Speak Up

Linda S. Mason traces her path through network news, from her early years as one of the first women to produce a primetime broadcast to the top ranks of the industry. Her career unfolds against major moments in American history, and the book follows her determination to build her own success while encouraging readers to do the same.

As a producer, Mason worked closely with CBS anchors Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt, and Dan Rather as they reported from around the world. She recounts escorting Rather to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro, and traveling with him and General Norman Schwarzkopf to Vietnam, twenty years after the war had ended, to evaluate the country's condition. She was also present for the protests in Tiananmen Square in China.

Mason reflects on the leadership lessons she gathered over the course of her career. Her advice to young professionals is brief: work hard, avoid complaining, ask questions, and, once the timing is right, push for what comes next.

Mason applied this approach to a successful career, and she closes by looking ahead to the work of today's professionals in media, politics, and leadership roles.