Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin and Hoda Kotb should have been in Italy on Monday, helping bring NBC’s Winter Olympics to “Today” viewers. Instead, the trio is grappling with an unfathomable crime story that hits close to home.
Guthrie, the anchor of the “Today” family since 2012, is not on air but in Arizona, hoping for the return of her mother, Nancy, whose abduction by an unknown suspect Jan. 31 has become a national obsession. The release Thursday by the FBI of surveillance photos showing a potential subject at Nancy’s door has sparked a new twist in the cycle and may even give some new hope for a potential resolution. This is something that can throw even the most jaded viewer: a respected name in broadcast news dealing with the kidnapping of a family member in real time. Every day since Nancy was taken, “Today” has led with the latest on the quest to find her.
“We know things are far from normal right now, so folks, we are asking for your grace as we continue to do this,” Melvin said on Monday’s telecast.
Journalism experts and industry insiders say the situation that has unfolded for the “Today” team, on both sides of the camera, is complicated at best. Morning news teams on “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS Mornings” and local programs are embraced by viewers as family and friends. But they have to be cautious as they wrestle on air with intense emotions and the fact that the subjects of the story are nearer to them than is the norm.
“Today” has maintained its family feel by tapping Kotb as a fill-in (she was already expected to work for the show during the Olympics). Because the story is so fluid, producers are in limbo in terms of long-term plans for dealing with Guthrie’s absence and other matters, according to two people familiar with the program.
The “Today” team has persevered through many difficult episodes of late, including Matt Lauer’s stunning departure in 2017 amid a Variety exposé and allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, which he has vehemently denied. It has dealt with Kotb’s daughter falling ill; Al Roker suffering from a weeks-long illness; and the death of co-host Sheinelle Jones’ husband from brain cancer. “That show has been through a lot,” says a person familiar with the inner workings of “Today.” “It’s really insane.”
Now it must juggle sympathy with objectivity. Guthrie is well known in media circles, which means top journalists are offering coverage of an acquaintance or a teammate — typically something they hope to avoid.
“On one hand, ethically, the ‘Today Show’ anchors who know her best should not be reporting on the story. They’re too close to her to be objective,” says Ben Bogardus, chair of the journalism department at Quinnipiac University. Yet “Today” is relying on NBC News correspondents Tom Winter and Liz Kreutz to deliver the latest updates, leaving the anchors to “provide more context and real human emotion to the story than anyone else in the media.
Their relationships with Guthrie will help them give viewers a perspective on the case that other networks covering it can’t.”
Viewers have seen candid moments from “Today” colleagues like Carson Daly, who discussed how much he has prayed for Nancy Guthrie’s return, or Jones, who was obviously emotional as she wrapped a segment about her colleague.
“It really is true that the journalists on ‘Today” are close,” says Jane Hall, an associate professor in the School of Communication at American University. “It has got to be very difficult for people on ‘Today” to be covering this and covering it in a way that feels appropriate.”
Such scenes illustrate the trauma reporters must process when covering difficult cycles, says Kate West, an assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas, who studies the effects of journalism on mental health.
“Why does it have to be looked down upon if a journalist states on air that this story is emotionally difficult to cover because of their relationship with Savannah Guthrie?” she says. “Some of the most memorable moments on television come from emotions — like the network anchors crying during 9/11.”
Keeping that spirit on-screen may help “Today” and its staff. Still, “this can be a difficult needle to thread,” says Mark Feldstein, chair of broadcast journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. “NBC wants to satisfy its audience’s concerns and curiosity while supporting its traumatized TV star, but it doesn’t want to look like it’s exploiting the tragedy to boost viewership and ratings.”
Until Savannah Guthrie’s ordeal ends, the “Today” team will have to find the right balance.