Morley Safer
Correspondent / Anchor
About This Interview
Morley Safer was interviewed for four hours plus (in two sessions) in New York, NY. He describes his early years in print journalism, recounts his initial broadcast work in Canada, and details his first job for CBS. He recalls inheriting Edward R. Murrow's office when he became CBS London Bureau Chief, and discusses his experiences as a war correspondent in Vietnam. Safer details his ground-breaking story on Cam Ne and how the story changed public opinion on the Vietnam War. He outlines backlash from the Pentagon after the story broke and how Fred Friendly and others at CBS News supported him during this tumultuous period. Safer also speaks of his long tenure as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, and touches on several memorable stories he covered for the news program, including "The Music of Auschwitz," "Casa Verde," and interviews with Katharine Hepburn, Jackie Gleason, and Betty Ford. Dr. Ralph Engelman conducted the two-part interview on October 26 and November 13, 2000.
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Highlights
Morley Safer on the Cam Ne story, during which he reported on American soldiers burning a Vietnamese village (15m 58s)
Morley Safer on the public reaction to his reporting of Cam Ne (02m 28s)
Morley Safer on being a broadcast journalist in Vietnam during the war (11m 55s)
Morley Safer on the success of 60 Minutes (05m 11s)
Morley Safer on the Lenell Geter story and helping to save a man's life (02m 03s)
Morley Safer on his legacy, how he'd like to be remembered
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his childhood in Toronot and his early influences; on wanting to be a journalist when he was young; on being a child of World War II; on his interest in print journalism; on attending the University of Western Ontario for a few weeks
- On his first job at a newspaper at the Woodstock Sentinel Review; on working for the London Free Press in London, Ontario; on connections between his early print journalism work and later work in broadcast journalism; on his interest in foreign reporting; on working for the Oxford Mail and wrting features for the Free Press; on the first time he saw television
- Chapter 2
- On returning to Canada in 1955 and his start in television at the CBC; on his early writing for news anchors; on print journalism looking down on broadcast journalism; on editing the CBC News Magazine; on his first on-camera reporting in 1956 - covering the Hundred Hour War in Tel Aviv
- On still not being comfortable in front of the camera; on what he learned from covering the Hundred Hour War; on the response to his on-camera work; on moving to England and writing radio copy for the BBC
- Chapter 3
- On working as editor-in-chief of the evening news for an independent TV station in Canada; on working for CBC News Magazine as the London correspondent and producing; on traveling to Algeria and the Middle East; on catching the attention of CBS
- On differences between working for the CBC and CBS in London; on joining the CBS team and working with Charles Collingwood; on being hired by Fred Friendly; on Walter Cronkite and fellow CBS newsmen; on covering Churchill's funeral
- On his first trip to Vietnam
- Chapter 4
- On his initial impressions of Vietnam and how he approached coverage of the conflict for CBS
- On the Cam Ne story, during which he reported on American soldiers burning a Vietnamese village
- Chapter 5
- On the reasons told to him for the purpose of Cam Ne operation; on the public reaction to his reporting of Cam Ne; on the reaction by the Pentagon; on a smear campaign against him
- On Bill Moyers role in how Safer was perceived; on allegations that Safer had violated security by reporting on Cam Ne; on the support of Fred Friendly and CBS
- Chapter 6
- On the impact of the Cam Ne story on public opinion in the United States; on being a broadcast journalist in Vietnam during the war; on feeling in danger at times in Vietnam
- On differences in how broadcast and print journalism covered the war in Vietnam; on changes in news coverage; on documentaries he did on Vietnam; on the General Westmoreland interview; on Fred Friendly resigning from CBS News and Dick Salant as Friendly's successor
- Chapter 7
- On differences between Fred Friendly and Dick Salant's styles as head of CBS News; on Morley Safer's Vietnam and Morley Safer's Red China Diary
- On serving as London Bureau Chief from 1967-70 and returning to Vietnam; on Edward R. Murrow's role as London Bureau Chief
- On joining 60 Minutes; on the success of 60 Minutes
- Chapter 8
- On the premise of 60 Minutes and Don Hewitt's role in conceiving the idea for the program; on the average age of the 60 Minutes corespondents; on Mike Wallace; on an example of a quintessential Morley Safer story
- On the role of a 60 Minutes correspondent in initiating a story; on the role of segement producer, Joseph Wershaba, on 60 Minutes; on the Gulf of Tonkin story on 60 Minutes; on the Lenell Geter story and helping to save a man's life
- On important stories he reported on; on his interview with Betty Ford; on his interview with Mickey Cohen
- Chapter 9
- On significant stories on 60 Minutes - "The Music of Auschwitz"; on "Casa Verde"; on comparing interviewing Katharine Hepburn and Jackie Gleason; on "Yes, But it is Art"
- On his piece "Returning to Vietnam" and writing his book Flashbacks on Returning to Vietnam; on the hardest and most rewarding parts of his job; on the witholding of a segment about the tobacco industry; on the biggest problems facing broadcast journalists today; on his legacy, how he'd like to be remembered
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