Her memoir Going There isn’t even on sale yet, but that hasn’t stopped the headlines about Katie Couric.
From Diane Sawyer to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and even Prince Harry, the former Today co-anchor’s book revelations have already made for endless chatter in the media. But, while appearing on Today in an Oct. 19 sit-down, Couric shared her view of her controversial latest work.
“I think it’s been wildly misrepresented. I don’t think the tone and the spirit and the content of the book is like the tabloid headlines, I understand, are kind of portraying it,” she told Savannah Guthrie. “I think it’s actually really—it is honest, but it’s very complimentary about many, many people.”
Complimentary, but also self-critical. “I wanted to talk about my experiences honestly,” she said. “I call myself out on a lot of things because I think it’s most important to be honest about yourself and your own actions and your own behavior and attitudes.”
However, some of that honesty has risen eyebrows, as was the case with her frank comments about fellow female correspondents.
“I was less welcoming when charismatic female correspondents entered my sphere,” Guthrie quoted her as writing. “There were only a few coveted spots for women. I felt I had to protect my turf.”
While Couric noted she has mentored “scores” of women, “When there are very few jobs for women and men are making decisions not necessarily based on the right criteria,” she said, “sometimes you do get insecure and sometimes you do get territorial.”