CBS News

We spent much of our time at CBS in Bob Schieffer's cozy museum-esque office where we saw photographs of his life and career. The photos detailed career milestones like the Kennedy assassination and his move to "Face the Nation", personal milestones like a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, and of past times with public figures ranging from George Jones and Jessica Simpson to Tim Russert and former president George W. Bush.

During our time with Bob, we learned details about the day-to-day operations of the CBS Washington Bureau. Until that point, I didn't know the Washington bureau fed headquarters in New York the stories for "The Early Show" and the "CBS Evening News".

During our discussion, Bob introduced us to several important people at the bureau. One reporter along with the bureau chief recalled the challenges of covering 9/11 and the days that followed. Bob described those days as the first time in American history that network news ran continually for four days. They explained the struggles of obtaining truthful information during mass panic and discussed decisions surrounding the censorship of difficult content. I remember the images of people jumping from the World Trade Center and I appreciated the fact that sensitivity ruled supreme in the decision to no longer show those images. We heard about some close calls, but one question I wasn't able to ask was how exactly a news organization moves forward when they aren't able to find necessary information on deadline.

We also met Jan Crawford, CBS' chief legal correspondent, who wore purple in honor of our visit. She discussed the difficulties she's faced trying to get information from places where information isn't readily available, like the Supreme Court. We also watched Jan do her daily webcast, "Washington Unplugged", where she spoke to the chief political correspondent for the "New York Times" about the upcoming senate race in Florida.

Next, Bob treated us to lunch where we were able to continue our conversations with Jan, Bob and others from the bureau. Jan talked to us about how she broke the story that members of President Bush's cabinet approved specific torture methods that were used during terrorist interrogations. It was so intriguing to hear about her confidential sources and the way the story came about.

On a more personal note, it was good to hear that she's able to balance her career and raising four kids. Bob also discussed the sacrifices people in their industry, including himself, have had to make in order to get where they are. Those decisions will be important in my future so their honest advice was very helpful. Overall, I found Jan's enthusiasm for her job to be completely contagious. My only regret is that we didn't get to spend more one-on-one time with her. I find myself wanting to know more about dealing with confidential sources.

I think CBS News plays an important role in the political atmosphere in Washington. The relationships their reporters have successfully established with the who's who of our government shows that their a very trusted source of information.