Capitol Communicator has been interviewing people who are or have been in the media about their careers and the media. Below is our Q&A with Karen Gray Houston, who spent 41 years as a print and broadcast journalist. She retired in 2014 after almost 20 years at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., following seven years at WTOP radio in D.C.
Karen, what are you doing now?
I am now an author, spending a lot of time on a virtual book tour for Daughter of the Boycott: Carrying on a Montgomery Family’s Civil Rights Legacy, which was released last spring. It is a story of my family’s involvement in the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. My father, the late Judge Thomas W. Gray, was an organizer of the boycott, who also led a protest of white police brutality in 1950. My uncle, renowned civil rights attorney Fred D. Gray, now 90, was the boycott attorney, who represented Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The book is a journey of discovery that reveals little known and untold stories about unsung heroes and heroines who helped ignite the modern-day Civil Rights Movement. It is astounding that the release coincided with the death of George Floyd, reminding us all that the arc of the moral universe still has a long way to bend. Also amazing is how Fred Gray, 90, remains relevant today with an effort in Montgomery to rename the street he grew up on, now named for Confederate president Jefferson Davis, and a move afoot to convince President Biden to award him the Medal of Freedom.
Why did you go into news as a career?
Some people might call me nosy. I would say I have probably always just been naturally curious. During the Black Power protests of the late 60’s and early 70’s, I began writing commentaries in campus newspapers and on the radio while I was a student at Ohio University. I thought that would be much more interesting – fascinating really – than following up on my major in psychology, so I went on to pursue journalism. It began a career where I had a front row seat to some of the most important and memorable news stories of the late 20th century.
What would have been your second career choice?
I considered following my father and uncle into the field of law, but journalism was a stronger calling.
What was your first job?
My first paying journalism job was at United Press International in Boston in 1973. The position was described as writer/editor/reporter. You could say I fell into it. I received an unsolicited letter from UPI in New York City after I graduated from Columbia University’s Journalism School with a master’s degree. Back home in Cleveland, I was shopping tapes around the country looking for a job in radio or television. Then, UPI asked what my journalistic aspirations were. It was a wonderful place to get real on-the-job grounding in the world of journalism.
What types of stories moved you the most?
In 41-plus years, I have covered just about everything, from City Hall to the State House to the U.S. Capitol to the White House. I was assigned to the police beat, the courthouse, the school board, entertainment news, human interest stories and obits.
My scariest moments, when I felt afraid for myself and those I was reporting on, came during coverage of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, the three weeks of terror during the D.C. sniper rampage and reporting on Boston school desegregation violence.
It was amazing to follow legislation that became law and impacted people’s lives. It was also intriguing to watch the career and adventures of D.C. Mayor Marion Barry. I followed the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction trial of Lorena Bobbitt and interviewed celebrities. Looking back, at jobs at WTTG-TV, WTOP newsradio, NBC News, the ABC Radio Network, WCBS TV in New York and WHDH Radio in Boston, what moved me most were times when my stories helped people who were taken advantage of and felt powerless.
What were the best and worst parts of being a reporter?
Reporting news meant seeing the good, the bad and the ugly. The best part of the job was being allowed to witness history up close…a few examples, covering stories like presidential inaugurations, being invited to a private tea and conversation with Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore at the White House, and talking to Stevie Wonder.
The worst parts included the wretched hours sometimes required, like getting to work at 3 am to be on the morning news. Then there was braving the weather to cover hurricanes, tornadoes and snowstorms.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for the media going forward?
Journalists are now recovering from war wounds sustained in their struggle to cover Donald Trump. Unfortunately, he was successful in convincing many people not to trust the media, branding any coverage he did not like as “fake news.” The biggest challenge moving forward is to erase some of the doubt and confusion Trump created in his propaganda campaign, especially in ongoing coverage of the pandemic. Journalists are not the “enemy of the people.” A free press that speaks truth to power is the cornerstone of democracy.
What do you enjoy doing these days, beyond your virtual book tour?
I love traveling to see how other people in the world live and eat. So, I miss that desperately now that the pandemic has put the brakes on flying and cruising. I confess to being a gym rat, and now take long walks in my neighborhood until I can return to in person Zumba and yoga classes.
Is there anything else we should know about you?
Along with friends and family, I established the K. Christopher Houston scholarship at his alma mater, the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Chris, my first husband, was an assignment manager at WUSA9 when he died of pancreatic cancer in 2006. The scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated a strong interest in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.
I got married again a few years ago to Bob Nesbitt and moved to South Carolina. Friends tease that he should convert his love of flipping houses and of DIY projects during retirement into starting up a new home improvement channel. When the weather is right, you can find the two of us on a golf course.
And, look for more about my book on my website.
Dear Karen,
I have been a fan of your dad’s since the mid-nineties…I was an American history teacher and developed a real passion for teaching the Civil Rights Movement. When my daughter was in college at Faulkner University (Montgomery), I was beginning to learn about your father’s passion for racial justice. I realized that Tuskegee was just a few miles from Montgomery, so I traveled to visit her, took her along with me to visit with your dad…we had a delightful lunch with him. Since that time, my daughter and I have taken any opportunity we got to see him in person…we were both thrilled to see him in Washington D.C. receiving his well-deserved medal.
I have recently moved to Huntsville, Alabama as the aging process was requiring a closer location to family. Is there any way, in your traveling, I could have the opportunity to meet you and visit?
Hi Sandy,
I am embarrassed to say I only just circled around and saw your comment. Thanks for your interest in my family. I hesitate to put my personal contact information on a public website, but I trust the Communicator will not publish my email address. Send me your contact info, and we can try to connect.