It's been a year of ups and downs in the media industry, from the thrill of covering the Presidential election to the layoffs hitting almost every major media company and the economy that cuts across all sectors. But still, many media figures have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Huffington Post reached out to a broad range of media personalities to ask what they are thankful for this year. Below, they share their thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Arianna Huffington: I am thankful for all of the non-political teachable moments we are getting from Obama: It's not worth holding a grudge (see asking Hillary to be Secretary of State); There is no one better to help you raise your kids than grandma (see asking "First Granny" Marion Robinson to move into the White House to help Malia and Sasha adjust to life in DC); No matter what they throw at you, stay calm, centered, and collected (see "Muslim," "Socialist," "pallin' around with terrorists). All great lessons to bring home with you this Thanksgiving holiday.
Brian Willams, NBC News: I am thankful for Americans in uniform and their families who support them. They have volunteered to serve in a dangerous world. Every Thanksgiving at our house, we pause before the meal and pay tribute to their service.
Tina Brown, The Daily Beast: I'm grateful to be part of a thriving young business at a time when there is so much heartache everywhere I look. Never has getting in an elevator to come to work seemed like a blessing before. But when I look around me at the devastation wrought by knaves and fools in executive suites, I am thankful to be still one of the gainfully employed.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN: I am thankful for my family. And my puppy. And all that I have. And I am thankful that I love life, maintain my enthusiasm, remain not too cynical, feel optimistic again and relish new challenges and opportunities throughout the coming year.
Chris Wallace, Fox News: I'm thankful--and always impressed--by the majesty of our democracy. We wage endless campaigns--and fight furiously over issues--real and made up. And then the people vote. And we come back together. We'll have our differences soon enough. But I love this brief period when we wish all our new leaders well.
Aaron Brown: I am thankful for so much. A home that is finally built, furnished and occupied. Now if I could only sell the one in NY. I am grateful to ASU for helping me find honest work and true joy in this phase in my life. I am grateful for the internet because I find it a better way to get the news I still crave. And I am grateful they are still looking for Natalie Hollaway's killer.
Lee Woodruff: I'm thankful, this Thanksgiving, that our President elect and his wife are interested in putting the wounded service members and their families on the
front burner. I'm also thankful to our local farmers market for inspiring me to cook this
holiday meal with fresh, local ingredients, reminding me, once again-- that
food is love.
Bill Hemmer, Fox News: In this climate, be grateful you are employed. And if you're healthy, you're two for two.
Megyn Kelly, Fox News: I am thankful for having true love in my life. For the blessing of a family that laughs with - and at - me. I'm thankful for having a job I love, and for colleagues who make it a pleasure (well - bearable) to get up at 5am. And I am thankful for the men and women of the U.S. military, whose courage and sacrifice humble me daily.
Bonnie Fuller: Foremost I am thankful for my patient husband Michael, and my four healthy, loving children and am thankful that they will all be under one roof for the holiday. Second, I couldn't be more grateful to Sarah Palin, Madonna and A-Rod, Jen, Brad and Angelina, who just can't help themselves from continually making news that you just can't make up.
Terry Moran, ABC News: I am thankful for my family. For my wife and daughter, whom I cannot possibly deserve and yet who sustain me every day with love and laughter and courage; they are my "haven in a heartless world." For my nine brothers and sisters and their families, too--who teach me every day the basic truth of diversity: It takes all kinds of people to make a world. And I am thankful for our country--forever young, forever beautiful.
Martha Raddatz, ABC News: I am thankful that I live in a city where breathtaking memorials remind me each day of the gifts we as Americans share. From the war memorials honoring our veterans, to the Lincoln Memorial which I pass each evening on my way home, the enormity of sacrifice, grace and courage surround me. No matter how long you live here, no matter how many times you see these magnificent structures, it is impossible not to feel immense pride and gratitude. On this Thanksgiving I will be especially grateful for that daily reminder. Most of all, I feel grateful for our veterans who are serving overseas on this holiday, to their families who support them, and for those at home who bear the wounds from those conflicts.
Willie Geist, MSNBC: I'm thankful that I know nothing about personal finance. My longstanding policy of stashing my money in the linen closet under the beach towels is looking pretty brilliant right now.
Mike Barnicle, MSNBC: I am thankful for all the thousands of people who took the time to write an e-mail telling me how the death of Tim Russert touched their lives and I am grateful that we have a President-elect who has met a noun, a verb and an object and can use them all in a complete sentence.
Courtney Hazlett, MSNBC: I'm thankful for the genius of Tina Fey, the apparent return of Britney's mental stability, any paparazzi photos that have more Clooney and less Pitt and shows that begin with Mad and end with Men.
Joel Stein: I'm thankful that as a freelancer no one can technically lay me off. I'm thankful that someone I know took over as managing editor of gawker so now they will only root for me to get fired instead of being killed in a plane crash.
Major Garrett, Fox News: I am thankful for America, more so than I ever because I saw more of it than ever covering this campaign. I'm thankful for politics and elections. We call it a circus because it is. But deep down, were are all thankful for the rally, the vote, the election. Maybe, at times, we're even thankful for the TV commercial. I met hundreds upon hundreds of voters who gave enough of a damn to attend a rally, a debate, or a speech. Some people simply drove or walked to a rain-slicked or snow-covered corner of their neighborhood to wave at a candidate's passing car or motorcade. I don't think these people were grateful for the "celebrity" aspect of politics. They were grateful for the chance to listen, to judge and to vote. I'm thankful so many took advantage of this opportunity and that I had the great good fortune of being paid to watch.
Bret Baier, Fox News: I am thankful for a healthy and active 17 month old son who just today tipped over a vase, a crystal candlestick and a picture frame; who threw his cereal bowl on the floor and wiped jelly from his English muffin on the rug; who said "no!" dozens of times with a smile on his face as he tried to take down a painting on the wall. He also ran to me when I was leaving for work yelling 'Dada!' at the top of his lungs -- I am grateful for all of it
Dan Harris, ABC News: I'm thankful for my new baby niece, Campbell Tess Harris, who is impossibly cute. And for my fiancee, Bianca, and our (gulp) three kittens. And for the fact that I am happily employed in this anxious time.
Becky Quick, CNBC: I'm thankful for my brand new husband and my two beautiful step children. I'm thankful the stock market is closed Thursday so I can share a Thanksgiving feast with my wonderful family. And I'm thankful I'm not a turkey.
Joe Kernen, CNBC: My family- my wonderful wife and two great kids. Everything good in my life starts there. I'm thankful the stock market isn't zero, and that ATM's still dispense cash. and finally that there are men and women willing to lay it all on the line every day to protect and preserve our way of life, so the rest of us can worry about things as silly as money.
Liz Claman, Fox Business: On this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful Hank Paulson doesn't have my ATM card...he'd clean me out and give all my cash to his investment banker pals. Oh yeah, and I'm also thankful for my healthy children too!
Jenna Lee, Fox Business: I'm really thankful for my grandparents - my grandfather is not feeling well this holiday and I wish I was with them. They're my biggest fans - but more importantly, they always remind me of where I'm from and give me direction without even knowing.
Eric Bolling, Fox Business: This year, I am tremendously thankful for my family being so supportive in this new direction my career has taken. I am thankful for all the really great people I have met since joining the Fox family.
Matt Felling, KTVA: I'm thankful to be able to take my thoughts about What Makes Good Journalism from the sidelines and onto the playing field - and to get to do so in a one-of-a-kind professional and personal adventure. God bless a media landscape without borders, by the way - evolving from journalist to pundito blogger to NPR radio host to TV anchor isn't the way they laid it out in college.
And I'm thankful to be here at a fantastic time for the 49th state. Stories like Ted Stevens' eventful fall, Sarah Palin's rise and return (and ...?), Alaska's 50th Anniversary - along with a state 250% the size of Texas with thousands of tales to tell.
And I'm thankful for everyone in the newsroom at KTVA here in Anchorage - giving the new guy the help he needs.
All that, and when I head to the mailbox each day, I never know if my neighborhood moose will be blocking the way. How great is that?