Friday, September 21, 2007
Bob Dotson is a storyteller. In more than 30 years as a journalist, Dotson has traveled the globe telling the stories of people who might seem ordinary but are in many ways extraordinary.
“What makes me happy is going out and meeting people and doing stories,” Dotson said. “It’s not a bad way to dedicate your life.”
Dotson, correspondent for NBC News, and host of the series “American Story with Bob Dotson” can be seen on the “Today Show” and “NBC Nightly News”. He is also writer and host of “Bob Dotson’s America” on the Travel Channel. Dotson, a 1968 graduate of the School of Journalism, has won numerous awards during his career. Dotson is the featured speaker at Editors Day Saturday in Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The event begins at 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. About 200 people are already signed up to attend. Dotson’s speech will focus on how cell phones and Web sites affect storytelling.
“In terms of journalism it pushes us all back to our roots,” Dotson said, noting that nowadays journalists often aren’t the first to report news. It’s people with cell phones and Internet users. Dotson said journalists should focus more on people and their interests.
“I’m looking for a story, not a headline,” he said.
Dotson said he likens people’s stories to an onion. They both have many layers.
“Good storytelling, especially people storytelling, you try to tell it in a way that reaches all of us,” Dotson said.
Dotson has traveled to all 50 states. He has told stories as far ranging as an 18-year-old men from Westport, Mass., where neighbors came together to help the man buy a farm, to brothers who searched to end a 65-year-old mystery: the location of their father’s sunken World War II submarine near Alaska. The U.S. Navy never found the ship. The Japanese never found the ship. But the brothers did. They used sonar and other high-tech equipment and paid for it on their own dime.
“That tells you about family and obligation,” Dotson said. That “American Story” is scheduled to air this morning on the “Today Show”.
Over the years Dotson has made a hobby of sorts. He has a copy of each story he’s ever done for NBC.
“I figured since I had this unique beat I might as well keep a record of it,” Dotson said.
He has also collected old network tapes as well, saving them from being thrown out when bosses needed more shelf space.
“I always found the best stuff in people’s basements,” Dotson said.
The collection of tapes totals more than 6,000. Dotson originally stored the tapes in his own basement and later in three warehouses. Dotson has since donated the collection to the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City, the town where Dotson began his journalism career after graduating from the University.
Dotson grew up in St. Louis. An uncle attended law school at the University, and Dotson enjoyed many of the KU football games as a kid. Dotson originally wanted to become a lawyer, but found he enjoyed journalism much more. He worked as a news director and reporter for KANU-FM, the University’s radio station at the time.
Bruce Linton, former journalism professor and head of the radio/television/film department at the time, got to know Dotson quite well.
“We saw he had a lot of potential and was a very good writer,” Linton said. “And obviously today, he’s still a very good writer.”
Ann Brill, dean of the School of Journalism, said at the heart of telling a good story was creativity and serving as a voice for people.
“People like Bob Dotson deserve our respect for the stories that he does tell,” she said.
In the future Dotson said he wanted to continue doing what he’s done for the past three decades.
“I think basically what has guided me through my career is I have a willingness to say yes most of the time, and a lot of curiosity to go and find America,” he said.
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