David Carr: from public access TV to the Times

The Old Minneapolis Days

Q. I used to watch you on the Minneapolis Community Network with Brian Lambert and Erik Eskola. Do you consider that the big break that catapulted you to The Times?

A. Um, that wasn't me. O.K.. it was, but I've grown so much since then. If, as you suggest, "The Facts as We Know Them," as it was called, was my big break, it should be mentioned that Al Gore had to invent the Internet for me to finally get some more face time in front of the camera. During the awards season, I make weekly videos about the Oscars and movies. My time on the chair lift in Sundance with Tom Arnold is, well, classic, in sort of a Three Stooges minus one guy sort of way. With a face that looks as if were crafted out of mashed potatoes and a voice that sounds like a trash compactor that needs oil, I'm not a natural for television, but Web TV? Hey, real is the new beautiful. I have incredibly fond memories of "The Facts as We Know Them," if for no other reason that in all of my job travels, I have yet to come across two journalists who are as talented and fun to work with as Erik Eskola and Brian Lambert.

Does this mean Ron Edwards will be snapped up by the Times next?