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Remembering Don Hewitt

August 23, 2009 4:20 PM

Morley Safer looks back at the extraordinary life and career of television pioneer and 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt.

Don Hewitt, The Ringmaster
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by Theflowmanager April 12, 2012 11:41 AM EDT
I started to watch 60 Minutes when I was around 16 years old. I live in Denmark so it wasn't aired as offen as in the US. Now I'm 31 years old and I still watch it. However now it's most on the iPad (great app you have made). So a BIG thanks to Don Hewitt for making 60 Minutes what it is today. I hope it will continue for the next 40 years.
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by RachelonCBS August 29, 2009 1:17 AM EDT
My memories of Don Hewitt and what his legacy means to me:

It was May 1984 and I was a 16 year-old fresh faced high school journalism student with the daunting task of interviewing on camera Arthur Bloom, then the director of 60 Minutes.

I waited in the dim lobby of the 60 Minutes Manhattan office, sitting anxiously on the couch underneath the silver-framed picture of the newsmagazine?s iconic stop-watch when correspondent Morley Safer passed by, deep in thought.

Then, seemingly out of no where, a blur of a man zoomed past and I realized it was Don Hewitt.

Hewitt was a part of the generation of news journalists who helped shape my earliest memories with his various roles in the CBS News division and at 60 Minutes. His work also shaped dinner table discussions at my home in upstate New York.

We didn?t miss an episode of 60 Minutes, unless we had to. I?d stay home on Sundays if a particularly good interview was coming up, foregoing a fancy dinner at the local steakhouse in Swan Lake.

I idolized Don Hewitt, Arthur Bloom and Walter Cronkite, who finished reporting the CBS Nightly News just three years before my visit to 60 Minutes. Of course, that morning I was wishing Cronkite would walk by too.

These were the big boys, and I wanted to become just like them. They were journeyman journalists who were never afraid to ask tough questions, report the news and put a complex story in historical context without losing the public or demeaning their ability to understand and, if necessary, act.

For that brief moment in the 60 Minutes lobby, I was in the presence of walking history. Hewitt participated in so many historic events, including the White House broadcast of President John Kennedy?s appraisal of his first two years in office.

I stood up as fast as I could to introduce myself ? and take my best shot: ?Hello, Mr. Hewitt. I?m Rachel Cunningham here to interview Arthur Bloom.?

Hewitt stopped and swirled around with his arms, shoulders and flat shock of silver hair moving as one. He leaned forward, eyed me closely and quipped, ?Hey, that?s good kid.?

Then, as if to give me an insider?s scoop, he smiled and rolled his eyes, ?Have fun.?

I understood his kind gesture to mean: Bloom would be a tough interview (he wasn?t) and that I was not to waste anyone?s time, including Hewitt?s (I didn?t).

It was a wonderful moment which stays with me. I remain a fan of 60 Minutes but long for the gritty, factual news reporting of Cronkite?s time at CBS Nightly News.

Meeting Hewitt for that brief moment is something I cherish because it was then when I first realized I could do it too. I could tell stories for a reason ? to connect with humanity. Hewitt connected with me that day ? and throughout his career. And for that, I am grateful.

Both Hewitt and Bloom, who passed away in 2006, enriched my life and how I cover the news and see the world. They also taught me about the power of journalism and its ever changing industry.

In our interview Bloom described the reporting style of 60 Minutes as one of ?edu-tainment,? a term that has since morphed into ?info-tainment.? Cronkite remained unimpressed with this unfortunate news trend, and said so on many occasions.

Cronkite, Hewitt, Bloom and their respective work at CBS Nightly News and 60 Minutes helped re-energize our democracy in powerful ways by reporting facts, holding leaders accountable and rejoicing in the uniqueness of America.

I hope with the recent passing of Hewitt and Cronkite, and that of Bloom, Ed Bradley and Tim Russert, journeymen journalists will continue to ask the tough questions, challenge doctrine and share the news without bias and commentary ? no matter how complex and troubling the news.

It?s the least we can do to honor the great ones.
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by galen1969 August 28, 2009 3:03 AM EDT
While it may sound cruel, this type journalism is the worst kind. The journalists here calling themselves showmen instead of news reporters. This platform for the political and moral positions of the owners should have NEVER been allowed to call itself news. And the first time the reporter became the news, we should have turned our backs to these "showmen".
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by stevanovich9 August 27, 2009 4:41 AM EDT
Don Hewitt must have been a terrific guy. Everybody seemed to enjoy his hair trigger temper because he didn't seem mad at all, just putting on a show. A wonderful man who will be greatly missed. There was no one else like him. He was one of the few true originals left. He seemed to love to talk about 60 Minutes and the news business or just about any other topic with anybody, not just his colleagues.
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by stevanovich9 August 27, 2009 4:38 AM EDT
Don Hewitt must have been a terrific guy. Everybody seemed to enjoy his hair trigger temper because he didn't seem mad at all, just putting on a show. A wonderful man who will be greatly missed. There was no one else like him. He was one of the few true originals left. He seemed to love to talk about 60 minutes and the news business or just about any other topic with anybody, not just his colleagues.
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by Rolandrew August 24, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
I find it interesting that Don Hewitt felt out of place in the 21st century. Once again, thanks to the internet, it seems there are no rules when it comes to the telling of a story, just as there were no rules when Don first began in television. What was he worried about? By the way, did you happen to notice that the round-table discussion you held when Don retired was actually a table shaped like a coffin?
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by simonkt43 August 23, 2009 11:53 PM EDT
Presented by viagra huh?

Give me a break.
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by gladman911 August 23, 2009 10:15 PM EDT
Tonight's tribute to Don was fantastic. What a dynamo the man was. This show has been my favorite for all my adult years. The question that all us fans have is, of course, is Mike Wallace too ill/old to comment? He was clearly a major partner in the 60 Minutes enterprise. Is there any way to get a comment from him on Don's passing?
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by andrewhumphrey1 August 23, 2009 8:41 PM EDT
Terrific tribute! Don Hewitt is a pioneer and an asset to humanity. Thanks to him and his team for bringing interesting, vital stories to light.

Andrew Humphrey, CBM
Detroit, MI
http://www.andrewhumphrey.com
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