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It's that time of year again! When parents, friends and family pause to celebrate the accomplishments of their newly-minted graduates. It's an annual rite of passage that we note each year with our own round-up of commencement speeches from across the country.
This year I was asked to produce the annual commencement piece, and while it is a huge undertaking -- combing through hundreds of commencement speeches to find roughly 10 pithy nuggets -- it really is both rewarding and fun. Producing a project like this allows me to step outside my normal day-to-day duties at NBC Nightly News and spend roughly two weeks in an edit room putting it together. Along with my fabulous editor, Maggie Kassner, and three of the greatest tape loggers you'll ever meet (my thanks to Laura Allenbaugh, Dan Linden and Christina Vallice), we sifted through more than 200 commencements from across the country to find the best pictures and the best sound... no small task!
The results can be seen tonight on NBC Nightly News. We hope you can watch!
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Back in New York
As usual, Kelly Venardos and her colleagues at NBC News produced a sterling effort on the year's commencement addresses. This one has to be the best I've ever seen. Just one thing: Hey Kelly, I know you're not "talent" insofar as the television news business is concerned, but no photo to go with your posting on the website? Why should Brian Williams and Andrea Mitchell get all the glory? Not to mention that you're pretty easy on the eyes!
(Sent Sep 4, 2006 9:32:17 AM)
This year's graduation segment was the best I've ever seen--especially the inspiring clip of Tulane's with Bush 41's commencement speech.
Best of luck to everyone who graduated this year.
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Jun 3, 2006 12:52:34 PM)
Isn't this more for Dateline, Primetime or Nightline where you can spend more than a few minutes on the story? This isn't news, it's entertainment, human interest that deserves more than one liners combined from a pile of commencement speeches.
News is news and entertainment is just that and the two must never cross - Jayson Blair - once you entertain the viewers with stories that you declare as news you lose credibility as a journalist. Tell stories in their proper venue. (This isn't news but we are putting in on a news program anyway.) Know the difference.
Dewey Quong, Reno, NV (Sent Jun 2, 2006 8:14:20 PM)
I am always touched at the graduation segment NBC puts together. Today's was especially meaningful to me as I graduated from Seton Hall. Not only was it cool to re-live comments Brian Williams made at our commencement, but it is touching to see sentiments of other commencement speakers across the country. Thank you for doing this year after year, I look forward to it every year and this year was no exception.
Kristina A. Johnson, Linden, New Jersey (Sent Jun 2, 2006 7:56:31 PM)
I love the graduation piece (but sadly, missed it tonight)...I look forward to it every year. It's as good as those segments of film clips on the Oscars, so congrats to your editors. This is one university professor who loves commencement, so much so that I conduct our university orchestra each year. But when your piece runs, it's the end of the academic year for me. Thanks to all involved. Any chance I can catch it somewhere?
Prof. Mark Cavanaugh , Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. (Sent Jun 2, 2006 7:24:55 PM)
I look forward to your graduation segment every year. I'm 23 now and have been watching it since i was in high school.
Nicholas, St. Louis, Missouri (Sent Jun 2, 2006 4:43:33 PM)
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