Carole Simpson, ABC News, wrapped up a week of discussions with top women in the media in an IWMF Live chat on Friday, September 27, 2002.
What was your first job in the media?
Working for a community newspaper during summers in college. My first professional job was as the first woman to broadcast news in Chicago on WCFL Radio. I covered the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King when he brought his non-violent campaign to the North. Also, the Chicago Seven Conspiracy Trial that grew out of the riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, two huge national stories.
Did you have a career plan?
No plan. I just wanted to be a journalist and studied to be a newspaper reporter. I happened to take a radio-TV workshop in grad school and found out that I enjoyed broadcasting more than print. I could cover a story, edit the story and then deliver it myself on the air. Drama was one of my extracurricular activities in elementary school, high school and college. I learned how to develop my voice, and how to project and articulate, which are great assets for radio or TV.
Who was your most important mentor? What did you learn from her/him? How did you apply that in your career?
I never had a mentor because I was one of the first African Americans and first women in the U.S. to broadcast the news. There were no white males, who dominated the field, who tried to help me. In fact, they tried to hurt me and sabotage my career at many stages. Everything I learned I had to learn by knocking my head against the wall. Now I try to mentor as many young people of color and as many women as I can, because I know how it might have helped me had I had a mentor. I try to warn them of pitfalls and tell them how to get ahead.
What was the biggest roadblock that you faced, as a woman, in your career? How did you overcome it?
Not getting people to take me seriously or respecting my ability. I have always been underestimated by the white males who still make most, if not all, the decisions. I continue to be frustrated by that, but I feel it is still important to perform to the highest quality. I can prove I can do whatever I am assigned to do and do it well, if given the opportunity. The problem remains, getting the opportunity.
In one simple sentence, what one piece of advice would you give women who want to succeed in the media?
Whatever job you have, do whatever it takes morally to do that job better than anyone else.