The Price of Fame - KJ1 by Lynn Ames

was floored. Wanda Nelson and Ted Graham, the famous presidential biographer, read her stories? “I’m flattered, Ms. Nelson.
    Thank you. It’s nice to meet you.”
    A disembodied voice called out, “Thirty seconds, people.” Wanda did not appear even to have heard, though Jay knew she must have.
    “Clint,” she called to an assistant, “please get Ms. Parker a cup of fresh coffee and show her where to stand to get the best view, will you?”
    To the anchorwoman, she said, “Won’t you come with me?” As Kate 57

    Lynn Ames

    followed alongside her, the Today Show guest co-host said, “That was fantastic work you did yesterday. Very courageous.”
    “Thank you, Ms. Nelson.”
    “Please, call me Wanda.”
    They sat down and yet another assistant attached a lavaliere microphone to the inside of Kate’s jacket lapel. The disembodied voice called out, “Five, four, three, two, one, and cue the music.” The Today Show theme music played and the camera panned in on Wanda.
    “Good morning, and welcome back to Today on NBC. With us this morning is journalist Katherine Kyle of NBC affiliate WCAP-TV in Albany, New York. Many of you will recognize Ms. Kyle’s face if you were paying any attention whatsoever to the news yesterday...” The co-host went on to recap Kate’s role in the incident at the capitol, replaying taped footage of her first report, followed by images of her running back into the building after the second explosion and shots of her helping to rescue and comfort the wounded.
    When the studio camera went live again, the shot had been widened to include both the show’s co-host and her guest: a classic two shot.
    Wanda asked Kate, “What was going through your mind when you turned around and ran toward the capitol building after the second explosion? Everyone else was running in the opposite direction.”
    The anchorwoman looked at her interviewer, managing to face directly into the camera at the same time. “I was thinking that there was human suffering.” She leaned forward slightly. “I believe strongly that there’s a time when it’s more vital to be a human being than it is to be a journalist.” Kate’s eyes conveyed her earnestness.
    “Weren’t you concerned about compromising your objectivity?”
    “It was important first of all to be a human being. Second, I would hope that viewers didn’t feel that they had gotten cheated, that they didn’t get the story they should have gotten. To me the real story here was that in a world where such cruel and senseless violence exists, there is also compassion and the triumph of the human spirit over terror. I tried very hard to capture that essence in my coverage. And if I helped a few people and eased a little suffering along the way, so much the better.” Kate smiled an ironic smile at Wanda. “Did I break the rules of professional distance? Perhaps. I would hope the viewers didn’t mind too much.” She winked.
    Several more minutes of gentle questions ensued, then the segment was over, guest and interviewer standing and shaking hands. “Thank you for what you did yesterday, Ms. Kyle. In my opinion you gave all journalists a good name.”
    “Thank you, Wanda. I just followed my heart and my guts. In the end, I have to be able to live with my actions or inactions, not some television 58

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    executive reading ‘Q’ numbers on a sheet of paper,” Kate said, referring to the polling data rating a celebrity’s popularity with the viewers.
    “It might surprise you to know, Ms. Kyle, that I’ve already seen yesterday’s numbers. You outscored the president of the United States and me and my husband combined.” She smiled. “Congratulations and good luck.”
    “Thanks,” Kate answered, turning and heading from the set.

    When she and Jay were settled in the limousine once again, Kate turned to her friend. “How did I do?”
    Looking at her with something akin to awe Jay said, “First of all, the camera and you