Robert Siegel

The Atlantic Interview

The Atlantic Monthly Group, LLC

Society & Culture, Politics, News

4.4 • 977 Ratings

🗓️ 10 January 2018

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For thirty years, Robert Siegel has given us the afternoon news. Having started his career in public radio when it was a scrappy enterprise, he's spent the past three decades shaping NPR as host of All Things Considered. He retired this week, at a time when NPR plays a critical role in educating the electorate. Jeffrey Goldberg, Atlantic’s editor in chief, turns the microphone on Robert Siegel for a change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Robert Seagull, welcome to the Atlantic interview.
0:08.0	Thank you, Jeff.
0:09.0	This is the big time.
0:10.0	I finally made.
0:11.0	So I don't want you to be nervous. Actually actually the truth is I'm a little bit nervous I've never I've never gone I've never done this with you in this direction
0:18.1	We've done it in the other direction which is nerve-wracking in itself, but we're very pleased that you chose to spend
0:23.8	part of your first day of retirement with us Robert Siegel as all of you know
0:28.4	was host for I think it was four score in seven years of all things considered joined NPR in 1804 but I wanted to ask you why
0:39.8	why retire now and there's there's two parts to that question.
0:44.7	One is we happen to be in an extraordinary political moment.
0:49.0	It's fun for you to cover.
0:50.6	As a journalist at least it's fun.
0:52.1	Maybe as a citizen it's fraught.
0:54.4	And the second is, and this is going to sound strange, but you still have your voice.
0:58.5	What is it that made you think you should retire?
1:00.8	Well I decided to do this about three and a half years ago when I figured that I would be.
1:08.8	Originally it was supposed to happen at the end of June of last year, I would turn 70, and that seemed about right to me as a time for change.
1:16.2	I could do it longer, but at some point I would start doing it worse.
1:22.1	I don't know when that would happen.
1:23.6	I know that it's harder for me.
1:25.0	I'm not suffering from any elements or the like,
1:27.2	but it's harder for me to remember names today
	...

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