{"id":3636,"date":"2020-02-03T10:09:10","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/?p=3636"},"modified":"2020-02-03T15:23:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T20:23:57","slug":"60-minutes-veteran-shares-behind-the-scenes-experiences-advice-for-student-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fm.hunter.cuny.edu\/journalism\/index.php\/2020\/02\/03\/60-minutes-veteran-shares-behind-the-scenes-experiences-advice-for-student-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"’60 Minutes’ Veteran Shares Behind-the-Scenes Experiences, Advice For Student Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo: Kalli Siringas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CBS News veteran Bob Anderson (above, left) visited Hunter College late last fall for a screening of a documentary on his late colleague and ’60 Minutes’ icon Mike Wallace. After the screening, Anderson spoke with Hunter Journalism Intern Rich Mendez (at right) about some of his most exciting experiences working alongside Wallace, as well as politics in the media and other subjects. Anderson also shared words of advice for student journalists. Read on for interview excerpts, plus audio clips from their conversation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is it like producing at \u201c60 Minutes\u201d? <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The best part is that we\u2019re totally eclectic, so you have a broad range of stories. You can do a photographer who\u2019s taking pictures of endangered species<\/a> at zoos around the world. Or you can interview [Russian President Vladimir] Putin<\/a> or Iran\u2019s Leader Ayatollah Khomeni<\/a>? It\u2019s a fabulous set of experiences, one after the other, none connected to those that came before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your interview with Putin. <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We did Putin with Mike Wallace years ago. Mike would ask the best stuff between the written questions that were in front of him. It wasn\u2019t just going on to the next written question. It was playing off of an answer. And he did that so much with Putin that we ran out of time and his aides were saying we\u2019ve got to wrap it up, and they wanted me to interrupt because they wouldn\u2019t dare interrupt. So I slipped Mike a note saying that his aides were pressuring us to end the interview and Mike looked at Putin and said, \u201cMr. President, your aides are pressuring us to end the interview. But if I could ask just two or three more [questions].\u201d And Putin said, \u201cNo one can pressure us, I\u2019m the president.\u201d And that was the most revealing answer we got out of him in the entire interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about your experience interviewing Iran\u2019s Leader Ayatollah Khomeni?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Mike interviewed the Ayatollah when no one else could, and he passed by a room full of journalists hoping for the interview as he went in for his exclusive, which brought him great joy. In that interview, he said, \u201cPresident Saddat of Egypt says, excuse me, his words not mine, that you are a madman.\u201d And the interpreter looked at Mike as if to say \u201cYou\u2019re a madman if you think I\u2019m going to interpret that.\u201d And Mike said, \u201cNo, no, it\u2019s what Saddat said, go ahead.\u201d So it came through and the Ayatollah just stared at him and had no answer, shy of a stare. Whether they\u2019re connected or not I don\u2019t know, but within a few months, Saddat was assassinated.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you say to journalists who might be afraid to get into the industry because of some of the corporate strangleholds in some of the top newsrooms in the country? <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You can find lots of reasons to not do something, one of them being fear. You can find reasons of corporate culture. You can find reasons of bias of one form or another. To hell with all of them. Don\u2019t let them stand in your way. Hone your skills and let your skills prepare you forward. There is absolutely room at the highest levels for the people with the skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n