always be a place for storytellers,” he said. “As long as there is a United States of America, there will always be a place for a free press.”
