Episode 131: Don Lemon

5 Questions With Dan Schawbel

My guest today is the anchor of CNN Tonight, Don Lemon. Over the course of his longtime media career, Don went from anchoring local news stations to being an NBC News correspondent to hosting CNN Tonight weeknights at 10 PM eastern time. As America’s only African American prime-time anchor, who is openly gay, he has covered racism, the failure of government, and the global pandemic over the past year. After examining the deep roots of racism in America, he wrote “This is The Fire”, which we explore in this podcast episode.

The 5 questions I ask in this episode:

1. During your childhood, how did you decide you wanted to be a news anchor and what obstacles did you encounter as you ascended the media hierarchy from local to prime-time TV?
2. You are a public figure representing both the gay and African American minority communities. What do you believe your role and responsibility is to support both groups on and off the air?
3. Your experience combating and covering racism is covered in your book This Is The Fire. How do you think we can start to end racism in America despite its deep-rooted history?
4. How have you been able to handle the mental and emotional toll from covering deeply personal topics like racism and who do you rely on for support?
5. What’s your best piece of career advice?

Video interview

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