"I guess you could say I was one of the initial pioneering broadcast business nerds," said AU graduate Neil Cavuto, vice president, anchor and managing editor of business news for the Fox News Channel. "My intent was to combine political and business issues with journalists."
Cavuto completed his graduate studies in public affairs at AU in 1982. "The biggest thing AU has going for it is the fact that it's in Washington, D.C., the epicenter of the world," he said. "I did my undergraduate work at St. Bonaventure University, a small Franciscan Catholic school ... That's very different than being in the epicenter of the world."
Cavuto's show on Fox News, "Your World with Neil Cavuto," airs from 4 to 5 p.m. daily (channel 25 on campus). It covers Wall Street and the business news and insights of the day.
"We try to report on issues such as the war in Iraq and the economy, but we always like to include the business angle," Cavuto said. "My belief is that everything has a business angle and my job is to report it to you."
Cavuto's day begins very early, and he commutes to Fox News Channel's headquarters in New York City from New Jersey. He arrives at the station at 6 a.m. and reads over 10 newspapers per day as he visits the gym in the Fox News building.
"I pretend I'm working out while I read Investor's Business Daily," Cavuto joked.
Cavuto began his undergraduate career with the intention to become a priest while teaching journalism.
"A priest teaching journalism just didn't work out for me so I veered from that," he said. "My first job was at a newspaper in Indianapolis." Cavuto has always had a fondness for print journalism and he believes that every budding journalist should begin his career in print.
"Young journalists should learn the beauty and benefit of writing clearly and distinctly," he said. "Working in print first will help you learn long form journalism, therefore making it easier when you're ready to go into broadcast."
Prior to joining Fox News, Cavuto worked for CNBC and was also a contributor for "The Today Show" on NBC. He has covered business news for the past 20 years and reported on stories such as the 1987 stock market crash, the AT&T breakup and the Union Carbide chemical disaster in India.
One of the more interesting stories Cavuto has covered recently is the 2004 presidential race. This election is particularly important because it involves the fundamental issues of modern-day terrorism and how to deal with it, Cavuto said.
The role of 24-hour news has changed the way we look at the presidential election, he said.
His first internship in grad school was at CNN's Washington bureau. Cavuto began working there in the early 1980s, around the time CNN was just beginning.
"Many Americans did not understand the concept, and now 30 years later, cable news is everywhere," he said.
Nowadays, besides cable news, the Internet is providing Americans, especially college students, access to all sorts of information about the election, according to Cavuto.
"When I was at St. Bonaventure's we were out in the wilderness ... I mean, there was no such thing as cable," he recalled. "We had one TV in the lounge, and I was always the nerd in the dorms who tried to beat everyone out to catch the evening news ... Today's generation is so much sharper than I was at that age."
There is also a risk now for information overload. There is a lot of coverage with a predictable sameness to it, and it begins to become very routine.
"I like to bring stuff to viewers and give them a critical eye, and a different angle on the story they're hearing," Cavuto said. Regarding bias in the media, Cavuto tends not to pay much attention to the accusations. His view is that the media do not have an agenda to screw over people.
"For instance, not all priests are pedophiles and not all CEOs are like Martha Stewart," Cavuto said. "People tend to make generalities ... Let's be fair and hear both sides ... It may take more sweat and time, but it's worth it."
Cavuto enjoyed his life at AU, especially being in a big city such as D.C., and having the opportunity for all sorts of internships and news operations. He used to bring coffee and donuts to CNN just to tag along, according to Cavuto.
"One time I went with CNN [as an intern] to cover the Air Florida airplane crash in D.C. in 1982," Cavuto said. "I was running back and forth on the Metrotrying to get coffee for the staff, because it was a very cold winter day ... I really liked the immediacy of TV news at the time ... There's nothing like seeing news unfold live, with all of its excitement and drama."
Cavuto also enjoyed interning at the White House during the Carter administration. Seeing power up close was extremely beneficial to him. Cavuto gained experience by assembling research and shuttling documents between the West Wing and the Old Executive Office. Cavuto's favorite thing about AU was the library. As a student, he worked in the microfilm department.
"People rarely came to the desk, so I have very pleasant memories reading classic books such as original copies of JFK's 'Profiles in Courage,'" he said.
The best advice Cavuto could give to AU students is: "The great ones are the ones who take time to work harder and study longer. You never want to be lazy ... Don't let this business change you. I'm still the same guy I was now than I was then. Leave your agendas at home."
Regarding the field of journalism, Cavuto shared some words of wisdom: "A lot of people say the odds of success in this field are not good. If you really love it, you're going to get what you want. Don't be intimidated. If you're having fun, keep at it"
