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Each week we invite someone from outside PE to weigh in with their thoughts about CBS News and the media at large. This week, we turned to former CBS News correspondent, producer and Moscow and Tokyo bureau chief Gordon Joseloff. Now the first selectman (mayor) of Westport, Conn., Joseloff is also publisher and founding editor of WestportNow.com, a local news Web site for Westport. Below, Joseloff reflects on those who have gone before at CBS News and some news division standards of 30 years ago that he says remain pertinent today. As always, the opinions expressed and factual assertions made in “Outside Voices” are those of the author, not ours, and we seek a wide variety of voices. Here's Gordon:

For a number of years, I've wondered why CBS News never took advantage of the wisdom and advice of some its alumni who are still around. (Whether division executives have made similar queries of those few old timers who are still on staff is not known.) After all, it was this group of correspondents, producers, cameramen, editors, writers and other personnel who helped make and maintain the unparalleled reputation that CBS News long held.

Actually, I really didn't wonder so much as regret that it never happened. I knew that the "new generation" of staffers probably thought of the older ones as has-beens who didn't understand or accept the modern way of news-gathering and presenting.

So I'm glad that in this Internet age, some of that wisdom is being tapped here, if not directly by the CBS News division, but by CBS for all to see. I'd suggest another step as well: that as Katie Couric meets current staffers and makes the rounds of affiliates and does press interviews, she also get together with some CBS News alumni. She probably knows many of them already.

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