I learned an important lesson from Mark Haines as I embarked on a TV career five years ago after a quarter-century in print. It was the value of authenticity.
On TV, Mark was the same person that he was off the air.
He knew viewers had strong "BS" detectors. He had a strong one too, which he applied to himself as well as the newsmakers and colleagues he would interview on the air.
Mark didn't pretend to be interested in a subject when he wasn't. Nor did he pretend that an empty answer was adequate when it offended his own sense of reason. And if it did, he had no problem hammering his guest.
We could all learn from his example, and our business is poorer because we can no longer keep learning from him.
John Harwood is Chief Washington Correspondent of CNBC and a political writer for the New York Times.