Exclusive: Controversial Fil-Am news anchor Liz Wahl talks to The FREEMAN

CEBU, Philippines - It’s been an entire month since Liz Wahl ended her stint as a news anchor with a proverbial bang. Born at the Subic Naval Base to a Filipina mother and a Hungarian-American father, Liz grew up in Connecticut and joined television network RT America’s Washington D.C. bureau in 2011 after working in Saipan as a reporter for two years. RT used to be known as Russia Today.

On the March 5th newscast, Liz went off-script while on-air and became emotional over  RT’s alleged biased coverage of the Ukraine crisis. “…that is why personally I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashes the actions of  Putin. I’m proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning.”

The video of her resignation while the cameras were rolling instantly became viral on Facebook, while reaching over a million views on YouTube. Within a few hours following her fateful newscast—and still wearing the same clothes—she was being interviewed live on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. And that was just the beginning.

From there, she would grant interview requests from certified heavyweights in the world of broadcast journalism, gaining throngs of admirers and detractors in the process, exacerbating further heated debates online on the propriety of her actions and her real motivation. To say that her public resignation is polarizing is stating the obvious.

While RT has since released a strongly worded statement discrediting Liz and her intentions, her former boss Bob Coldeen, news director for Saipan-based KSPN, only has good things to say about his former reporter. He describes Wahl as “very professional,” “very opinionated,” and “very dependable.” “She took her job very seriously. I’m not surprised she would do that,” Coldeen told the Saipan Tribune, referring to her resignation on-air. Coldeen said he had seen some of her work with RT and found them to be “straight” and not slanted.

Liz made a splash on live television, and since then, she has been generating a tidal wave of talk and controversy. Here is my conversation with the brave and controversial Elizabeth Wahl.

 â€œShe used to cover the news, now she is the news.” It took a lot of courage to do what you did. Some say your action was a make or break. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, after four weeks, are you made or are you broken?

Four weeks later, I have no regrets.  After my public resignation, it was chaotic and stressful at times dealing with the pressure and scrutiny.  But at the end of the day, I feel like a weight has lifted from my shoulders.  I took a stance that I believe in wholeheartedly.

Let’s backpedal a bit. Wasn’t there any other way you could have manifested your protest against RT’s alleged whitewash of Putin’s move—say through a blog after resigning — did it have to be on live television? Tell us your journey to that fateful newscast.

My original plan was to resign quietly.  I knew I had to quit and was planning to do so behind closed doors and possibly grant an interview to a reporter I had been in touch with.  But on this particular day, the network’s coverage of Ukraine was distorted to the point that it was disturbing.  The network was pushing lies to justify Russian military intervention in Crimea.  If I went quietly, no one would know what the station was really about, especially regarding the Ukraine coverage. I knew the only way to bring attention to the crisis in Ukraine and the propaganda being pushed to downplay it was to come forward publicly. 

Weren’t you concerned with ethical issues that could arise (and have, in fact, arisen in the aftermath) in hijacking your newscast with your personal sentiments and public resignation?

I was concerned about it.  But I felt that my ethical duty to speak up for the truth outweighed any ethical issues that could come with disrupting a newscast.  I think journalists have a fundamental responsibility to seek the truth and to report the truth.  There were personal experiences that gave me the courage to publicly speak up and when I made the decision, I decided to speak from the heart. 

Do you consider your actions as professional?

Absolutely. The profession of journalism commands taking ethical stances.  Promoting propaganda and lies is not professional. 

What about your colleagues, do they consider your act within the bounds of journalism ethics and standards?

There are many current and former colleagues that worked at the network that sent me messages of support for taking a stand.  Within the news business, for the most part, the response has been encouraging and supportive.  There are, however, some very vocal critics within RT that have engaged in a campaign to discredit me.  It’s unfortunate. But certainly some on the inside are upset that I shook things up in such a public way.

The RT reporter who went off-script before you got a lot of good press. What do you say to critics online who brand what you did a publicity stunt, one done for personal gain, who call you opportunistic?

She did get praised for taking a stand, and I was proud of her for doing so.  However, the network was then using her brief moment of dissent to promote the station and as proof that journalists and opinion hosts are free to say what they want.  I knew that wasn’t the truth, especially when it came to the Ukraine coverage.  When I decided that I would resign publicly, I did so not knowing what the consequences of my decision would be.  I didn’t know how it was going to be received.  All I can say is that I did what I did because I felt morally and ethically obligated to do so.

RT denounced your actions as a “self-promotional” stunt. “It drew a distinction between her role as a newscaster and Martin’s position as an opinion host.” The network’s official statement reads, “When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.” Comments?

I think this response from RT is very telling.  As you can see in that statement, RT makes no effort to address my message.  That is because they can’t.  The coverage of the current crisis in Ukraine is propagandist, and they cannot defend it. Instead, they are attacking me and questioning my motives.  The truth is that I voiced my concern about editorial slants many times.  They would have liked me to quit quietly, so they could continue to push lies without the intense public scrutiny.

You faced a firestorm of controversy. Does the vitriol get to you? What has been the worst thing said about you so far?

I try not to read into the negativity.  Some of the vitriol has originated from RT and current insiders that are now in self-preservation mode.  They launched a smear campaign against me in which they assert that my resignation was “stage-managed” by neocons.  One host got her friend to write a hit piece about me, making me out to be a bad person.  That got to me a bit.  But you can’t please everybody.

In this day and age when ordinary people and celebrities alike resort to scandal, bad publicity, and shock and awe to catch the public’s attention and become (or remain) famous, can you say that there was at least some element of personal gain attached to your decision to go public?

In a way, I knew I wanted to disassociate myself from the network.  I could not, in good faith, continue to work there as the network’s agenda was increasingly becoming pro-Kremlin during a very troubling time for neighboring countries and world powers struggling to find the answers in dealing with the military escalation.  So yes, in light of current events, I knew my conscience would be in better shape if I took a public stand.  But I didn’t have a crystal ball.  I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be or if it would be beneficial to my career.

Do you fear being a ‘flash in the pan?’

Not really.  I have faith everything is going to work out for the best.

The issue of Crimea is multifarious — covering a gamut of cultural, ethnic, and geopolitical complications. The recent referendum saw a vast majority of voters backing a return to Russia, with 96% of the 80% voter turnout in favor.

Some suggest that Putin’s move, however contentious, is only fair considering that around 60% of Crimea’s population is ethnic Russian, while 77% are native speakers of Russian? Perhaps it’s the West that is minding other people’s business?

Crimea is complicated for sure. Yes, more than half of the population there is ethnic Russian.  But there are other people there that matter too.  There are ethnic Ukrainians, and there are the Tatars, an ethnically indigenous minority population that faced the wrath of Russia before, when they were brutally deported in the 1940s.  All these people make up Ukraine, a sovereign country that has a right to self-determination.

The Crimea standoff is a foreign relations nightmare. From both a personal and a journalist’s standpoint, do you believe there is a win-win solution to this crisis that also takes into account the sentiments of the majority of Crimea’s population who identify themselves as Russian?

Russia has annexed Crimea.  They did it through military intervention, wearing masks and no insignia, under the guise of protecting ethnic Russians. Is there a win-win? I’m not sure what that would look like.  For now, the hope is that the situation doesn’t further escalate, and that Ukraine can determine its own future.

It’s safe to assume that you’ve made an enemy of Russia and a lot of powerful people, are you safe? Do you fear for your life?

Luckily, I feel relatively safe.  I live in the nation’s capital and there is pretty good security here.

Have you been to Russia? Will you ever visit Russia after this?

I have never been to Russia and have no plans to travel there in the near future.  I think it’s wise to stay away for a while.

You wrote a follow up to your experience with RT on Politico.com, aren’t you stoking the flames?

Following my public resignation, I was bombarded with questions and there was a lot of misinformation about who I was and what my intentions may have been.  I felt that I had to set the record straight.  Additionally, after the news of  my resignation spread like wildfire, many people were curious about the network and the way it functions.  I had a unique point of view and an opportunity to tell my story.

You’ve been interviewed by the biggest names in broadcast journalism, Barbara Walters, Anderson Cooper, by the biggest news organizations—CNN, MSNBC, FOX, et. al. — what  do you consider as your most challenging and most intimidating interview to date? Why?

Shortly after the incident, Barbara Walters was publicly critical of me, saying that I “should not be considered a hero.”  A week later, her producers invited me on her daytime talk show The View so I could tell my story.  I was a bit apprehensive about it at first. I mean, this was Barbara Walters, someone I watched from a very young age.  I knew she was critical and I wanted to defend myself while also being respectful.  This can be a delicate balance.  However, it was a pleasure to come on the show and her tone toward me changed.  Before wrapping up the segment, she publicly endorsed me and urged the audience to listen up and hire me. It was good day.

It’s been a crazy three weeks for you, has the controversy let up? Have you had time to rest, relax, and reflect?

The response has been unbelievable, and at times, overwhelming.  The storm has died down a bit.  And I have returned to eating and sleeping at somewhat normal times.  The last week, I have been able to focus on other things, relax, and yes, reflect.

If you weren’t doing the news, what would have been your career path?

When I knew my resignation was imminent, I was considering other career paths.  I was strongly thinking about going to law school.  That’s still not out of the question.

You’ve become famous the world over. Have there been any offers from the mainstream news channels? Anything worth considering?

There are some interesting and exciting opportunities on my radar.  I can’t discuss anything now though. Stay tuned.

Any other alternatives besides working as a news presenter? A talk show, an acting career, the civil service?

For now, I am interested in staying in the media world.  But I am open to learning and growing personally and professionally.  None of those options are off the table.

What is your politics like? Are you a Republican or a Democrat? Your ideology?

I consider myself  to be politically independent.  I think it’s important to focus on the issues, rather than the party.  I am socially liberal, but may fiscally at times fall into the Republican category, but not always.  I think the Republican/Democrat dichotomy is a fallacy.  People don’t always fall into neat groups, but align themselves into groups for political reasons.  I think the divisive political climate in the U.S. does not do anyone any favors.  Decisions should be made that are in the best interest of the country, not in the best interest of a political party.

Are you religious?

I was raised Catholic. I identify as Catholic but would not describe myself as religious. 

Are you open to running for office someday?

That’s not something I am thinking about at the moment.

You are half Filipino. How much of  Liz is Filipino, in terms of culture and character?

Yes, I am proud Pinay! It’s a big part of who I am.  I think it’s important to never forget your roots.  Filipinos are among the most hospitable, fun-loving, and resilient people on the planet.  I can only hope to carry these qualities with me.

Your mother is Waray, do you have any plans to visit the Philippines soon, especially your maternal side’s home region of eastern Visayas that bore the brunt of typhoon Haiyan?

I absolutely want to visit the Philippines sooner rather than later.  It’s been a few years so I am definitely due for a visit.  My family in the Visayas made it through typhoon Haiyan unharmed, but thousands of others were not so lucky.  I didn’t make it to my mother’s home region of eastern Visayas last trip, but hopefully I can next time.  I’d like to help in any way I can.

How has your family been throughout all of this?

They have been very supportive.  They are my biggest fans.

What lessons can Filipino journalists learn from your experience?

What I have learned, and hopefully it resonates and applies to journalists around the world, is that taking strong ethical stances can be a risk worth taking.  I believe a journalist’s duty to seek and report the truth is one that transcends space and time.

If we can turn back the clock and your final newscast with RT is tomorrow, what would you do or say differently?

I wouldn’t change anything.

When all is said and done, is Liz Wahl a prime commodity or is she radioactive?

Liz Wahl is on fire. Watch out.

(Special thanks to Liz’s brother, Anthony, for arranging the interview.) (FREEMAN)