Katie Couric Runs For Cover

For those who find it astonishing that a reporter managed to extricate emotions from the beleaguered Katie Couric this week, it's worth reminding everyone that celebrities never land on magazine covers by accident. Couric's every utterance reflected a careful calculation on her part. Yes, the writer did his job and asked the right questions, but the headlines derived from her fascinating and straightforward replies — her frustrations with the negative publicity, her fantasy of a gig on 60 Minutes, her occasional doubts about her wisdom in taking the CBS offer, her defense of the show these last nine months and her promise of better work to come.

So what was her agenda? I believe she wanted the New York magazine story because she'd gotten comparatively little help from CBS, and from CEO Leslie Moonves in particular, in defending her performance or pushing her cause. The public was losing respect for her, and the news media seemed to relish ridiculing her sorry ratings performance. The negative vibe from within CBS had already resulted in one article — in the Philadelphia Inquirer — suggesting that she might not even survive in the job. By giving an interview that humanized her plight, Couric would be making it harder for CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves to remove her from the Evening News job, and easier for people to perceive her as a victim of sinister forces out to get her. Moonves showed little loyalty to his star by telling New York, "Nope, I really don't," when asked if he bore any responsibility for her failure. Was that really the best he could do for his highly-paid, much sought-after anchor? That quote was no accident, coming from a man who sees everything as an equation between dollars and ratings.

Monday's cover story represents less a journalistic triumph than a short-term public-relations victory for Couric — a badly needed one for a woman fighting without Moonves' help against the perception of total failure. A $15 million salary can buy a lot of things, but not a New York magazine cover story. This week's story will work as a shield against attackers for months to come — and all for the price of a few juicy quotes. And as long as Couric can command the cover of a major national magazine, her job is safe.