Of all the historic number of tweets generated by Wednesday's presidential debate, something like 10.3 million in 90 minutes, one stood out to me. It was by CNN political analyst David Gergen. He wrote:
"I didn't think (the president) was rusty. I just don't think anyone has ever spoken to him like that," referring to the dress down by Mitt Romney.
Gergen implied Obama has had a lot of 'yes' men/women around him, coddling him, telling him he's always right, terrific and fabulous. Do you? As the boss of a newsroom, I admit I'm not always tactful. So I am grateful I have someone who calls me out when I misbehave or are unfair. "Don't be rude to the intern just because they don't get it yet." "You were too rough on that reporter."
It may sting, but I am grateful when I am called out. I see 'suck up' too much in the news biz. Everyone tells the high-profile anchors how wonderful and talented they are. But who really has their back? I do, but it's not always easy to be honest. Gergen implied Obama has a lot of handlers telling him how terrific he is, but no one daring to point out his weaknesses and flaws.
KFBK News Director and Senior Editor Judy Farah has more than 25 years news experience in New York, Los Angeles and Sacramento. She's edited the KFBK Afternoon News with Kitty O'Neal the past 16 years while also directing the newsroom by assigning stories to reporters and scheduling guest interviews. Farah started out as a newspaper reporter on the East Coast, covering major stories as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press in Los Angeles, including the 1984 Olympics, the Oscars, Emmys, the presidency of Ronald Reagan and the criminals trials of the Night Stalker and the Hillside Stranglers.
Farah came to KFBK in 1996, and has helped direct coverage of five presidential elections, five governor's elections and the killing sprees of Yosemite Killer Cary Stayner and Scott Peterson. She reported live for two 13-hour days for KFBK from the 9-11 terrorist attacks. She was also the editor on KFBK's 2011 exclusive report that the Sacramento Kings were considering moving to Anaheim.
A graduate of William Paterson College in New Jersey, Farah has won three Edward R. Murrow awards, including one for Best Writing, while at KFBK. She's also earned three awards from the Northern California Radio Television News Directors Association for Best Series, Best Newscast and Best Sports Segment. She has also written for the Wall Street Journal, TV Guide, Los Angeles and Parents magazines. She was honored with a Jefferson Fellowship in 2009 and traveled to Japan, China and Hong Kong to study the Asian economy. In 2010, she was awarded a RTNDA RIAS Fellowship to travel to Germany, Belgium and Prague to study the European economy.
Farah currently is a national blogger for The Huffington Post and often speaks on news and social media. You can find her on Twitter @newsbabe1530
In her free time, Farah enjoys the outdoors by hiking along the American River bike trail and kayaking. A wine enthusiast, Farah's produced a monthly wine segment on KFBK the past five years and enjoys visiting our local foothill wineries.
