AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES COVERING STATE POLITICS, LONG-TIME CAPITOL REPORTER KAREN DEWITT IS RETIRING.

KAREN'S WORK THROUGH THE YEARS HAS EMBODIED THOROUGH REPORTING, SAVVY POLITICAL INSIGHTS AND AN UNWAVERING DEDICATION TO BEING CLEAR.

WE SAT DOWN WITH KAREN TO DISCUSS HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEW YORK POLITICS AND HER LEGACY.

[ THEME MUSIC ] THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY, KAREN.

I'M HAPPY TO DO IT.

NOW YOU'VE HAD QUITE THE CAREER COVERING STATE POLITICS SPANNING OVER THREE DECADES.

BEFORE WE GET INTO YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS THROUGH THE YEARS, I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTERESTED IN COVERING STATE POLITICS AND WHAT GOT YOU FOCUSED ON THE BEAT OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS?

I THINK LIKE ANYTHING, I JUST KIND OF FELL INTO IT.

I MOVED BACK TO THIS AREA AFTER COLLEGE AT SUNY GENESEO, AND I ACTUALLY HAD AN INTERNSHIP AT WXXI THAT GOT ME GOING I SHOULD MENTION.

BECAUSE WXXI IS A BIG PART OF OUR NETWORK, AND I JUST WORKED AT SOME LOCAL NEWS STATIONS.

THERE WAS AN ALL-NEWS RADIO STATION.

IT WAS KIND OF PRE-CURSOR TO LIKE WHAT WE HAVE FOR SPECTRUM NEWS RIGHT NOW.

IT WAS JUST A GOOD TRAINING GROUND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO RUN AROUND AND, YOU KNOW, COVER ALL KINDS OF NEWS AND DIFFERENT THINGS.

BE LIVE ON THE AIR AND I FOUND THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE POLITICS BETTER THAN, YOU KNOW, COVERING FIRES AND CRIMES AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU DO.

MARIO CUOMO WAS GOVERNOR THEN.

AND HE WAS A BIG NATIONAL FIGURE.

YOU HAD NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ED KOCH WHO WOULD COME TO TOWN REGULARLY AND THERE WERE THESE LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS GOING AROUND THE CAPITOL.

I WAS VERY INTRIGUED BY THAT AND IT'S RIGHT HERE, RIGHT WHERE I AM.

I GOT THROUGH THE BACK DOOR.

THERE WAS A STRINGER JOB FOR 1010 WINS, WHICH IS A BIG NEWS STATION AND I GOT THE STRINGER JOB AND THEN I JUST, YOU KNOW, MADE MY WAY WITH MAGAZINE ARTICLES FOR ADIRONDACK LIFE.

I WORKED FOR ALTERNATIVE NEWS WEEKLY METROLAND FOR A FEW YEARS AND I PATCHED IT ALL TOGETHER FOR A FEW YEARS AND THEN THIS PUBLIC RADIO NETWORK JOB CAME ABOUT.

IT WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD AND SOMEONE STARTED IT BEFORE ME.

IT HAD FOUR STATION.

I THOUGHT, OKAY, I THINK I HAVE LIKE HAD SKILLS AND I KNOW HOW TO BE ON THE AIR, BUT I ALSO KNOW THE JOURNALISM SKILLS YOU GET FROM ALL THOSE MAGAZINE EDITORS, YOU KNOW, SAYING DO A LITTLE MORE HERE, DIG IN A LITTLE MORE THERE OR CHANGE THIS AROUND.

AND THEN I GOT THAT JOB IN 1990 AND IT SORT OF GREW FROM THERE TO TEN STATIONS AND THEN ABOUT SOMETIME IN THE MID-'90S ONE OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED HERE, ONE OF MY PREDECESSORS, MICHAEL CARISSE, SAID WE'RE STARTING A WEEKLY REPORTERS' ROUNDTABLE AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON IT.

AT FIRST, I WAS LIKE, NO, I'M NOT GOING TO BE ON THAT.

I DON'T WANT TO BE ON TV.

[LAUGHTER] HE DRAGGED ME KICKING AND SCREAMING TO DO THAT.

YEAH.

ABSOLUTELY.

HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE SHOW, "NEW YORK NOW," IMPACTED YOUR CAREER?

WELL, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, SHANTEL, FOR BEING ON TV FOR WHAT, A YEAR NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYTHING YOU SAY IS MORE IMPORTANT.

LIKE PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOU MORE.

EXACTLY.

I'M SURE AS YOU GO AROUND THE CAPITOL, PEOPLE SAY, OH, I SEE YOU FROM TV.

EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE THE SAME PERSON DOING THE SAME THINGS, IT'S JUST A BIGGER STAGE.

IT'S ALSO FROT WITH, YOU KNOW, ALL KINDS OF BEING NERVOUS ABOUT IT.

YEAH, EXACTLY.

AND THE STAKES ARE HIGHER.

BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING AND I REALLY DO FEEL LIKE BEING ON TV DID MAKE MY CAREER AND BEING ABLE TO BE ON A REPORTERS' ROUNDTABLE AND GIVE MY TWO CENTS, WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT, JUST REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE.

YOU KNOW, AT THE TIME WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED IN THE STATE POLITICS, YOU WERE ONE OF VERY FEW WOMEN REPORTERS IN THE LCA.

HOW DID THAT REALITY IMPACT YOUR CAREER THROUGH THE YEARS?

WELL, ACTUALLY, THERE WAS A GROUP OF OLDER WOMEN WHO WERE THERE BEFORE ME.

MAYBE TEN YEARS BEFORE ME AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO THEM BECAUSE THEY KIND OF BROKE THE ICE WITH, YOU KNOW, ALL-MALE ENVIRONMENT.

SO IT WAS A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR ME.

YEAH, THERE WERE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN THERE WERE TWO WOMEN REPORTERS, AND THERE WERE MORE-- LIKE 40 MEN REPORTERS AND MAYBE TWO WOMEN COMING IN AND OUT.

I DON'T KNOW.

I COULDN'T FIND USE TO BEING IN THE MAN'S WORLD AND THE REALITY THAT SOMETIMES IT WAS HARD IN A BIG PRESS CONFERENCE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE GOVERNOR SPEAKING IN A HIGH STAKES PRESS CONFERENCE TO GET YOUR QUESTION IN.

YOU WOULD HAVE TO REALLY FIGHT BECAUSE THE MEN WOULD BE SHOUTING AND COMPETING WITH ONE ANOTHER AND TRYING TO FIND THAT LITTLE ANGLE AND GET IN.

YES.

IT WAS DIFFERENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I GREW UP WITH.

I WAS MORE USED TO THE BOYS' CULTURE, THE JOKES, THE CYNICISM, NEVER REVEALING ANYTHING TOO PERSONAL ABOUT YOURSELF.

I THINK WOMEN WILL DO THAT MORE.

THEY'LL LIKE SPILL THEIR GUTS, WHICH IS FUN TOO, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE PROBABLY FOR THE FIRST 20 YEARS I WAS THERE.

WOW.

NOW A LOT OF REPORTERS IN THE LCA CAN SAY THEY COVERED THE LIKES OF DAVID PATERSON, MARIO CUOMO, ANDREW CUOMO, KATHIE HOCHUL, SO HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCES IN COVERING EACH GOVERNOR?

I KNOW.

IT'S BEEN CRAZY THAT I HAVE DONE IT FOR THAT LONG.

WELL, MARIO CUOMO, HE WAS JUST A REALLY GREAT MAN AND MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I WAS YOUNGER AND KNEW LESS.

LIKE I THINK I LOOKED UP TO HIM.

HE ALSO TAUGHT A LOT.

HE HAD A LOT OF NEWS CONFERENCES.

LIKE YOU CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.

HE SOMETIMES WOULD HAVE TWO A DAY, MAYBE AN HOUR LONG AND YOU WOULD BE SITTING THIS LOOKING AT YOUR WATCH AND SAYING, JEEZ, I GOT TO GET GOING WRITING MY NEWS STORIES.

IS THEY GOING TO END?

NOW WE HAVE THE OPPOSITE PROBLEM.

AND A GAGGLE.

A LOT OF TIMES WOE HAVE US INTO HIS OFFICE AND WE WOULD JUST SIT AROUND AND HE WAS REALLY GOOD ABOUT ANSWERING PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS.

BUT YEAH, THERE WOULD BE LOTS OF GAGGLES, LOTS OF ACCESS, BUT THERE WASN'T THE INTERNET THEN.

SO THEY NEEDED US MORE, I THINK.

YOU KNOW, MODERN DAY, IT'S BEEN A LOT DIFFERENT.

YEAH.

AND DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE STORIES OR MOMENTS THAT YOU WORKED ON DURING YOUR TIME AT NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO?

I THINK IT'S THE BIG ONES THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT, RIGHT?

YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO ELIOT SPITZER HAVING TO RESIGN BECAUSE HE WAS PATRONIZING PROSTITUTES, WHICH WAS A SHOCKER TO EVERYONE.

THAT WAS A VERY SHOCKING DAY.

ALSO DAVID PATERSON BEING SWORN IN AS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN GOVERNOR.

THAT WAS JUST LIKE A VERY CELEBRATORY DAY.

PEOPLE WERE REALLY JUBILANT.

IT WAS REALLY FUN.

PATERSON HAD A TERRIBLE TIME AS GOVERNOR BECAUSE THE GREAT RECESSION HIT, AND IT JUST WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, COVID, THE LOCKDOWN, SUDDENLY BEING ON GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO'S REALITY TV SHOW EVERY DAY WITH THE BRIEFINGS.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAD A BIT PART ON THIS NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL REALITY TV SHOW.

AT THE SAME TIME, LIKE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, 700 PEOPLE A DAY WOULD BE DYING.

SO IT WAS JUST REALLY AN INTENSE TIME AND OF COURSE, JUST THE NEXT YEAR, ANDREW CUOMO IMPLODING.

SO ALL OF THAT STUFF WAS JUST REALLY BIG DRAMAS TO WITNESS AND THAT'S ONLY A FEW OF THEM.

I MEAN, THEN THERE'S ALL THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS THAT WENT TO JAIL OR GOT CONVICTED OF CORRUPTION.

WE HAD THE COUP.

WE CAN'T FORGET THE COUP WHEN DIFFERENT RIVAL SENATORS TOOK OVER THE SENATE.

WE HAD COMPETING SENATE SESSIONS FOR A MONTH, SO JUST LOTS OF CRAZY DRAMA, AND YOU KNOW, IT MADE IT EASY TO BE A REPORTER.

YOU HAD THESE CHARACTERS TO TELL YOUR NARRATIVE, TELL YOUR STORY.

THEY CERTAINLY MADE IT EASY WITH ALL THEIR ANTICS FOR US, RIGHT?

ARE THERE ANY REPORTING THREADS THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE TIME OR OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE INTO IN YOUR CAREER THAT YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE?

I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT.

SOME OF THEM CURRENTLY GOING ON IS THE OUT-MIGRATION IN NEW YORK STATE.

I NEVER SEEM TO GET TO THAT BIGGER PICTURE AND THAT'S SO COMPLICATED FOR SO MANY REASONS.

YOU WILL HAVE TO DO THAT STORY.

THAT'S WHAT I LOOK FORWARD TO.

AND ALSO INCOMING EQUALITY.

THAT'S JUST A BIG THING THAT OVERSHADOWS THINGS IN A WAY WE DON'T ALWAYS MENTION OR UNDERSTAND AND IS CAUSING A LOT OF THE DIVISIONS IN THIS SOCIETY RIGHT NOW.

SO THOSE ARE PROBABLY JUST THE ONES OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THAT I CAN THINK OF.

YEAH.

YOU'RE OFTEN REVERED AS THE DEAN OF THE LCA.

WHAT DOES THAT TITLE AND RECOGNITION MEAN TO YOU?

WELL, UNTIL RECENTLY, I REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT TITLE.

REALLY?

BECAUSE PEOPLE STARTING HINTING THAT I WAS THE ONE AROUND THE LONGEST AND MAYBE THE MOST OUTGOING PERSON.

I LIKE TO NOT MENTOR YOUNGER REPORTS BUT AT LEAST TALK TO THEM AND BECOME FRIENDS AND SEE WHERE THEY'RE AT AND EVERYTHING.

AND FOR A WHILE THERE, I WOULD SAY, I'M NOT THE DEAN.

I DON'T WANT TO BE THE DEAN.

THEN I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WOMEN OFTEN REJECT TITLES IN A WAY THAT MEN DON'T.

I THOUGHT, NO.

I CAN BE THE DEAN.

YOU KNOW, I'M SURE LIKE MANY MEN BEFORE ME WERE FINE IF SOMEONE CALLED THEM THE DEAN, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I AM.

I'M THE DEAN.

I WAS LIKE, YEAH, OKAY.

I AM THE DEAN.

I WILL TAKE IT.

I WILL ACCEPT THAT TITLE.

AWESOME.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF REPORTERS COVERING STATE POLITICS?

WELL, I THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO WANT TO DO IT MORE THAN YOU WANT TO DO ANYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE.

OTHERWISE IT'S JUST GOING TO BE TOO HARD AND YOU ARE GOING TO GET FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY OBSTACLES AND FRUSTRATIONS.

I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT JOBS.

YOU WON'T HAVE ONE JOB ARE FOR 30 YEARS LIKE I DID.

I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.

AND I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OVER TO WHAT WE CALLED THE DARK SIDE WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, BEING IN PR OR, YOU KNOW, BEING A SPOKESPERSON FOR A POLITICIAN AND IT'S EASIER TO GO BACK AND FORTH.

MY ADVICE WOULD BE EVERY TIME YOU DO THAT, MAKE SURE YOU UP YOUR SALARY.

LIKE USE THAT AS A NEGOTIATION.

THESE ARE GENERALLY NOT PAID AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE ARE WORTH.

BUT YEAH.

IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH BUT LIKE, HOPEFULLY, JOURNALISM IS GOING TO SURVIVE IN SOME CERTAIN CORE WAY.

THAT'S MY HOPE.

AND WHAT LEGACY ARE YOU HOPING TO HAVE IN THE LCA AND IN THE LARGER NEW YORK STATE POLITICAL BEAT?

HOW ARE YOU HOPING YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED?

THAT IS SO HARD TO ANSWER.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD A LEGACY UNTIL THIS RETIREMENT THING HAPPENED AND PEOPLE SAYING THOSE KINDS OF THINGS AND I'M LIKE, REALLY, I JUST FEEL LIKE I WENT TO WORK EVERY DAY.

CAME ON THIS SHOW EVERY WEEK AND TRIED TO DO MY BEST.

BUT I GUESS I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, BEING FAIR BECAUSE I TRIED TO DEVELOP A REPUTATION FOR FAIRNESS AND PEOPLE WOULD SAY, YEAH, YOU ARE REALLY A FAIR REPORTER.

THAT WOULD REINFORCE IT.

I WOULD GO INTO AN INTERVIEW THINKING I DON'T REALLY LIKE THIS PERSON.

I FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT THIS MEMBER AND REMEMBER, YOU'RE THE FAIR REPORTER.

YOU HAVE TO BE FAIR.

I GUESS JUST TRY TO UPHOLD THE VALUES OF JOURNALISM BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR DEMOCRACY.

WELL, WE AT "NEW YORK NOW" THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SHOW AND FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO NEW YORK STATE POLITICS.

WE WISH YOU THE ABSOLUTE BEST IN YOUR WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CONNECT WITH US TODAY, KAREN.

THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE NEXT GENERATION NOW TO TAKE THIS SHOW AND YOU KNOW, FLY WITH IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND WE WERE SPEAKING WITH KAREN DEWITT, LONG-TIME CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF FOR THE NEW YORK PUBLIC NEWS NETWORK.

AS WE UNDERSCORED IN THAT CONVERSATION, KAREN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE "NEW YORK NOW" SHOW HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE THROUGH THE YEARS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CAREER AND LEGACY OF KAREN DEWITT, YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

AGAIN THAT'S AT NYNOW.ORG.