A biography for Jim Lehrerhasn’t been written yet.
“People can say anything they want to. If they don't want to get the news from me, get it from somebody else. It's not something I'm going to worry about, I'm sorry.”
“Most of the stories I have covered in 45 years have been gray stories.”
“In television there are only about 12 people who do what I do.”
“The shouting and opinion and jokes don't exist if there isn't first a story.”
“In order to reduce the deficit, there has to be revenue in addition to cuts.”
“If people want bells and whistles and all of that, there are bells and whistles available. If they don't want bells and whistles there are places to go where they are not available.”
“There's always a germ of truth in just about everything.”
“We have increasingly fewer and fewer journalists who have any military experience and understand what life is like in the military and in combat.”
“I've always said this and finally I had a chance to demonstrate it: The moderator should be seen little and heard even less. It is up to the candidates to ask the follow-up questions and challenge one another.”
“The death rate among Marines in Iraq has been more than double that of the other services.”
“I'm in the reporting part of journalism.”
“A skill required to be president is to explain to the American people any given thing they do.”
“If we're going to have debates, let's have real debates.”
“I'm in the civil discourse business. I think it takes all kinds. And more power to everybody.”
“There are very few really stark black and white stories.”
“I started as a print reporter.”
“My Marine experience helped shape who I am now personally and professionally, and I am grateful for that on an almost daily basis.”
“One of the problems is that everybody is used to the old-fashioned debate system, which is very controlled, and where the moderator plays a more active role.”
“I'm an expert on the NewsHour and it isn't how I practice journalism. I am not involved in the story. I serve only as a reporter or someone asking questions. I am not the story.”
“Well, to tell you truth, I have learned a long time ago that the trick when doing a debate, any kind of debate, is to just turn off the judgment switch in my head.”