Brinkley's Beat: People, Places, and Events That Shaped My Time

by David Brinkley

From one of America’s most revered journalists–a richly entertaining roundup of the extraordinary individuals with whom he crossed paths in our nation’s capital and of the events that marked the twentieth century.

Here are firsthand profiles of Washington insiders that only an insider himself could have given Franklin D. Roosevelt counting out enough cigarettes to get through a half-hour debriefing with the press; May Craig, the first female reporter to penetrate Roosevelt’s inner sanctum, who never failed to remind the president that his wife was a newspaper writer, too; Theodore Bilbo, a Mississippi senator and race baiter who effectively became mayor of Washington at a time when it was a segregated provincial town; Jimmy Hoffa, the popular and ill-fated union leader; Lyndon Johnson, whom Brinkley describes as the most impressive and appalling figure he encountered; and Ronald Reagan, whom he found to be the most mysterious of the eleven presidents he covered. Here is also Brinkley’s account of President Kennedy’s assassination and a poignant remembrance of D-day.

David Brinkley was there and saw it all. In the “sour-lovable manner” (Mark Feeney, Boston Globe ) of storytelling that he perfected, and in a narrative style that is both “hilarious and instructive” (George Will), Brinkley’s Beat gives us his vivid recollections and the intelligence, acuity, and clear-sightedness on which his unimpeachable reputation rested for more than half a century.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Journalism, History, Memoir, Politics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Full name: David McClure Brinkley

*ABC and NBC newscaster
*Co-anchored the Huntley–Brinkley Report
*NBC Nightly News co-anchor and correspondent
*Sunday This Week with David Brinkley

Received:
*ten Emmy Awards
*three George Foster Peabody Awards
*Presidential Medal of Freedom

Reviews

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up I remember early evenings when The Huntley - Brinkley Report would come on. Not that I payed much attention to what they were saying at the time, buy the tenor of their voices were a kind of background "music" in the household. At some point I must have decided to pay attention and I was interested in what was being said about what was going on in the world. A while back I remember reading in another book something about Brinkley, I can't remember what the book was; but, I did go down the proverbial rabbit hole and ordered books authored by Mr. Brinkley. This is the first one I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The People are infamous and interesting "characters", The Places are described as only a reporter can (I especially loved The Mississippi, page 114 - 123), and the Events are enthralling. I hope the subsequent books I ordered are as good as this one.

[Ice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume serves as an appropriate remembrance of the acerbic longtime NBC News and, later, ABC, anchorman, who died in June. A journalist since 1938, Brinkley was an unusual figure in American life: a mainstay media personality whose defining trait was intelligence and good judgment.

The subtitle serves as an exact description of the table of contents, as the book indeed does begin with personalities (Hoffa, Reagan), then recounts some of his travels (Hong Kong, Vienna) and closes with reflections on events like the Kennedy assassination. As befits memories of a Washington journalist, the "People" section focuses almost entirely on Washington political creatures, some of them obscure (e.g., Martin Dies, May Craig). The sketches are purposely brief, verging on perfunctory: Brinkley consciously keeps his remarks on the surface, so only some of the sketches have compelling insights to offer.

The sketch of Bobby Kennedy, a friend of Brinkley's, is a notable exception, capturing the split nature of his truncated career. Brinkley's skill at handling tone is better displayed in the final two sections. His thoughts about the men who made sacrifices at Normandy in 1944 are very moving; writing about the Mediterranean, he is appropriately charmed and awestruck by its history. Brinkley wrote a somewhat similar volume in 1995, although his tenor has softened considerably in the intervening years.

In this posthumously published memoir, Brinkley's well-known wry perspective is brought to bear on some of the most notable people, places, and events of his 50 years in television news. Brinkley came to Washington, D.C., in 1943 to begin a career that would put him in contact with an array of memorable figures, including Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo, whose career was "distinguished by its unabashed racism," and Congressman Martin Dies, the original architect of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Brinkley covered 11 presidents during his career but profiles only 3: cunning, energetic Lyndon Johnson; Ronald Reagan, whom Brinkley found impenetrable, "a man who filtered reality through a set of assumptions and preconceptions that he refused to question"; and Bill Clinton, coming to office with great promise but ultimately as overestimated as president as he had been underestimated as a candidate.

The places Brinkley recalls include Normandy in 1944 and 1994 and black-and-white Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s. Given his longevity as a television journalist, his access to the powerful and influential, and his own sardonic perspective, Brinkley offers an engrossing look at the most fascinating people and events of the last half-century in a fitting capstone to his memorable career. Vanessa Bush

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up watching the Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC, so I thought I knew what to expect -- I was very wrong. David Brinkley's observations over the many busy decades in which he lived surprised me all the way through.

I especially liked his places sections, and observations on Vienna, Austria, where a grad school friend now lives. The Viennese sound so laid back that I believe I really have to go there some day. Brinkley's somewhat introspective observations of the American South, and Washington, D.C., and the people associated with all of that made it much better reading, too.

Also, especially helpful, this is a large print edition, and I really appreciate that.

This is a great book for anyone interested in journalism, recent American history, or television news. It is pretty good.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brinkley quoted last speech of JFK given in Fort Worth the morning he died. "We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it....We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom. And I think we will continue to do as we have done in the past - our duty."

[Jerry Kolwinska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. Brinkley gives his personal reflections on people, places, and events over his broadcasting career.

It was refreshing to read about people and events from a dispassionate perspective. Rather than the rancorous partisanship of our current scene, Brinkley gives us a balanced perspective on his time in broadcasting. As a national news figure, his take on events is refreshingly objective in contrast to so many of the national news outlets today.

While not a particularly gripping book, I enjoyed it.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really what I expected. Some of the people featured in the book I've never even heard of. Just shows how little I follow politics. A few of the chapters were actually quite interesting but after a while I skipped whole chapters after reading a paragraph or two. I'm sure it would appeal to other people more than it did to me.

[Dano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding work. Many great memories recalled from this inside perspective.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting walk through recent history through the eyes of one of the all time best anchors.

[Gloria Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts were extremely interesting, and other sections were so boring that I skipped them. I am interested in current events and historical memoirs. Brinkley was present at many important events in recent history and his memoirs could have been totally absorbing. Perhaps it was the style which did not hold my attention. Or perhaps it was just the fact that I read this with many interruptions. But no matter how I look at it, I almost gave up the book before I finished it.

[Scottnshana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Mr. Brinkley wrote shortly before his death in 2003; I think the perspective of a professional journalist (i.e., one who did his life's work before the news was "on your side") covering the people, places, and events he selects are well-considered and -reasoned. These short chapters cover some of the personalities he interviewed (I especially enjoyed his pieces on Ronald Reagan and Bobby Kennedy) and various places around the globe he visited to describe them to Americans through their TV sets in the '60s--when the medium was new and NBC was working to put out the best news features possible. The EVENTS segment, though, really brought some insight into the '60s for me. I had read in detail about the 1968 Democratic Convention in Rick Perlstein's "Nixonland", but enjoyed Mr. Brinkley's eyewitness (and shorter) account as much as Perlstein's in-depth analysis also made via 40 years of hindsight. His "A State Visit" chapter, describing Haile Selassie's 1963 visit and Washington's preparation for it made me wonder if Eddie Murphy read about this before scripting "Coming to America". It was, however, the author's description of the JFK assassination that occurred three weeks after "A State Visit" that nicely tees up the book's summary chapter. Mr. Brinkley's narrative on how the networks brought news of this horrible event to the aforementioned television audience evokes both emotion and a longing for the days before cable news started spinning every event into a screaming argument. I enjoyed this book, and I wish Mr. Brinkley's professionalism quite a bit.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant memoir that enabled me to revisit many of the important news stories of my youth, including Vietnam war coverage on TV and the assassination of JFK and the all news weekend (including the live coverage of the murder of Oswald by Jack Ruby) that followed. Parts of the book were not that interesting, such as his recollection of the places he visited for news TV shows in the 50's and 60's. But I found most of the book and especially the people who had the greatest impact on him to be very interesting.

[Len Knighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always loved David Brinkley's reporting, his commentaries, his on-air humor and his writing. Another good read from Brinkley, especially the first section on people he had known and covered. He could have focused on the well known but he threw in a couple who are not prominent in history, but did have an impact positively or negatively. His places section is of the same style, writing about unexpected places.

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on the events of his day, through the eyes of a traditional -- and I would say more ethical than most -- news reporter. Entertaining reading.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Makes me want to brush up on some history lessons though!

[Toesnorth's mom]

good

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! It is interesting to better know the man who was half of the team that delivered my nightly news for years,

[Kirstie]

Currently reading and so far very engaging. True history.