The Human Side of Journalism

By JANE KWIATKOWSKI

Radio preceded television for sharp-shooting journalist Claudine Ewing of WGRZ Channel 2. Since 1994, when she made her television debut, the Buffalo State College graduate has established a reputation for getting to the heart of the story — quickly and repeatedly. Ewing, you could say, can get along with anyone.

>I bet you feel funny wearing that red coat.

I can’t tell all the secrets about what the reporters really say about the red coats, can I? When it’s cold outside, I appreciate my red coat. When it’s warm outside, I’m not wearing my red coat.

>You are respected among your peers.

I want to be known as a serious journalist, but a journalist who is human, too. There are so many citizen journalists out there now, and I don’t think everybody can do this job. You need a balanced approach. I firmly believe in ethics, and I think that in some cases, ethics falls by the wayside.

>What is your strength?

Being able to deal with all kinds of people. If I have to sit on the floor in a pile of dirt, I’ll do that.

>What brings out your soft side?

Watching my niece graduate from college will make me cry. I am so proud of her, and she looks like me.

>Are you assigned more often to African-American angled stories?

I do cover them a lot. It may be that I advocate for those stories because I feel they are not being covered — and maybe they wouldn’t be brought up if I didn’t bring them up. Maybe I will have a perspective that somebody else doesn’t that will allow me to ask questions that somebody else won’t ask or be afraid to ask or just don’t know about at all.

>Describe the state of diversity in Buffalo broadcast journalism.

All you have to do is turn on your TV and you can see that it could be better.

>Didn’t you start in radio?

My first love will always be radio news. My mom worked at WUFO radio way back in the ’60s and ’70s. She was more or less behind the scenes, but she was a mover and shaker. I think just being around that atmosphere when I was little left an impression on me. I enjoy TV, don’t get me wrong, but radio is so immediate. It’s theater of the mind. It’s you and the microphone.

>Did you fashion yourself a disc jockey?

No. I’m too shy for that, believe it or not. I can act crazy with my family and friends, but that’s really it. I’m fun, but you don’t see that on the job.

>I see you as having a great big singing voice.

That’s what Chesley McNeil says. I can belt out a tune every now and then. My mother was a beautiful singer.

>Have you interviewed many celebrities?

Star power? I do so many political stories, but I don’t consider politicians stars. I don’t do feature stories that often, but one year we went behind the scenes of some NBC shows, so we interviewed Jesse Martin (“Law & Order”). We went to Performing Arts together. I had brunch with his mom the weekend before last.

>Performing Arts must have been fun.

I think I had more fun in high school than I did in college. When I was there — it’s completely different now; kids are completely different now — it was truly great. My best friend and I went to high school together, and she’s still my best friend to this day. Performing Arts during the ’80s was a great place to be.

>What do you do to unwind?

I love music, so going to a concert — Mary J. Blige at the arena. Shopping. In my kitchen cooking some good soul food. I am very close to my nieces and nephews.

>Tell me something that no one knows about you.

I drive barefoot. Every opportunity to take my shoes off, I do. It’s like I’m free when my feet are out of shoes.

-mail: jkwiatkowski@buffnews.com

Originally published by NEWS STAFF REPORTER.

(c) 2008 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.