Kelby Chichester
Constance Yu-Hwa Chung, also known famously as Connie Chung, is an American journalist. Born on August 20, 1946, and raised in Washington, D.C., Chung was one of five surviving daughters of a Chinese diplomat. After earning her journalism degree from the University of Maryland in 1969, she began her career at Washington’s WTTG-TV, quickly rising to the position of reporter. In 1971, she joined CBS News as a Washington correspondent, where she landed her first major interview, an exclusive conversation with then President Richard Nixon during the height of the Watergate scandal.
In “Connie: A Memoir “, published on Sept.17 by Grand Central, the journalist reflects on her four-decade career, during which she shattered barriers in the male-dominated world of broadcast news, becoming the first Asian woman to co-anchor a nightly network news program. Alongside recounting her professional milestones, Chung also shares deeply personal moments from her life. She revisits the trauma of sexual assault she endured as a young woman, revealing in her memoir that a "trusted family doctor" inappropriately touched her during her first gynecological exam a doctor who had also been present at her birth.
In her memoir she writes, “But if I knew the men, I was the sassy bad girl. Before the dude could toss a sexual innuendo or racist remark at me, my modus operandi was to lob a preemptive strike. I did it to him before he could do it to me. The male would be so darn shocked, he'd laugh nervously. I am not saying my approach is advisable, but I owned it, and soon those who dealt with me knew that I could get to the bad side—faster, better, and funnier than they could. It worked. They would not mess with me when I was willing to offend first, then laugh it off.” A short quote from her memoir explaining how she managed to work within the male dominated field.
Chung’s legacy in journalism is significant, as she broke barriers for women and Asian Americans in a field traditionally dominated by men and non-minority figures. Chung became one of the first women to co-anchor a major network evening newscast in 1993 with CBS Evening News. This was a groundbreaking moment, as she became a prominent female figure in an era when women were underrepresented in prime news anchor roles. Chung became the second woman, following Barbara Walters, to occupy one of the prestigious network anchor chairs. Simultaneously, she launched the newsmagazine “Eye to Eye with Connie Chung.”
Chung conducted interviews with major newsmakers, often in highly sensitive or controversial moments. Some of her most notable interviews include basketball star Magic Johnson after his HIV diagnosis, Claus von Bülow and Gary Condit following the Chandra Levy disappearance. These interviews were often bold and contributed to her reputation for hard-hitting journalism.
Even though she was highly respected, Chung’s career also sparked discussions about media ethics, especially during controversial moments, such as her interview with Newt Gingrich's mother. In 1995, Chung faced backlash after an interview with Kathleen Gingrich, the 68-year-old mother of then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. During the interview, Chung coaxed the elder Gingrich into revealing that her son had referred to First Lady Hillary Clinton as “a bitch,” saying, “Why don’t you just whisper it to me, just between you and me?” Although Chung later claimed her tone was clearly playful, many viewers felt she had manipulated Gingrich into making the remark, sparking widespread criticism. These debates remain part of her legacy, highlighting the fine line journalists walk between hard questions and public perception.
As a woman of color also in journalism, Chung’s legacy left a lasting impact on the world of journalism for more women like me to get into doors that originally were not opened for them. Her presence and success alone helped broaden the often-limited portrayals of women of color in the media. Her work emphasized that women of color could not only cover hard news and serious topics but also become trusted voices in the national and global news landscape.
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