All Blog Posts from Public Eye

CBS Radio News correspondent Barry Bagnato covers everything from cancer research to the Supreme Court from his post in Washington, D.C. With that wide range of responsibilities, Barry has some interesting tidbits to share – from people's fascination with Bill Clinton to the benefits and the drawbacks of covering more than just one beat.

What do you do at CBS News?

I am a correspondent for CBS Radio News, covering a variety of stories and issues in Washington, D.C., and outside. Because I have no single beat, I have to be flexible and versatile. The Supreme Court and medical stories are the closest things I have to regular responsibilities. For the court, for instance, I read briefs for cases, choose issues that I believe will interest our audience, and develop them.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

Global warming.

Give us a great behind the scenes story.

Covering the first Bill Clinton campaign from start to finish was fascinating -- seeing a person go from bus rides in the cold in New Hampshire to the whirlwind of a Presidency. He was always running late for campaign stops. At the end of one long day, we landed in Dayton, Ohio, well past midnight. Even so, people who had no chance of meeting him were pressed up against a chain link fence yelling and reaching through with such hope in their eyes, they looked as if they were on the other side of the Berlin Wall. That moment, for me, makes Clinton's failings in office all the more inexcusable.

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CBSNews.com Broadcast Producer Mike Wuebben is the liaison between CBSNews.com and CBS News broadcasts. He also produces Katie Couric's web-exclusive content, including the daily rundown show "First Look" and Couric's long-form interview show "Eye To Eye."

Prior to his position at CBSNews.com, Mike was the line producer for "BET Nightly News with Jacque Reid." He has also worked as an associate producer for the CBS News magazine "48 Hours" and started as a desk assistant at CBS Radio News.

What do you do at CBS News?

I mostly look for opportunities to use material collected and produced by the CBS News broadcast units on the CBSNews.com site. Sometimes this means requesting special video or text from a reporter in the field. Other times it can be just monitoring the inflow of information to various news desks in the building. I also produce Katie Couric's web-exclusive video content, and I write a weekly humor column for our entertainment site, TheShowBuzz.com.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

High-speed car chases on L.A. freeways. Just kidding. I don’t know if there’s one issue I would like covered more. I would rather see more follow-ups on the stories that do get reported that end with some dire prediction. I wish someone would go through all the gas prices stories over the last four years and see how many analysts predicted I would be paying $4 a gallon right now.

It's the same with medical coverage. How many researchers said in x-number of years we’d have a vaccine for something? Let's dig those up, or at least start a policy that right now when someone on one of our broadcasts or Web sites says something is likely to happen at a certain time we’re going to flag it and see what happened. I’d watch that.

Give us a great behind the scenes story.

I don’t know if this is a great story but it’s one that sticks with me. I was working at 48 Hours when 9-11 happened...

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Hardy Spire is a senior producer for "The Early Show," based in Washington, D.C. As our "10 Plus 1" subject this week, Hardy shares a story about a very awkward encounter between two newsmakers in a Montana saloon, what he remembers about Frank Reynolds when Ronald Reagan got shot in 1981 and why he'd like to see less of the herd mentality in the media today.

What do you do at CBS News?

I’m the Senior Producer in Washington, D.C., for "The Early Show." I manage a staff of "Early Show" producers and associate producers who are responsible for covering all regional news including politics, the Presidency, the Supreme Court … and of course, panda bears at the National Zoo. Prior to that I spent four years as a White House producer working with/traveling with/learning from veteran CBS News Correspondent Bill Plante.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

I agree with previous respondents to this question that there is not one single area that lacks coverage by CBS. One thought that occurs to me is that during my travels as a White House producer to 40 different countries, I noticed how citizens of other nations seem to have a much better sense of what's going on in the rest of the world than Americans do. That's not just in terms of conflict but in terms of economy, politics, and culture. For that reason I would love to see greater coverage of international stories that do not necessarily involve war.

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Associate Producer Brian Goldsmith spends his days working closely with "Evening News" Anchor Katie Couric. So he's been along for the ride during a few of Couric's encounters with newsmakers – including an impromptu meeting with Sen. Barack Obama (which came right after an interview with Iraq Study Group co-chairs Lee Hamilton and James Baker.) As this week's "10 Plus 1" subject, Brian shares some more about his experiences at the "Evening News" and explains what he thinks young people want from a network newscast.

What do you do at CBS News?

I’m an associate producer on the "Evening News"—an odd title since I generally don’t “produce” things, at least not in the traditional sense. I do lots of research, I pitch the occasional story idea, I do some writing—all for our anchor and managing editor, Katie Couric, who faces the superhuman task of staying on top of every big story, every single day.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

Well I’m a politics junkie—so, for me, the more campaign stories, the more policy stories, the better. I also love a great interview. There’s something about the way television gets you close to a person’s face—lets you watch every movement and gesture and hesitation—that can make interviews so powerful. At their best, you feel like you’re getting a little behind the veil, and learning why people believe what they believe.

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Martin Gill, the senior assignment editor for the National Desk based in New York City, has been in news for 40 years. That means he’s got plenty of stories to tell. As our “10 Plus 1" subject this week, Martin tells us about what it’s like working with breaking news all the time – and why he thinks that phrase might be slightly overused.

What do you do at CBS News?

I am the Senior Assignment Editor for the National Desk. I keep an eye on the "news of the day”: if something breaks I make sure the proper bureau is aware of the story and help dispatch crews and equipment as needed. We also look forward toward news events and possible stories for future coverage. Prior to this, I was the CBS South Editor managing our bureaus in Miami, Atlanta and Dallas. We covered everything from Hurricane Katrina to shuttle launches and crashes to Elian Gonzalez. Before joining the news desk, I was with the CBS Special Events Bulletin Center in New York working on everything from Special Coverage on a few wars and President Clinton's impeachment to presidential news conferences.

In Detroit for CBS, I was the News and Program Director for the award-winning news team at Newsradio 950 WWJ and the Regional Feed Producer and Field producer for CBS Newspath. During my 40 year career, I was a producer/assignment editor at ABC's Midwest Bureau in Chicago, a local newscast producer and an assignment manager in my hometown of Philadelphia at KYW TV, where I won five news Emmys. I also worked at KPIX in San Francisco, WDIV and WWJ TV in Detroit and WNJT in Trenton, N.J. I started my broadcast news career as a newscaster, reporter and disc jockey at WBCB Radio in Levittown, Penn.

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Greg Kandra, editor of "Couric & Co.," has worked in pretty much every corner of CBS News, having spent 24 years as a writer and producer. He began as a production secretary in Washington in 1982 and moved on to write for CBS Radio and later for a slew of programs anchored by some heavy hitters – Charles Kuralt, Lesley Stahl, Ed Bradley. He also co-wrote the CBS documentary "9/11" in 2002 and has done writing work outside of news – writing for "Survivor" reunion shows. Today, Greg shares some of his highlights, including his ultimate career goal of retrieving Stephen Colbert's dry cleaning and/or coffee.

What do you do at CBS News?

I’m the editor of “Couric & Co,” the Evening News web log (er, “blog”). I also produce Katie’s daily commentary, “Katie Couric’s Notebook.” In my spare time, I send snarky IMs to Dick Meyer.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

In a word, faith. Okay, I admit to a bias here: in May, I’ll complete five years of study and become an ordained member of the Catholic clergy, a Permanent Deacon. So my antennae are probably more attuned to stories of spirituality and religion. But most Americans believe in something, or Someone, and I think in the post 9/11-world, with two wars raging and terror threats increased and wands being waved over us at airports, we’re being reminded again and again of how impermanent and precious life is. Many people are searching for meaning in a world that is increasingly troubled, increasingly fractured. Newspapers are beginning to give more attention to this – the Washington Post just launched a pretty good discussion forum on faith, moderated by Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham – and CNN has a full time “Faith and Values Correspondent,” Delia Gallagher, who’s terrific. But I think network television can and should do more. This is an unexplored, largely overlooked area of American life.

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After 29 years at CBS News, CBSNews.com Producer Alexandra Cosgrove-Mathers is retiring. Her first job at CBS News was helping Lesley Stahl prepare for “The CBS Morning News” every morning from 7 to 8 a.m. By 2000, she joined CBSNews.com, where she’s been ever since. As our “10 Plus 1” subject this week, Alexandra shares some of her more memorable experiences at CBS News – like when President Reagan was shot and all the news directors were out to lunch, literally.

What do you do at CBS News?

I'm a producer for CBSNews.com. As such, I write and edit stories for inclusion on our Web site. I happen to think it's the best job in the company – I have a chance to work on all kinds of stories; there's never a boring day.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

Besides the obvious -- more world news -- I think education and technology issues should be covered in more depth. There are a lot of questions still about the "No Child Left Behind" program, and the U.S. education system isn't performing as well as it should when compared to other countries. What are children learning in school? It makes me crazy when I hear that college kids don't know that Hawaii is a state, or what the initials “FBI” stand for. We need to hear more about programs that work for all kids, regardless of income, race, talent, disability or whatever.

As for more technology news, as an early advocate of computer use I find it fascinating how technology is impacting our lives – kids can't add in their heads anymore, producers and directors don't know how to backtime a story using stopwatches and very few people know how to use a dictionary.

Give us a great behind the scenes story.

When President Reagan was shot in 1981 all the directors and associate directors were out to lunch. I had to call air control in New York and get permission for the Washington Bureau to take over control of the network. The people up there had no idea who I was and kept asking for real authorization. The Bureau Chief kept screaming at me to get control. Needless to say, I was a little nervous, having never done that kind of thing before. But we did make air -- before the other networks I believe.

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We spent a day with Capitol Hill producer Allison Davis a few months back to get an idea of what it's like covering the Hill. She’s been at CBS for five years now, and began as a page for the “Evening News.” These days, it’s all politics all the time – and there’s been no shortage of that sort of news recently. In the aftermath of the midterm elections, Allison agreed to be our “10 Plus 1” subject this week. So here are some of her impressions on covering events that appear to be more political posturing than reality, why she’d like to see more stories that follow the money and why the power of the picture is occasionally one of the more frustrating elements of her job.

What do you do at CBS News?

Scandals, folly (or Foley, if you will), and the never-ending thrill that is the legislative branch! But, according to my resume, I cover Congress as a member of our Capitol Hill team for all avenues of CBS News. On most days, I scramble around the Capitol building, chasing down members of Congress, conducting interviews, covering hearings and attending press conferences. There’s also a lot of required reading and research; from marquee legislation to cleverly hidden earmarks, I try to cover all our bases, reporting on stories that either originate or eventually wind their way through Congress. My work primarily aides the reporting of our CBS News Capitol Hill Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

It is hard to choose just a "single" issue. As somewhat of a political junkie, I love in-depth stories that take a more critical look at exactly what Congress does with our tax dollars. For every infamous “bridge to nowhere” or a $10,000 toilet, there are literally hundreds of special projects—earmarks, as they’re called in legislative lingo—that sail through Congress without much to do. I also believe personality drives politics, and always love a good profile piece on the many, many characters that make up the little universe that is Capitol Hill.

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Jim Stewart, a correspondent at CBS News for more than 16 years, announced his retirement from CBS News last month and Friday was his last day in the office. Before he left, he agreed to be this week's “10 Plus 1" subject. We also spoke to him earlier about his time at CBS News covering the Pentagon, the Justice Department and everything in between (we're considering that his "plus 1.") So here’s one more chance to read about his experiences as a journalist of 37 years.

What do you do at CBS News?

I am a correspondent assigned to cover the the Justice department, the FBI and counter-terrorism.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

There is no single issue that should be covered more at CBS News. I think that I would like to see more beat reporting at CBS News. I think I would like to see us be more inquisitive and critical of government decisions and I think you can do that best by having someone immersed in a beat who closely watches it every day and comes to know it as well as the people who work there.

Give us a great behind the scenes story.

Well, I could get sued if I told some of the stories... In the news media, you get to see behind the scenes all the time, it's like watching sausage made. It’s not pretty sometimes.

When you pursue any journalism, especially on a national scale, you're behind the scenes every day because you are the first author of history. You're writing what we think we just saw; what we think we just heard and you are behind the scenes for that. You are there during the half hour before the press conference starts and you see the aides running crazily trying to gather facts for the defense secretary or the president or the attorney general or whomever it may be. Every day is a behind the scenes experience on history.

Have you ever been assigned a story you objected to? How did you deal with it?

I would be asked to do stories all the time both in print and in broadcast media that I thought didn't rise to the level of being a national story. I felt it was just a waste of our time to report it. But I did the stories, in any event, convinced that the viewing public was smart enough to realize that this was just a snapshot of something and nothing to really be upset or concerned or worried about. The public is smarter than we think.

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Michael Solmsen has been a producer at CBS News for 11 years. He's covered several wars, including the war in Afghanistan and this summer's Israel-Lebanon conflict. He's been to Iraq four times, and covered the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Today, his greatest challenge: being the subject of "10 Plus 1."

What do you do at CBS News?

To the untrained eye, I pace around like a mental patient while waiting for other people to do things I've asked (or begged) them to do.

To the trained eye, I am coordinating and overseeing a highly sophisticated, complex, yet easy to understand news story.

It turns out the untrained eye sees more accurately on this one.

What single issue should be covered more at CBS News?

Just so you guys at Public Eye know, this is the question everyone hates. Here's the best answer I can come up with. There is no answer. News should be flexible. Pressing issues change all the time, and getting fixated on any one can make a news division slow in reacting. New problems and issues pop up all the time, reacting to them intelligently is when we're at our best.

Give us a great behind the scenes story.

At the beginning of the invasion of Iraq I was in Kuwait. Dan Rather came through trying to get to Baghdad. We were in a fairly desperate state to get there...and I was fairly inexperienced and in wildly over my head. We tried all kinds of routes, including chartering a 200-seat 747 to fly ten of us to Jordan. It was from there we set out for a 28-hour drive to Baghdad. Now Saddam statues were already falling, so we felt a bit late in getting there. We started to drive at 2 in the morning. I was in an SUV with a camera crew and Dan. He was riding shotgun (he likes to sit up front) I was in the seat behind him. Three hours later I was fast asleep, I only woke up because our SUV was riding over huge boulders off the main road at 80 mph. Dan was bouncing around like a bobble head, and I was banging against the roof of the car. After about 100 yards we came to a stop, it was during that bumpy ride when I was wondering whether or not they let you keep working at CBS after you kill the anchor.

Needless to say, we all survived and made it into Baghdad. The SUV didn't. Made for a pretty big expense report.

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