Hewitt: A Lasting First Impression
August 23, 2009 4:59 PM
CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves and "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager
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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.
Rachel Cunningham
Guizhou Province, China