She interviewed Castro, Shah, Qaddafi, Hafez Assad, Baby Assad, Yeltsin, Arafat, Chavez, Thatcher, Indira Ghandi and a zillion others--and she wasn't asking them what kind of tree they'd like to be, either.
She was a trailblazer for women--first network news anchor, having to deal with an absolute asshole with an avuncular on-air personality who was a pissy martinet off air (Harry Reasoner--the most unreasonable man on television) who hated the idea of women in authority in the newsroom. She got the interviews that "the lads" weren't able to get. And she asked tough questions, but she asked them in a non-confrontational way.
She was, and is, a force in network news and infotainment broadcasting. To call her a lightweight is just not accurate. You don't have to "like" her but her accomplishments in an era of overarching sexism and glass ceilings that were a lot lower than they are today are nothing short of remarkable. She didn't get where she was by being stupid, or dull witted, and she had absolutely NOTHING handed to her--she had to push and shove to get what she deserved, and she had to buck a lot of "Get lost" from the Boys' Network in the process.
I think, notwithstanding some of her personal quirks, that she is a real force and a role model for woman and anyone trying to make their ways in the media news industry.
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