Digger - humble, self-deprecating and brutally honest

This anecdote about Brian Williams has stayed with me these many years because it always reminded me how humble, self-deprecating and brutally honest the Digger was. Brian, the North American news editor, was giving a final edit to a big news story (for the life of me I cannot remember what) in the middle of the newsroom, hunched over the keyboard, staring at the screen and mumbling to himself as he strived to come up with the very best possible lede. Then the mischievous Kevin Cooney and the fun-loving Arthur Spiegelman - hovering over Brian, as he often did while helping reporters polish their stories - started suggesting all sorts of hackneyed old expressions to help “beef up” the story, each one more facetious than the last. Digger seemed to be ignoring this unsolicited assistance until, all of a sudden, he paused, looked up and, with a smile and that devilish twinkle in his eye, blurted out: "Wait. That's the exact cliché I was looking for!" (A phrase I've borrowed many times over the years.) And he wasn't kidding, but he was such a good journalist that he could make even a well-worn phrase seem spot-on. A real pro, and someone I'll never forget.

This more personal tidbit always reminded me what a real “people person” Brian Williams was - always sensitive to and considerate of others' feelings. When Brian joined us in New York we all soon realized that he liked to add an “e” sound (spelled with a “y” or an “ie”) to the end of a person's name (an Aussie thing, I believe, which I'm sure many others experienced). Well, I instantly became Wally, a monicker I enormously disliked and strenuously refused to be called. So one evening, over a Heineken or two with Brian at McGees pub, I took the opportunity to tell him I disliked the name Wally and would prefer to not be called that - Walter or Walt would do. There was not a long discussion, and I was unsure at the time whether I had got my point across to a guy I hardly knew (but was already quite a Reuters legend). Well, from that time on I was Walt - or sometimes Walty - but not once ever again did the Digger call me Wally. I was always amazed that over many years he never slipped, not even once. How could you not love a guy who could so steadfastly honor such a trivial request, and treat you with such respect? Thanks, Digger, for that and so much more. ■