Sunday With Norah O’Donnell,

The co-host of CBS This Morning on truth in journalism and Sunday traditions.

Norah O’Donnell, 44, has co-hosted CBS This Morning for more than five years, is a regular contributor to 60 Minutes and has covered the last six presidential elections. The mom of three (with her husband, chef Geoff Tracy), who splits her time between New York and Washington, D.C., chats with Parade about a tough news year and her Sunday rituals.

Have you always been a news junkie?

I was really fortunate to grow up in a military family, so what happened in the world always mattered in my household. My parents always read the newspaper. I grew up respecting the people who report the news, and in many ways that led me to become a journalist.

How did you spend Sundays growing up?

I grew up going to a Catholic church, St. Pius X in San Antonio, Texas, with my family. I wasn’t allowed to miss a day of church, and the routine of that was incredibly important.

Afterwards, my parents would treat us to McDonald’s and then we would watch 60 Minutes.

And how do you spend Sundays now?

Sunday mornings with my kids are usually pancakes and bacon. And we have family dinners and watch 60 Minutes.

That’s one thing that’s remained constant in 40 years. It was one of my dreams for my entire life to be a 60 Minutes correspondent.

What was your first job?

I’ve had a job since I was 10 years old. We lived in Seoul, South Korea, and they needed people to make tapes and appear on an English-teaching television program, so I got a job doing that. That was the first moment when I understood that work resulted in pay, and that was freedom to go buy Lionel Richie tapes.

Did you have a mentor?

Tim Russert hired me as a correspondent for NBC News when I was 25. He was always such a strong supporter. The first thing he would always say to me—other than good morning—he would say, “What do you know?” That sticks with me to this day. He passed away nine years ago, but I think of him every day. It’s that simple question, what do you know? My job every morning is to say what I know that’s different than what’s already been reported.

What’s your relationship with your co-hosts, Gayle King and John Dickerson?

Gayle has an enthusiasm about work that is infectious. I met John [in] 2000. Time has passed by; my admiration of him as a friend and journalist has only strengthened. I am as hopeful as ever about our show’s mission and that we are without a doubt the newsiest choice for viewers in the morning.

Does covering the tough stuff stay with you?

Last year was hard for me in a way that I’ve

never experienced in my career. We went from covering Hurricane Harvey to the 60 Minutes piece on [House Majority Whip] Steve Scalise, who nearly died from a gunshot wound, then to [the shooting in] Las Vegas. And I have to tell you, it’s affected me psychologically. When you sit in someone’s hospital room, like I did with Kristin [Babik], who was nearly paralyzed [in the Las Vegas shooting], and you sit there and you cry with them, and you hold their hand, it changes the way you report stories.

How do you talk to your kids about the issues you cover?

My children are 10 [twins] and 9, and they know what their mom does, and I don’t shield them from it. I don’t dwell on some of the more tragic things that I cover, but I want them to have an understanding of the world.

How hard is it to be a journalist in the time of “fake news”?

We have a president who is challenging the norms a lot—whether it’s governing or communication styles, he’s doing things very differently—but I think the fundamentals of journalism remain the same. They go back to truth and trust, and that we are journalists reporting instead of storytelling.

Who is your dream interview subject?

Kim Jong Un, the despotic leader of North Korea. The greatest foreign policy challenge for President Trump is North Korea. I grew up in South Korea, so I’ve been fascinated with the Korean Peninsula for more than three decades. My more fun one is Justin Timberlake. I admire his work, I admire his music and he does very few interviews. So, Justin, if you’re reading Parade, please grant me an interview. We can do it on 60 Minutes.