Researching Susan Rook

Rook started anchoring overnight news cutins, then moved up to more visible anchor assignments: co-anchoring "Newsnight" with Patrick Emory and later PrimeNews and "Evening News" (later renamed to World News), co-anchoring with Bernard Shaw and later hosting the topical daily talk show TalkBack Live. Rook was one of the three panelists, along with Helen Thomas and Gene Gibbons, in the 3rd 1992 United States presidential election debate with then president George H.W. Bush and future president Bill Clinton. She was also a general assignment reporter in New Orleans and Ft Myers, FL before coming to CNN. She is a graduate of George Mason University

She originally turned down the offer to Anchor on CNN. She took the job after the News Director in New Orleans spiked her investigative story about political corruption. She turned the story over to Ron Ridenhour (an investigative reporter for City Business). Ridenhour was the soldier who sent the letter to Congress that sparked the investigation into the My Lai Massacre.

Ridenhour won the Polk Award for his articles beginning with "T ax Dodge: Millions Go Uncollected; City Hall Protects The Favored Few". Ridenhour's refusal to give up confidential sources ended up before the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The Ridenhour Prizes "recognize those who persevere in acts of truth-telling that protect the public interest, promote social justice or illuminate a more just vision of society."

Susan Rook says, "My proudest professional achievement remains uncovering the story that doesn't bear my name. This started because a kid died in a fire right down the street from a firehouse closed because of NOLA City budget issues. This was a poor, black kid. The powers that be didn't care. My source cared. I cared. Ron cared. There must be something larger than merely self in order to live a fulfilling life."