The Soup Cans Interview: Dan Harris

Each Sunday, we make sure to check out the first-rate Dan Harris anchor, in our opinion, one of the only weekend news programs worth watching: ABC's "World News Sunday." Here Harris tells Soup Cans, in an exclusive interview, about his stage fright, how he copes with criticism (constructive or not) and who he has to thank for helping him match his suits and ties.

What have been some of the most rewarding and challenging parts about anchoring "World News Sunday" over the last year and a half?

It's incredibly thrilling -- and also terrifying -- to have my hands on the steering wheel once a week. I still find it very challenging on many Sundays to figure out what the lead story should be. I also enjoy the challenge of trying to cajole the senior producers into stacking the show my way (even though I usually lose).

What did it feel like to return to your Alma mater, Colby College, in 2005 to deliver the Commencement?

It made me incredibly anxious. This may sound counterintuitive for a television reporter, but I have really bad stage fright. So speaking in front of a couple thousand people (some of whom were my former French professors) was daunting.

I was also a little bit sheepish. I mean, I can't imagine those kids wouldn't have rather had a cooler speaker than me.

That said, it was a huge honor. My parents were psyched.

You've done numerous reports on controversial subject matters, such as religion. How do you respond to those who are critical of you and your stories?

To state the obvious, being criticized is never fun. We correspondents have delicate constitutions; we like our inboxes to see a regular flow of "attaboy" notes. So the reverse can smart. However, once the sting subsides, criticism is often pretty useful. A few months back, the father of one of my fellow correspondents (who's a scientist) sent a very thoughtful critique of my coverage of a story on evolution. It changed my way of thinking about science stories.

You've described yourself as "fashion-dyslexic." Has this changed much?

There is no cure for this condition. However, my fiancée, Bianca, is very vigilant. She monitors my tie choices regularly. (This is embarrassing, but I also have some pictures in my closet of which ties go with which shirts.)

You've been to some of the most dangerous places in the world like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel, and Iraq. What's been the most worrisome situation you've ever found yourself involved in?

My personal favorite correspondent-in-danger story is from Torah Bora, back in 2002. I was shooting a standup, when some bullets started whistling overhead. Naturally, I got really scared and hit the ground. In the frame behind me, however, you could see that none of the Afghans were ducking. My crew gave me a lot of crap for that.

David Muir has told Soup Cans that he never wears his Red Sox cap in Yankee stadium. As a Boston native, do you?

David's a huge wimp.

Kidding. (The guy's like twice my size; he could kick my butt.)

I've never even actually been to a Yankees game.

Which of your stories are you most proud of?

I've got a story coming up next week (7/8, to be exact) that I think could be strong. "How To Buy A Child In Ten Hours." It's a Nightline investigation. We went to Haiti and negotiated to buy (but did not actually buy, of course) child slaves. Using hidden cameras, we found traffickers who were willing to sell us children -- any age, either sex -- for as little as $150. We also went out and met child slaves and their owners. Haiti has a huge child slavery problem; there are an estimated 300-thousand kids in servitude there. I had no idea about this -- or about the enormous problem of modern day slavery generally -- until I read a new book called "A Crime So Monstrous", by E. Benjamin Skinner. I recommend it.

The story I'd like to start covering more aggressively, however, is global warming. In my opinion, it's the most important problem in the world, and we (the media, the country, etc) are not talking about it enough.

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The Soup Cans Interview: David Muir

ABC “World News Saturday” anchor David Muir took the time out of his busy travel schedule to answer some questions from Soup Cans. Keep reading our very own exclusive to find out what it took for Muir to get where he is today, how the media helped save New Orleans, and what a Boston Red Sox fan should do in order to survive a trip to Yankee stadium.

What has been the most frightening journalistic moment for you?

One of the moments that stands out in my mind is a story we did during the Israeli war with Hezbollah. We were traveling through a northern Israeli town when we spotted a father outside on a patio playing checkers with his children. This wouldn't have been out of the ordinary had there not been katyusha rockets coming over the Lebanon border almost hourly. We stopped to ask why the father would take that chance with his children outside. He explained to us how his children's ears were trained to hear the sound of an incoming rocket before it landed and that they knew what to do. Moments later, we heard that piercing sound. The children raced for their bunker and moments later came the blast. The rocket had landed on a nearby home. It was a revealing picture of what it is like to be a child in a war zone.

After we emerged from the bunker, we visited that nearby home only to find a tearful and frightened elderly couple huddled together in the corner of their bedroom. Their home had been sliced by the rocket. They were terrified and rightly so.

Name a story you've done that you are most proud of and why.

To this day, I am still proud of our reporting in New Orleans. I remember sleeping on the floor of the Superdome as Hurricane Katrina was tearing through the city and ripping the roof off of the building, but we had no idea the real destruction was yet to come. Our visit to the Convention Center after the levees broke was so heartbreaking. I will never forget the woman who collapsed while talking to me. She was suffering from diabetic shock. A woman in the crowd of evacuees who happened to be a nurse came running to her aid. It was devastating to witness hundreds of evacuees with no food, no water and no medicine. I believe had the media not been there to expose such dire need, the help would not have arrived when it did.

What advice do you have for young people looking to follow in your footsteps?

I was the 13 year old carrying the cameraman's tripod, ripping scripts in the newsroom and fetching the anchorman his cokes from the vending machine at the local station in Syracuse New York.

I'm sure it was a ridiculous sight particularly given the growth chart on the newsroom wall where they would measure my height when I would return each summer. A decade later, I was sharing the anchorman's chair at the anchor desk. I don't suggest giving up your summer vacation at 13 years old, but I do encourage all aspiring journalists to intern as much as possible and to leave a mark by offering to do even the most menial of tasks. It will not go unnoticed.

You've now worked in both Boston and New York City. Are you a Yankees or Red Sox fan?

Sox. But I don't wear my cap to Yankee Stadium. Never a good idea.

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