The anchor's passivity is his guarantee of longevity. Even if Clinton just blew his nose, it would register as a lie, creating a peak on the polygraph readout the size of Mount Everest. Whatever it is that makes Clinton lie is on autopilot. Not only does he not deny such accusations, he embraces them. The media accepts that as a sign he has nothing to hide.
All anchormen foster an image of themselves as rugged, hard-hitting newsmen.
Despite his success, he may not have fulfilled his journalistic potential if all he's famous for is working two and a half-hours a week and making himself presentable. His rhetorical style is not exactly spellbinding. When Jennings is on, family members have been known to take turns lowering the sound a little bit at a time so they can make last as long as possible the enjoyable sensation of turning him off. In his native Nebraska, folks develop deep voices by gargling with ethanol. As a boy, Brokaw drove the livestock to stampede by practicing his resonating.