Ann Curry: 'I Would've Loved' Meredith Vieira's Job

In an article for Guideposts magazine, Ann Curry discusses her upbringing and how it influenced her to pursue a career in journalism.

Recalling heated political debates with her father over the Vietnam War, Curry writes:

I knew he was proud of me for caring about something bigger, something beyond my day-to-day high school life. It tied in to what he was always telling me, "Do something of service, Ann. So that at the end of your days, you'll know your time here mattered."

I decided the best way to do that was to be a journalist. He respected my choice, and a girl could not have asked for a greater cheerleader than I had in my dad.

Curry writes that she fought adversity while coming up due to her gender, she eventually landed at NBC News, where she found herself "drawn to telling stories of people who might otherwise not be heard."

She added that she "would've loved" Meredith Vieira's job when Katie Couric left to the "Today" show but that not getting it helped clarify what it was she actually wanted to do:

Interestingly enough, what some might consider a big professional disappointment--not being named cohost of Today when Katie Couric left--has only clarified my mission. I would've loved that job, but not getting it made me think, What is it I need to be doing?

The answer was clear: humanitarian reporting--finding those who are suffering far from the eyes of the world and getting their stories out, making people care about them. ...

I have faith that once you hear about someone's suffering--even someone whose language you can't speak, whose customs you don't share--you will care enough to help.

Read the full article here.