Former newsman Sam Donaldson talks journalism, world change and politics during Albuquerque event

At 90 years old, Sam Donaldson has seen a lot of changes in the world. From cellphones , to women taking the job force by storm and vehicles that drive themselves, he’s seen it all.

On Wednesday, Donaldson made an appearance at the Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team, also known as WESST, to give a speech about the state of journalism and world changes.

WESST is an organization that focuses on supporting small businesses by providing consultation, loans and training programs to new businesses owners.

Donaldson is a former television reporter and news anchor who covered major historical events like the Vietnam War and the impeachment of Richard Nixon, and was well-known for having an unwavering voice, even in the face of major politicians. Donaldson has seen huge changes in journalism and the world, but it hasn’t changed his demeanor. With a boisterous voice and bright white hair, Donaldson is impossible to ignore, and you would never know he is 90 unless you asked. He speaks with confidence, moves with a purpose and has a myriad of stories about his journalism career.

Before his successful career as a White House correspondent and ABC reporter, Donaldson lived on a small family farm in Chamberino, New Mexico. As a high schooler, he attended the New Mexico Military Institute before leaving to go to college in El Paso.

On a panel led by Albuquerque Business First reporters, Donaldson provided anecdotes about his life along with advice for current and hopeful journalists .

Why do you do journalism? I worked for a local radio and did telecommunication for a while. I didn’t think that I would pursue journalism. I drifted into it without a plan and found myself in the news business in Dallas and made a suitability for it. A lot of people think they need to find what they love, but I disagree. I think you should find something you’re good at and you’ll like it. It’s great if you like piano, but you shouldn’t want to be an average pianist. You should want to be great at what you do.

Advice for journalists: The requirements for journalism are different from when I was working. You have to decide to what extent you can live in the world and what you can and can’t accept. Find the facts and separate it from fiction and tell the story in a way people can understand. Your job is to tell people what happened and not lead people with your voice or your emotions.

What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence? I don’t even really understand it. I tried to experiment with it and ask it a few questions, and I felt it wasn’t ready. I called the AI stupid and it responded with “That’s not nice.” AI has the power to influence people, and that can be dangerous.

AI and journalism: AI is scary. It could pretend to be anyone or anything. AI could write a story and pretend to be a journalist, and that is very worrisome. Unfortunately, we can’t stop it. I don’t know what the right answer is but I know it is coming and we have to figure it out very soon.

Optimism for journalism: The skill is there for journalists, but the audience is not. Journalists need to look for important things and share it with the world, but the audience has to be open to learn and not let their opinion close their views. A lot of people look for news that tells them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. That’s not to blame the audience, though. Some news stations have changed to be opinion-based to garner views.

Would you do journalism today? Journalism is all I know, but I did want to be a lawyer at one point. I want our criminal justice system to proceed and for people to be accountable. It’s a different time and it’s time for new talent.

What changes have you seen in the world? The wheels have turned sufficiently. When I was younger, ABC was groundbreaking for having women reporters or people of color reporting. The bar is no longer blocked for women. They don’t have to be caretakers and stay at home anymore. They have to be judged on their merit now, and that’s a good thing. But I will warn that the pendulum always swings both ways before it settles near the middle. Before, you only saw men on TV. The other day I watched a news program and the panel was all women. It’s starting to come back to the center, but that happens for everything.

Do you have any worries for journalism? I worry for society in general, but there are good people in the world and we need to focus on them. We as a society need to do away with the Electoral College. When it was created it made sense, but it’s outdated now. A lot of people have not come to a decision about who they are going to vote for, but they will come voting time. It’ll come down to the wire in the few days before voting time, given that nothing out of the ordinary happens before then.

Predictions on the election: If Biden can pull himself together, he can make it. Trump is desperate, right now. Biden has good speeches, but no strength when he talks. Trump is like a mad bull rushing through a room. If Biden can give a, by our standards, OK performance, he should be fine. Energy goes a long way, and Biden has to give that. Trump is a good communicator, even if I don’t agree with the things he says, because he makes people listen. Biden has to do that.

What is one interview that stands out to you in your career? It’s between Reagan or when I covered (Nazi war criminal) Erich Priebke. My team was able to locate him in Argentina, where he lived after World War II. Without my team, I wouldn’t have found him. I interviewed him right there in the middle of the street. He sincerely tried to explain that he didn’t want to do the things he did and kept saying it was his job and he simply did as he was told. Well, I told him that’s no excuse. He told me “You’re not a gentleman,” and I got angry and told him he was a mass murderer.