At Fox News, we always talk about our audience being our friends. That’s why Fox & Friends was given its name. Our viewers don’t just watch us read the news—we interact, we have a relationship with each other. The publication of both of my children’s books revealed how special that relationship really is. I had the privilege of traveling around the country for book signings and other promotional events. I was blown away by those who stood in line for hours to have me sign their copy of Take Heart, My Child. We hugged and took selfies together. Their response reminded me once again what a privilege it is to work where I do. I cannot imagine that any other network has such a special relationship with its audience.
I think part of what makes those relationships is the freedom we’re given to react to the stories we report. When I was a little girl I used to watch the news with my mother. Many times I asked her about the anchors: “How can she report that without crying?” I still feel that today. After working in broadcast journalism for so many years I have become adept at delivering bad news to good people. Some days I feel a little like a doctor must feel when he has to deliver terrible news to a cancer patient. Most days I am able to present the news professionally, holding my emotions in check. However, that does not mean I am unmoved by the stories.
When the news broke about the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons against families, I was horrified. I thought about that story when I left work that day. During my quiet times with God I prayed for the people who suffered so much and thanked Him for protecting Americans from that type of a leader or regime. When terrible things happen to little children I not only pray for these families, I also cover my own child with a prayer that her future will be safe from such atrocities. I think most moms in America probably do the same for their children.
My time with God does give me peace when reporting on stories that are just plain frightening. As I write this, the news is still filled with stories about the tensions between the world and North Korea. Their dictator oppresses his people, starves them, and boasts of having the ability to drop nuclear weapons on the United States. Instead of letting panic fill my heart, I continually go back to the fact that God is still on His throne and history is in His hands. My heart aches for the people in North Korea who are basically held captive by Kim Jong-un with no chance of escape short of death. I pray someday they are set free.
I do not just report the news. The news touches me. Few stories have touched me like that of Sergeant Joel Tavera, a nineteen-year-old volunteer firefighter from Queens who enlisted in the army. Serving in the military runs deep in Joel’s family. His father was a marine. In the fall of 2007 Joel was deployed to Iraq. The next March the humvee in which he was riding was attacked. Five rockets hit the vehicle, killing three brave men. The first soldiers on the scene thought Joel was dead too, but he survived. However, the attack robbed him of his sight while also leaving him burned over more than 60 percent of his body. Sergeant Tavera also lost his right leg and four fingers on his left hand, and suffered a traumatic brain injury. For his service he received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
I met Joel when I flew down to his new home in Tampa, Florida. An organization called Building Homes for Heroes had just built a new home for him, a home they gave him mortgage-free. The amazing organization had the builders outfit the house to serve Joel’s needs—larger showers, larger doorframes, and even a pool with a special type of water for burn patients. A man named Andy Pujol founded the company in 2006 in order to make a significant difference in the lives of wounded American service members and their families. They either build or modify homes not only to give the wounded hero a home without the financial burden of a mortgage, but also to help the vet live a more independent and productive life. After Andy lost friends in 9/11, he quit his Wall Street job and started the company. He has since helped thousands of our veterans.
Sergeant Joel Tavera had just moved into his home when I met him. His parents left New York and moved down to Tampa to be with him as he endured countless surgeries. His mom and dad described seeing their son in the hospital after his accident. They told me that they left everything to take care of him and also showed me pictures of him growing up. I have reported stories about the sacrifices our troops make to secure our freedom, but Joel and his family paid such a high price. Yet, rather than sink down into bitterness and anger, Sergeant Tavera adopted an attitude that inspired me. He was so happy and loving. I couldn’t help but think of all that he had lost, and all he might never experience. I wondered if he would ever get married and have children or if he’d ever have a normal life. Despite countless surgeries, he never complained. I can honestly say I have not been the same since I met him. He made me want to be a better person, to live my life in a better way, to make a difference. Joel and I kept in touch and I have gotten a little involved with Building Homes for Heroes. How could I not? By the way, once again our viewers proved to be amazing. After we talked about the organization on Sean Hannity’s show one night, the organization raised enough money to build many more homes for severely wounded veterans.
I was also touched by another organization that helps our troops and their families, Folds of Honor, which was founded by Major Dan Rooney. Dan is a fighter pilot who served three tours of duty in Iraq. He’s also a PGA golf professional and overall just an amazing man and American hero. On the flight home from his second tour of duty, something happened that changed Dan’s life. As he walked back to his seat in coach he passed a young soldier in full uniform sitting in first class. When the plane landed the pilot asked all the passengers to stay in their seats for a few minutes. “We have unfortunately a hero that died fighting for our country. His casket is going to be taken off the plane and rolled over the tarmac to his family. Please, out of respect, we ask you to remain in your seats until we are able to do this,” the pilot said.
Dan watched out the window as Corporal Brad Bucklin’s flag-draped casket was taken from the plane. Walking alongside it was the soldier Dan had passed in first class, who turned out to be Corporal Brock Bucklin, the twin brother of the deceased. Waiting on the far side of the tarmac stood a little boy. Dan later learned this was Brad’s four-year-old son. As Dan watched the little boy standing next to his father’s casket, his heart broke. The father of five daughters, Dan saw this unfold through the eyes of a dad. Who is going to teach him to play ball? Who is going to take him fishing? Who is going to do all the things only a dad can do? Who is going to teach him about life? Dan wondered. Right then and there he made up his mind that he had to do something. That is how Folds of Honor was born. At the time of this writing Major Rooney’s organization has raised over $100 million to provide scholarships to the family members of soldiers killed or disabled in combat. He called it Folds of Honor because there are thirteen folds in the flag they give to family members of a deceased soldier.
The response to Major Rooney’s appearance on our show has been amazing. The work of Folds of Honor made such an impact on me that I wanted to be a part of their work. A portion of the sales of my children’s books goes directly to the organization. Major Rooney’s organization earned a Goldstar Platinum seal of approval which means when you give to them, you can give with confidence. Ninety percent of the money donated goes back to the children.
I had the pleasure of presenting Major Rooney with a $50,000 check, thanks to everyone who purchased my children’s books. My dad, who served in the Army Reserves for twenty years, put himself through college. He worked many jobs to pay off his education and his goal was to put all three of his kids through school. He did that. The day I presented the check to Folds of Honor, I told my dad, “Well, Dad, now you are sending ten more children to college.”
Many other stories have touched me through the years. Of course, 9/11 did. It’s still emotional for me and all of America. We will never forget those images or the heartache.
I was also affected by the excruciating death of little Jovonie Ochoa in San Antonio, Texas, when I worked th
ere. Jovonie was only four years old when he was found dead. His hands and mouth had been duct-taped by his family and he was skin and bones. He was four years old and only weighed sixteen pounds. That is the size of a six-month-old. His family starved him and abused him. Despite his pleas for food no one helped him. I saw the pictures of his bony body when he took his last breath and wondered how in the world anyone could do that to a child. I wondered why I couldn’t rescue him and then wondered how many other children were out there with similar experiences.
In addition, the mass shootings get to me. They have become all too common. I was traveling to North Carolina for a wedding when I met the grandparents of one of the little girls who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I could feel their sadness and devastation. They told me about her and how much they missed her.
The shootings inside the Charleston church really affected me, too. I grew up in South Carolina and that national news story was in my “backyard.” I interviewed the families and saw them in court forgiving and opening their hearts to the man who was responsible. I wondered if he knew how generations would be affected by his evil acts. I thought about the men and women who could tell he was “lost” and welcomed him into their Bible study. He took their lives while they were trying to save his.
Now that I am a mother, the tears flow so much easier when I report these stories. I think of my daughter in any and every situation and pray for God to always protect her. The stories constantly remind me to pray for our country and our leaders. I want good to overcome evil and pray for God’s mercy, peace, and wisdom.
Another memorable news story that hit me hard was the death of Roger Ailes, Fox News Channel’s former CEO. The news broke during one of my segments on Fox & Friends on the morning of May 18, 2017. I was in the middle of interviewing one of my closest friends, Laurie, who had overcome breast cancer, married her surgeon, had a miracle baby, and started a thriving business. We allotted her and her husband time on the show to tell their story but had to cut it short when the news broke of Roger’s death at the age of seventy-seven. The news came less than a year after Roger resigned from Fox News in disgrace. Numbers 32:23 says, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.” This was true of Roger Ailes. His secrets found him out and cost him everything he’d built.
And now he was dead.
The report that came across the wire said he died from a subdural hematoma, a complication of a head injury he suffered in a fall in his home. I couldn’t help but think how different this news would have been received by the nation if it had not been preceded by the moral fall that truly took his life. The man was a giant in our industry even before he launched Fox News. He started out at the bottom and worked his way up. A native of Ohio, he never lost touch with the workingman mentality. In the 1960s he started out as a production assistant on The Mike Douglas Show then worked his way up to producer. In 1968, at the young age of twenty-eight, he served as Richard Nixon’s media adviser, helping him win the presidency. In 1984 he worked on Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign, then helped put Reagan’s vice president, George H. W. Bush, in the White House in 1988. Five years later he turned around CNBC, then launched a second cable channel he called America’s Talking. It later became MSNBC.
Roger Ailes’s name appears throughout this book because he changed my life. He gave me my chance on the national level and believed in me as I moved up the ranks at Fox News. When I had the chance at my dream job, Roger had the final say. He entrusted a spot on Fox & Friends to me. He did more than give me this opportunity. He was a mentor who helped me become the professional I am today. Roger used to say that negative people make positive people sick. I took these words to heart. The man changed America with Fox News and he changed me as well.
Although the news of his death left me in shock I had a job to do. I looked into the camera and reported the news. His death became our show that day. Toward the end of it Steve, Brian, and I sat on the couch with Geraldo Rivera. He was a good friend of Roger’s and has been with Fox News for nearly fifteen years. We all did as Roger encouraged us to do—speak our minds. It was tough because we wanted to respect the feelings of the women accusers who worked with us and still remember the man who helped catapult our careers. We were torn. Before I spoke, I prayed and asked God for the words to say. God answered my prayer. I paid tribute to Roger for starting the Fox News Channel. He gave me a chance to live my dream, be a good mother, and provide for my family. As I signed off the air at 8:59 A.M. I said something like this: “We all have fallen short and sinned. Roger paid the ultimate price for his. Rest in Peace, Mr. Ailes.”
We all sat there in silence after the show. Our staff came out on set and we all had so many questions. The building was quiet. We were all in shock. We truly celebrated the great memories we had of him, yet hanging over the moment was the darkness that had been revealed just one year earlier.
Then the tears came. I went up to my office and other anchors poured in and we just hugged each other and cried. Throughout the day I appeared on other Fox News shows and talked about Roger. I don’t know that I will ever fully get over this tragic story. This one was particularly personal and sad on so many levels. I still pray for his wife and son. I pray that others will learn from his life, both the good and the bad.
Roger’s fall reminds me of how fragile life is—not just our physical existence, but our integrity and reputation. I know many people mocked Vice President Pence when he made it public that he never goes out to eat or to a place where alcohol is served alone with a member of the opposite sex. Nor does he allow himself to be alone in a room with any woman except his wife. He does this not because he thinks a woman might make a pass at him or that he might be tempted to make a pass at her. He does it to put walls around his integrity, to guard himself against the very appearance of evil.
The vice president knows what Roger Ailes and many others have learned the hard way. At the end of our lives all that really matters is our character and the way we’ve treated other people. When I stand before the Lord someday, He will not care about the ratings of any of the news shows I’ve anchored or how many history makers I’ve interviewed. All that will matter is whether or not I loved Him, loved His children, and let His light shine through me. That is the life I want to pursue. I pray it is the life you have discovered through these pages.
What’s Next?
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
—ECCLESIASTES 7:10
WHEN I FIRST started working on this book I couldn’t help but ask myself why I was writing it. My life didn’t seem that interesting to me. But then it hit me: this isn’t really my story. My prayer is that what you’ve just read is really just my story of what God has done in me, through me, and for me. Every good thing I’ve accomplished, every positive impact I may have left on other people, all the honor and glory goes to God, not me. He has been so good to me, beginning with the amazing family He allowed me to be born into. I really took His goodness and grace for granted until that snowy day at the cabin in the mountains when He saved me. Since then I try not to let a day go by without reminding myself that I’ve lived a blessed life and thanking God for it.
The amazing thing about this life God has given me is that I know He’s far from finished. I do not know how many days He will give me on this earth, but I know I want to use them all for Him. What might that look like? Only God knows. I do not know what He might have in store for me. I love the job with which He has blessed me. If God so chooses, I would stay at Fox News forever. I cannot think of a better place to live out the professional calling God has on my life, or a better audience with which to share it.
Yet my job is only one small part of the life God has given me. In 2015 He blessed me with my precious daughter, Hayden. I cannot wait to see where God takes us on our journey as a mom and daughter. Hayden has already taught me so much about life. God may well bless me with other children
, possibly even through adoption. I do not know. Whether He does or does not, my prayer is that someday my child or my children will love God because of the example I set for her or them.
I know the journey ahead of me will not be easy. Life never is. God has carried me through many difficulties and heartbreaks in the past, and I know He will in the future. When I walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death as I said good-bye to my grandparents and to my baby (which God took home before I ever got to meet her), my Lord was there with me. In John 16:33 Jesus reminded us that in this world we would have trouble. He didn’t say that we might have trouble, or that troubles would only hit those with whom God is disappointed. All of God’s children will have trouble in this fallen world. But then Jesus gave one of the most precious promises in all the Bible: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” That’s the promise that allows me to go forward into an uncertain future. Through good days and bad, through times of blessing and times of heartache, I will always take heart because the One who loves me so much that He gave His life for me has overcome the world. What is next for me? I do not know. But whatever may come I know I will not face it alone because my God will never leave me or forsake me. That promise isn’t just for me. It is for everyone who will love Him back just as He loves us. We can all have hope because God’s love will never let us down.
The Light Within Me Page 19