By Nicole Seymour
On occasion, Jane Clayson''s colleagues on 'The Early Show' would drink wine with a meal prepared on the cooking portion of the broadcast. Her producers always knew that 'Jane wouldn''t drink it' so they had alternatives on hand, like sparkling cider or grape juice.
Clayson co-anchored with Bryant Gumbel on 'The Early Show' and also worked as a news correspondent for CBS and ABC.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a prominent national news figure, Clayson comfortably held to her values and people esteemed her for that.
'They all knew and they respected my faith and my beliefs and they accommodated that when they needed to and were respectful of who I was and what I stood for,' Clayson said of her interaction with her co-workers on 'The Early Show.'
Clayson firmly declared sticking with her values in the media industry was never a challenge for her.
'I was raised with good strong values and a strong faith,' she said. 'My parents were very strong in the church and they emphasized everything spiritual and religious in our lives and for that I''ll always be grateful.'
In the workplace, Clayson earned respect as she took the opportunity to be an example.
'I think that people were respectful that I wasn''t going to get into certain conversations with them,' she said. 'They knew that certain things were off-limit for me and certain language was unacceptable.'
Beyond the workplace and through her interactions with guests and interviewees, Clayson said there were several occasions where those who she interviewed were aware of her faith and so they took their turn to question her about it. She was frequently their first encounter with the church.
'In many cases, it was an opportunity for me to express my faith and to explain my faith to people who had never before met a member of the church,' she said. 'It is hard to believe, but I met many people who said to me, ''You''re a Mormon? I''ve never known a Mormon before.'' I heard that often, so it was a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to be an example and to share what we have that is so special.'
Through her involvement with many of America''s events, Clayson''s testimony of the gospel strengthened as she shared touching messages with the rest of America.
From White House figures like President George W. Bush and Colin Powell, to Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Cruise, Johnson has spent time with and interviewed many of America''s best-known personalities.
She recently did an in-depth account of the Elizabeth Smart story and she even found herself in the midst of the Sept. 11 disaster. Clayson was on the air when the World Trade Center was struck, not far from 'The Early Show' set. She and Gumbel immediately went into news mode and reported on the events live before the country.
'I have been honored and privileged to witness history on many, many occasions and much of that was being thrown in the middle of quite devastating, traumatic and life-changing kinds of situations like Sept. 11,' she said.
'I was always inspired, even in the middle of such horrific events, I always tried to find stories that were inspiring, people who had extraordinary courage or those who had given their lives for others selflessly,' she said. 'There were always examples of that that I tried to find and tried to share and they were inspiring for me as well.'
Clayson''s objective style allowed her to gain others'' trust as they opened up to her.
'Many people didn''t necessarily want to be interviewed by Bryant because of his views or other things,' she said. 'I think it worked to my advantage that people knew that I would always be fair with them, and I think that''s really the role of the journalist.'
Stepping down from her position as newswoman for CBS, Clayson stepped up to the domestic life when she married Mark Johnson last September in the Salt Lake Temple. They are now living in Boston where they await the September arrival of their first child.
She said she is now enjoying fixing up the house, making new friends and teaching gospel doctrine in her ward.
'There''s so much to do in life,' she said. 'There are so many experiences to have and most of all, we are just focusing on our family and getting ready for our baby.'
Though the seasons of Clayson''s life have changed, her goals haven''t.
'I''ve always wanted to have a good strong family and have that family be the center and the focus of my attention and that''s what it is,' she said.
Clayson said despite the fact that she was told by influential people that she was crazy for passing up high-profile opportunities for her carrier on television, she said she knows she made the right choice and she has no regrets.
'I think that when I decided to walk away from a network news carrier, sort of at the peak of my carrier, I think that people recognized that that was an unusual decision, and I think they associated that with my faith as well,' Clayson said. 'And I think they realized how much we value families and treasure motherhood.'
'I don''t look back,' she said. 'I''m grateful for that season of my life, and I''ve moved onto a new season that I''m treasuring and enjoying very much.'
Clayson holds to her convictions and values continually. She grasped her opportunity to be an example for good in the public eye.
'I hope that my values and my character came through in every setting, in every situation, in every interview and in every story that I did,' she said.
She also recognized her position as an opportunity to represent the church to fellow church members.
'I was watched,' Clayson said. 'I always felt like I was being watched and that to me was always an opportunity to be an example.'
Her involvement within the media even brought Clayson opportunities to help the church in New York. She served on the stake public affairs committees in New York and even helped with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir''s visit. Clayson will host VIP receptions for the New York Temple.
'So yes, there have been opportunities for me to include the church in my circles of acquaintance with the television and journalism communities,' Clayson said.
Though her broadcast journalism involvement is now phased down, Clayson hopes that her use of her opportunity to represent the church left a positive impression.
'I always felt that I had a responsibility to do my best,' she said. 'I always felt like I had a mission if you will. That I always wanted to be an example of goodness, an example of someone of good character who would always do the right thing and I hope I did that. I tried to do that in every situation.'