Mayim Bialik's Breakdown Re-Air: Why Our Current News Media is in the Toilet & How the Legendary Connie Chung Changed Media
Mar 13, 2026
Connie Chung, trailblazing TV journalist and the first Asian-American co-anchor of a major evening newscast, shares vivid stories from Watergate stakeouts to covering Tonya Harding and O.J. Simpson. She discusses breaking newsroom barriers, navigating sexism and racism, coping with trauma, and why she thinks modern news standards have declined. Short, candid, and full of media lore.
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Adopting A Male Persona To Break In
- Connie Chung adopted a male newsroom persona to survive and command respect in overwhelmingly male newsrooms.
- She deliberately mimicked men's boldness, potty-mouth comebacks, and assertiveness after feeling isolated as the only woman among men during early career years.
Hidden Assault Shaped Her Awareness
- Connie revealed she was sexually assaulted by her doctor, a secret she kept for decades and later wrote about during the Kavanaugh hearings.
- The experience shaped her awareness of danger and the sexual attention she navigated throughout her career.
How A Restaurant Confrontation Landed CBS
- Connie's big break came after confronting an unsanitary D.C. restaurant on camera and catching the attention of CBS's Washington Bureau chief.
- Bill Small watched her confrontational reporting, gave her his card 20 minutes after lunch, and hired her into CBS.
