Katie Couric: Ashleigh Banfield Rumors "didn't break out my generous side"

People

Couric tells People that excerpts from her new memoir Going There, published in The Daily Mail, twisted her words. Couric says she never iced Banfield out when they worked together at NBC News two decades ago. "Absolutely not," says Couric. "I think if someone was openly saying they were going to replace me, I don't think I helped them. I never iced her out. I never criticized her. It just didn't bring out my generous side." Couric adds: "The culture at the time and the scarcity of high-profile jobs for women — not to mention the fact that I watched Jane (Pauley) get pushed out (as Today co-anchor in 1989) because of the whims of the men in charge — sometimes made me feel protective of my position."