Corke: 'Here to fight for you'
By Emma Garten

Photo by Theo Stroomer Todd Barnes ('88), left, and Kevin Corke, close friends, reunite during Corke's November SJMC visit. Barnes is the television services administrator for the City of Thornton.

As the 2008 presidential election nears, White House press correspondents are under increased pressure to sift through spin, identify dishonesty and acknowledge the power of money, Kevin Corke ('88, MA '02), a national news correspondent for NBC, said in a CU lecture.

"To me, the saints are the ones that dedicate their lives to finding the truth," said Corke, who gave the fourth annual Jack E. Holden lecture on Nov. 6 titled, "Saints, Scoundrels and Scribes: Covering the 2008 Presidential Campaign."

In order for any citizen to take a stance on a political issue, there needs to be a clear and factual understanding of what all candidates support, he said. As an experienced journalist, Corke said the hardest part of covering election campaigns is getting straight-forward answers from candidates, and the only way to get the answers is to dig for information.

"The fact is that too often it's a popularity contest," Corke said.

The attraction of being in the public eye can easily consume a politician, he said. Most candidates are on television, participate in debates and have Web sites and blogs, but even with that information, Corke said, citizens might not realize how little they know about the candidates.

Corke said many politicians give general answers with no detailed plan of how to accomplish a goal.

"The tough part of what we do is sort through the spin," he said. As a journalist, he said, he has been trained to be skeptical of everything he hears.

By immersing himself in what he loves and working hard to get the answers, Corke said he is able to ease the stress of ratings, deadlines and dollars, which can sometimes get in the way.

"I'm here to fight for all of you," he told the audience, adding that if people do not stand up for what they believe, politicians will decide for them. Corke said his job as a journalist is to fight for the individual but that, ultimately, it is up to the individual's willingness to find the information to make decisions.