I'm Keith Morrison of Dateline NBC... or am I? AMA

Have you seen Bill Hader's impression of you on SNL? Did you guys ever run into each other at 30 Rock?

I've never met the guy! But he seems like a very cool person...and his imitation was probably too kind.

For some reason, my wife likes to fall asleep to shows about people killing their friends and family. Could you narrate something more pleasant sometime so I can find out if it's the content or your voice that lulls her to sleep? I'm worried, sir.

Hmm.. I might worry too, were I you.

Hello, Keith! You are my all-time favorite correspondent. No one presents a story, timeline and describes places/people/situations the way you do! How has it felt when the defendant was blatantly lying to you and you had to continue to try to draw out the truth and it just didn't happen?

You are my Friday night date with a couple glasses of wine. Much love from Baltimore!

xo

Oh, and about the lying...that happens a lot of course. Best, usually, to let the viewers see that. I don't usually try to beat up an interview suspect, it don't often work anyway.

Keith--king of kings! We never miss a Dateline, and my husband and I share a very firm handshake when you're revealed as an episode host.

I had a pretty rough experience last month--I watched one of your old reruns, and realized the murder victim (wife) and convicted killer (husband) are the parents of a dear friend. She declined an interview for the episode (she and her sister think their dad is innocent), and doesn't tell people about her horrifying family past. I never heard about it until I watched the episode, and I haven't spoken with her about it since. She obviously relocated to a new town to start a new life where new friends/coworkers have never heard of her family.

QUESTION: Is this piece of true crime reporting hard for you? Having particularly painful family stories playing to large audiences--or do you think it's more important to tell the story and remember victims? It really brought it home to me that some families decline interviews, and are probably deeply embarrassed by episodes that feature their private misery.

I'm a huge fan and curious about the more difficult parts of your job. KEITH, KEITH, KEITH!

Yes! This is a HUGE issue for me. We understand - and never want to forget - that the people in our stories are often in a great deal of pain. And though we want them to talk to us, we completely understand if they don't. There are times, I will tell you, when I have a lot of trouble telling a story even about a very public case, when I know innocent families are suffering. It's always something we keep in mind.

I know you've been asked if you've ever been afraid of an interviewee, so I'll flip the question around... has a suspect/criminal ever said something during an interview that made you want to slug them??

No, but a couple of attorneys have come close. Mind you, there was the preacher who cut up his wife into little bits, buried her in the desert, then told me he fully expected they'd be great pals again in heaven. Didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that one.

Hello Keith, welcome to reddit! I'm a huge fan and a fellow prairie-born Canadian. I love hearing you narrate the Dateline: Real Life Mysteries, you truly are a among the best in the business dramatic of narration (take that, Morgan Freeman!). You masterfully blend deep gravitas and upward inflection to bring these stories to life in a way that the Ken-Burns Effect alone never could. I'm no Bill Hader, but I like to do an impression of you sometimes to add some flair when I'm telling a story but I promise it's only out of respect. It was a cold winter afternoon, the frost creeping in around the frame of the windows and my stomach made a low, rolling rumble to indicate I needed to eat. I had eaten breakfast but since then my hunger had only seemed to grow ^{and grow.} My problems had only just began because I was about to learn we were out of sandwich meat ^{or where we?}

My question for you is of all the cases you have followed, which one did you find had the most extraordinary or unbelievable circumstances?

Very funny lines! As for unbelievable circumstances, the list is long. And very strange.

You've interviewed a lot of people who were ultimately sentenced to death row. If you were in their shoes, what would you pick as your last meal?

That's a question I always thought kind of weird. If you were about to be killed, do you think you'd feel hungry??

Roses are red, violets are glorious. Never surprise Oscar Pistorius

:)

Do you think there's a chance in hell Oscar Pistorious didn't murder her in cold blood? Does his "I thought she was an intruder" defense hold any weight?

This case is going to be very very interesting. Every time it's looked like Oscar was guilty, some countervailing fact has turned up. And his attorneys are very good. On the other hand, the state is promising some evidence that looks bad for him. The trial will be partially televised, too, and interest around the world is expected to be high.

What was your reaction to the news of the phone-hacking at the News of the World in Britain?

There is no place for criminal cheating in journalism

Hi! Here is a random tabloid's pop culture story I found. Can you make a video where you read it with your trademark reporting style? Like it's an actual mystery?

I think it takes a good story. And with any luck my 'style' won't get too much in the way.

Your style of storytelling and your vocal tone are very distinctive. My question (as a vocalist) - did you develop your signature style intentionally (coaching, experimenting), or is your narration style/vocal tone something that came naturally to you? And BTW - thank you (or your FB admin) for writing a short note to me (at my husband's request) when I was in the hospital for four months last year with encephalitis. I am a huge fan and it brightened my day.

Your style of

My dad was a preacher, my mother the organist and choir leader. His stories were amazing.. And she used to say "remember the cadence.." And thanks for your note..I'm glad you're feeling better.

Hi Keith! Love all of your Datelines. How do you decide where you are going to stand when you are filming a Dateline on location? Do you like to be leaning on a fence or a tree when you deliver the real cliffhanger lines?

I actually don't like doing those on-camera bits. I do them because that's what you do, it is TV, after all. But so often 'stand-ups' tend to look fake - or merely like some way to get more face time on the tube. And I lean on things because I'm a leaner. Feel less exposed, somehow.

Hi Keith,

I am a huge fan of yours and Dateline. You are a true Canadian superstar and we are all proud of you up North!

How long does it typically take for your to research and shoot an episode for Dateline? I mean a typical one, not the special ones where you have followed a specific person or story over the years.

Also - what is the process of choosing stories. Do you find things that you would be interested in reporting or does a producer assign the stories?

Thank you! And we all pitch stories at Dateline. And sometimes keep re-pitching them until our bosses give up and let us do them. Actually, the process is very human, and the editors who make the decisions very smart.

What is your favorite book, and what is the last book you've read?

I'm a religious anthropology freak.. I love reading books about how religions got started. Any religions. It's fascinating. But right now I'm into mysteries...go figure. Scandinavian ones, especially.

Hi Keith, I am one of your biggest fans! What is a favorite mystery you have covered? What is your most memorable moment from Dateline?

This is a pretty memorable moment right now! And thanks..

Hi Keith!

My girlfriend and I are huge fans (along with millions of others).

One question, how much input do you get into the narration of the episodes, and the interview questions. I would have assumed there were writers, but I've noticed every Dateline correspondent has their own style of narrating and interviewing.

Thanks!

Dateline is lucky to have a truly wonderful group of producers, writers and editors. I'd stack them up against any group of professionals anywhere. And one of the good things about them is that they don't seem to mind when correspondents like me insist on certain ways of telling a story, or when we write or re-write in ways that make us feel comfortable.

Hi Keith! Personally I think professional investigative journalism plays a really important role in discussing important issues as a nation, and compelling governments and corporate offenders to do the right thing.

Do you see a future for investigative journalism in a world changed by the long tail and crowdsourcing content?

Yes. Always. I so respect journalists, amateur and professional, who try against the odds to root out truth. It's the tamed ones we need to worry about.

How do you feel about Prisoners rights? Many of the people you interview are jailed wrongfully.

This is a big issue. Recently, experts estimated that something between two and three percent of people now in jails and prisons in America are factually innocent. Our incarcerated population is approximately 2 million. Do the math. It's a worry.

You're the best journalist on Dateline! Have you developed any friendships while filming episodes and meeting the people?

Some of the subjects of our stories are in my mind every day. A few I consider to be close friends. Some give me nightmares! There are several people currently in prison who I now consider fast friends.

Barry Beach in Montana seemed to click with you right away

He is a genuinely good person in an impossible situation. He needs to be free.

HI Keith! Who picks your your wardrobe? LOVE your style ...in reporting and dress :)

Thanks! I will tell my stylista daughter Emily you said so.

I'm just getting started in journalism as a morning news producer. My dream is to work on Dateline. Any advice?

Be unusual. Listen a lot. Work harder than anybody else.

What do you see as the key differences between Dateline and similar shows, like 48 Hours or 20/20? (Dateline is the best, btw.)

I love to hear that! Thank you. I will confess something I probably shouldn't.. I hardly ever watch those shows because I don't want to be influenced by somebody else's way of doing things

What do you look for in story submissions? What does it take you to do a show?

So many different things: the story needs to be a bit complicated, lots of twists, interesting people and situations. But mostly it's all about exploring the outer regions of human behavior.. what we're capable of and how we react to things.

Thanks for answering! Where is the best place to submit it?

Dateline has a facebook page.

Hi. What made you deiced to become a journalist? Who was your biggest influence?

The business is endlessly varied, interesting, challenging..and doesn't feel like work. That's why.

Huge fan! I'm always a little sad when an episode comes on and you aren't doing the reporting. I find the stories way more intriguing when you tell them!

You are too kind. I won't tell Josh.