5 Questions For…Jeanne Moos

Alissa Krinsky
TVNewser Contributor

CNN’s Jeanne Moos is a national correspondent known for her coverage of all things quirky and off-beat. Moos joined CNN in 1981. Previously, she worked at NBC affiliate WPTZ-TV, in Plattsburgh, New York, where she became the station’s first woman reporter upon her hire in 1976. Moos has won a bevy of awards for journalism, and is a graduate of Syracuse University.

1. TVNewser: Of all my stories, the one that got the biggest viewer response was:
Moos: Gay penguins? Two-headed turtle? Three-legged pantyhose? It’s all a blur.

Actually, the stories that get the most response are the ones that make people mad. It’s impossible to do humor without offending SOMEONE. And when I occasionally do something serious (for instance, a recent piece on how reporters demonstrate water boarding on themselves), people get upset because they think I’m being funny when I’m not. They miss the missing joke.

2. TVNewser: As a former hard news reporter, when big stories break, I feel…
Moos: Irrelevant.

Itchy to get past the big news so I can get back on the air.

Relieved it’s not me out there doing live shot after live shot.

Though these days I AM covering the biggest news story of the year. I’m more or less a video columnist covering the Presidential race. A media blog once called me “CNN’s commenterista”…a title I liked a lot, though I’m not sure what it means.

3. TVNewser: My most adrenaline-pumping moment while on assignment:
Moos: My most adrenaline-pumping moment involved a cranky circus hippo famed for her excess slobber. Would you like to see the video (from 1997)?

4. TVNewser: The secret to continually coming up with pun-filled witticisms for my stories is…
Moos: Screening every frame of tape. As long as I’m not at a loss for pictures, I’m not at a loss for words.

I like to bounce my story ideas off the girls in the makeup room while they plaster me with makeup.

5. TVNewser: Ten years from now, I’d like to be…
Moos: Alive.

And kicking…maybe kicking the last block of whatever the hottest news magazine show is 10 years from now.

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