I am honored to have this role [of the moderator], but this evening belongs to the candidates and, just as important, to the American people. Lester Holt More Quotes by Lester Holt More Quotes From Lester Holt You never know what doors are going to open up and why they are going to open up. You've got to be ready to walk through them. Lester Holt ready walks doors You have to go where the story is to report on it. As a journalist, you're essentially running to things that other people are running away from. Lester Holt stories running people The biggest thing I worry about is the unsubstantiated story. You have to tell the people what you know -- and acknowledge what you don't know. Lester Holt stories worry people I like to report. I like to go to the newsmakers. I like to get out. I've heard about people talking about the anchor as the voice of god. That set is not an altar. It's a great job, I love doing it, but I don't take that role as my identity - the anchorman - it sounds very old-fashioned. Lester Holt great-job identity people As Americans we rightfully place tremendous value on having a free and independent press. Our role as journalists is to give voice to the voiceless, and hold our leaders and institutions accountable. But the circle is only completed when that information is consumed by a free thinking and engaged audience. Lester Holt independent circles thinking One of the most important skills at [reporting] is not so much what comes out of your mouth but what you hear. To listen. When you interview people, it's very important to understand the nuances of what they're saying and to understand when they have actually made news-when they've told you something that they haven't told anybody else. Lester Holt skills important people Race has been a big issue in this [presidency] campaign [2016]. Lester Holt issues campaigns race The challenge is right now, I call it the death of critical thinking in America. It's a very worrisome development. More and more people seem to be resisting the idea of standing back and asking questions about something, challenging their beliefs. Lester Holt challenges people thinking Mr. [Donald] Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks, you acknowledged what most Americans have accepted for years: The president was born in the United States. Lester Holt black couple years On more than one occasion, the camera has cut to me after a break as I'm still trying to swallow the last bite of cookie. Those of you who have thought to yourselves, 'That guy talks like he has marbles in his mouth,' should know that they are not marbles, but oatmeal cookies. Lester Holt oatmeal cutting guy I think we're more relevant than ever because it is such a noisy environment out there. What's a journalist now? It's anybody with a way to get information out and you're sitting there with your smartphone in front of you. That's what we're up against now. There's a lot of unfiltered information. Some of it is accurate, some of it way off base. We're that safe port in the storm. Lester Holt storm environment thinking Candidates [Hillary Clinton and Donald trump], we look forward to hearing you articulate your policies and your positions, as well as your visions and your values. Lester Holt hearing vision looks I don't expect us to cover all the issues of this campaign [2016] tonight, but I remind everyone, there are two more presidential debates scheduled. We are going to focus on many of the issues that voters tell us are most important, and we're going to press for specifics. Lester Holt issues focus two There are American citizens who have been inspired to commit acts of terror on American soil, the latest incident, of course, the bombings we just saw in New York and New Jersey, the knife attack at a mall in Minnesota, in the last year, deadly attacks in San Bernardino and Orlando. Lester Holt knives new-york years I think sometimes we lose sight of how powerful we are when we put someone on the news - for good or bad. It can really change people's lives. Lester Holt powerful sometimes thinking There are two economic realities in America today. There's been a record six straight years of job growth, and new census numbers show incomes have increased at a record rate after years of stagnation. However, income inequality remains significant, and nearly half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Lester Holt jobs reality years The share of Americans who say race relations are bad in this country is the highest it's been in decades, much of it amplified by shootings of African-Americans by police, as we've seen recently in Charlotte and Tulsa. Lester Holt african-american race country Stop-and-frisk was ruled unconstitutional in New York, because it largely singled out black and Hispanic young men. Lester Holt black new-york men There are two economic realities in America in 2016. There's been a record six straight years of job growth, and new census numbers show incomes have increased at a record rate after years of stagnation. However, income inequality remains significant, and nearly half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Lester Holt economic growth reality You look at the Middle East, it's a total mess. Lester Holt mess middle-east looks
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