NJ Burkett, correspondent for WABC-TV, has won so many awards and covered so many stories I really just don't know where to start in such a small space.  Most of us around the world saw his coverage of 9/11 which won him many of the most prestigious awards in America (he has FOUR Emmy Awards so far).  He has covered the wars in Iraq, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, the Madrid and London bombings etc.  Just do a search on his name.  He has lived an extraordinary life.

One of the qualities I most admire about NJ though, besides being exciting, is a person is a person is a person with him.  If that didn't make any sense I mean he treats everyone the same.  Ok and on a superficial level I do love his "James Bond" style.

I'm thrilled NJ stopped by to give us some tips on life, fashion and the moral guidelines of reporting.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Did you always expect to be this successful or does it come somewhat as a surprise?

NJ Burkett:  I always believed I would be successful at something, I just wasn't sure it would be broadcast journalism.  Many of my college classmates went on to law school, business school, medical school or straight into investment banking, where the starting salary was $90,000 a year.  They were stunned that I would choose to strike it out as a local TV reporter, where the starting salary was $21,500.  Of course, I had plans on joining them if I couldn't make it to a network or a major market. 

Gabrielle Reilly:  What philosophical advice could you share that has helped you live such a successful life?

NJ Burkett:  Treat everyone with respect and dignity.  I find that works for me just about everywhere and with just about everybody--from the world's most influential and powerful people, to the poorest.  One of my happiest moments was being invited to sip tea with a Bedouin in his tent near the Dead Sea.  I spoke only a few, basic Arabic phrases and he spoke utterly no English.  Yet our unspoken, mutual respect was life-affirming for me. 

Having a sense of humor - especially about yourself - is also essential, I think.  In every culture I have experienced, people find it quite endearing when you can enjoy a laugh at your own expense.  It is always better to have people laughing with you, rather than at you. 

Gabrielle Reilly:  I know you're always well put together and focus on fashion, where do you get many of your fashion tips from?

NJ Burkett:  It's not just what you wear; it's how you carry yourself.  There are lots of successful people who don't care what they look like or how they're perceived, I'm just not one of them.  And I don't think you can be successful in my profession if you put little or no effort into your appearance.  As a journalist, I need to project an image of credibility and self-respect.  You don't do that by lumbering across Europe or the Middle East or Brownsville, Brooklyn in faded jeans and big white sneakers. 

As for fashion, I'm probably a throwback to an earlier, more genteel time.  I like classic British-style shirts and ties, and dark, well-tailored suits.  I have an olive Burberry trenchcoat that goes anywhere, bold shirts from Thomas Pink, suits from Ralph Lauren that wear exceptionally well and a leather correspondent's bag from Orvis that's like a child to me.  (I cannot deny that watching Sean Connery as 007 helped form my fashion sense at a fairly young age.  And Harrison Ford had great style in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones film set in the Middle East in the 1930s.)  

Gabrielle Reilly:  You report on some tragic stories and I think there really is something to that old saying "ignorance is bliss," so how do you remain so positive when you know so much?

NJ Burkett:  Well, in fairness, I'm not always so upbeat.  I have seen a good deal of suffering and misfortune and it can be corrosive.  I was at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and hardly a day passes when I do not think of the thousands of people who died there.  Yes, I agree that ignorance is bliss.  But I am fighting ignorance every day.  That's the job.

Gabrielle Reilly:  After your time spent in the Middle East as a correspondent, tell me, if you were President of the United States of America what actions would you take to try and resolve the probability of a 100 year war (or a 1000 year war) with radical Islam?

NJ Burkett:  I am not sure I accept the premise that we are embarking on a thousand year, or even a hundred year war with radical Islam.  The human race could be wiped-out in far less time.  Seriously, I do believe a lot can change in the coming years, and I do not necessarily believe this conflict is inevitable.  Although the path to stability is not yet clear to me, it must entail identifying, acknowledging and addressing the root causes of extremism.  And I don't hear that discussion nearly as often as I'd like.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Well I guess NJ it depends on where you find your answers.  I find many of mine from studying history since history does repeat.  This Islam/Christian/Jewish war has been going on for centuries - just look at the Spanish Inquisitions.  I guess I am a "realist" but an optimist.  I believe for the first time in history we have the tools and means with mass media and technology for mankind to live somewhat at peace just as a country does. Once tribes fought then unity was formed into a nation, now nations fight.  One day..  People like you, NJ, can be part of the solution, the question is how????

Gabrielle Reilly:  Considering you have a masters in international affairs and have travelled the world as you have done, you must have an in depth knowledge of how America is perceived by the rest of the world.  Terrorists are using hatred of America as a recruiting tool in the hope of inspiring more terrorist attacks like 9/11 that is obviously so incredibly personal to you after your fantastic on-the-ground reporting of the incident.  Where do you think the moral line/responsibility is for reporters, to tell a story, but not incite more violence and bloodshed in doing so? 

NJ Burkett:  I wish that journalists did not have to consider the consequences of their reporting.  But responsible human beings should consider the consequences of their actions.  With that seeming dichotomy in mind, I believe that more information is always better than less, and that people are often more sophisticated than we realize.  In addition, the "moral line" is never fixed, in my view, because every story is different and must be assessed in light of its own, unique circumstances.  For example, a physician's oath, "to do no harm," should not necessarily apply to a journalist, whose reporting might harm one constituency while helping another.  My maxim is simple:  When in doubt, tell the story.  (When you're not in doubt, you know what to do.)

Gabrielle Reilly:  I've known the real story (from the horse's mouth) for many years on several BIG international war-related scandals but would never repeat them because of the international ramifications.  The ideal of transparency is certainly very attractive to me also and in many cases, is critical for long-term global peace, until one realizes the consequences of certain transparency.  I guess I've come to believe that not all transparency is good transparency.  As a reporter though, do you think the public should know everything at any price or should certain information be protected?  Should reporters consider the consequences of sharing certain information before they share a story? 

NJ Burkett:  No, I certainly don't think that the public disclosure should come at any price.  I understand the need for secrecy and clandestine operations with respect to national security.  But, in a democracy, there is also a need for strict, bi-partisan oversight.  This is why you have the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, for example. 

The New York Times waited a year before publishing its Pulitzer Prize-winning December 2005 investigation into the NSA's domestic espionage activities [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html] in order to allow the Bush Administration sufficient time to address the need for continued secrecy.  The Times was right to hold the story, and right, ultimately, in publishing it.

But I suspect what you really want to know is this:  "If you were taken to Bin Laden's cave for an exclusive interview, would you try to help the CIA pinpoint the location upon your return?"  That's a great question, and I am so glad you didn't ask.

Gabrielle Reilly:  I have a question from a Twitter @TroyALMA in our Twitter promotion:  "What is the one thing that keeps you awake at night?"

NJ Burkett:  --My Blackberry.