Quick-Fire Quips is a questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with journalist Christi Parsons, who has been a journalist for more than 30 years, reporting all over the U.S. and around the world.
Previous jobs include:
— Senior editor at The Atlantic
— White House correspondent for the Los Angeles Times
— National political writer, state and local reporter for The Chicago Tribune
— Local reporter for several newspapers around the South
Parsons covered presidential campaigns since the 1990s, and covered the presidency of Barack Obama throughout his time in the White House. She's also a Tuscaloosa native, a graduate of The University of Alabama, and according to her Twitter bio, she is a "Tide fan forever."
Baillee: Hi, Christi. How are you doing?
Christi: I'm great, Baillee. How are you?
Baillee: Wonderful! I have the pleasure of interviewing you today, but typically you're the one asking the questions. You were a White House correspondent for the LA Times; you also worked at The Atlantic, the Chicago Tribune, and CNN. But what are you doing now?
Christi: Now I am teaching other people how to do it, and it is amazing. I really love it. I'm teaching journalism at the University of Maryland, and I get to work with seniors and graduate students who want to go out and change the world through journalism.
Baillee: Okay, now that the introductions are out of the way, we're going to do a warm-up to get you ready to answer our questions. Say "Quick Fire Quips" three times fast.
Christi: Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips... Quick-Fire Quips. Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: Love the enthusiasm! What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear "Alabama"?
Christi: Home.
Baillee: Home! Love it. What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Christi: That we're all the same, or that we're as simple as somebody's dumb stereotype.
Baillee: What is an underrated place to travel in Alabama?
Christi: If you have not done the Civil Rights tour through the South, it's really incredible. The storytelling and the joys and sorrows of those sites—they're beautifully interpreted.
The other thing is, when I was growing up, we lived in kind of the southern side of Tuscaloosa. Not far from us was a little area called Jerusalem Heights. That's where the original Dreamland was.
My dad discovered it right after we moved into our new house. He walked out in the backyard and said, "I smell barbecue." So, he just set out walking, and he walked until he found it.
Baillee: What is the best dish to bring to a local potluck and why?
Christi: Okay, so I do a lot of beans and greens. That is the staple of my diet. So if you invite me to your house—all my friends know this—no matter what you're making, I'm bringing beans and greens.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Christi: I do have them, but I'm not going to admit them to you because I don't want them to take over me. I like to challenge those superstitions. People observe them and they're harmless, but sometimes people actually get ruled by those things.
Baillee: What has been your favorite job in journalism?
Christi: Oh gosh, my favorite job is always the one I'm currently doing. Some days I do wake up and kind of miss covering the White House. That was a really amazing experience; I got to travel the whole world and the whole country. I got to talk about politics and government.
Baillee: Who was your childhood hero?
Christi: I loved Mary Tyler Moore because she was a journalist in Minneapolis, and my mother was a journalist from Minneapolis. So when we were kids, we watched that every Saturday night, and my mom would not miss it.
I wrote a letter to her; she wrote me a letter back. She enclosed a picture that she signed, "Love, Mary." I just thought that was very personal; I was just a huge fan of hers.
But as I got older and became a working journalist, I realized the person I really looked up to was my mom.
Baillee: So, here's our last question: What does Alabama need?
Christi: For everybody to have an equal shot and to feel like they have an equal voice.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That's Christi Parsons: Tuscaloosa native, UA grad, and Tide fan forever. I'm your host, Baillee Majors. Find us at apr.org for more Quick Fire Quips.
More episodes of Quick-Fire Quips can be found on the APR website by clicking here!
