Sixty Minutes: The Power and the Politics of America's Most Popular TV News Show

by Axel Madsen

An insightful, unauthorized investigation of the investigators who run TV's leading newsmagazine and how responsibly they choose to wield their vast power and influence

255 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Madsen

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another inherited book that has been perched on my shelf since 2010ish, but it was written in 1984, making it somewhat of a current-events fossil. My parents chose not to make cable or satellite TV subscriptions a necessary expense, so growing up all we watched were network shows/news and a lot of PBS/KET. We did regularly watch the 60 Minutes show like it was an appointment though, and I will forever hear that stopwatch used in the opening segment. I also remember all of the times it would start late because of a football game or whatever running over: You’d start halfway in the middle of an episode and wonder what sort of scandal or bombshell interview you missed! But I have always known that this show is a hybrid of entertainment and journalism and is just one of many like it. I can’t say that I’ve watched a single episode in the past 30ish years, but I recently saw a headline (I usually start my day with the Associated Press) that they’re going to court over some pre-election interview editing complaints (“frivolous” at this point, in my non-lawyer judgy opinion) and thought it was time to move this one along. Apparently the 60 Minutes crew has been to court a lot since the beginning and if you’re into that kind of thing then this book is for you!

As far as the “who is watching the watchmen?” aspect of this book, it does pose some ethical questions about entertainment TV journalism and editing when you are ultimately competing for viewer ratings and advertising revenue. But I have worked with enough reporters in all mediums to know that everything gets edited a little bit and as long as you tell the truth you shouldn’t have a problem. I still firmly believe that the free press is the 4th branch of government and making the news accessible for the general public is vitally important for democracy. I suppose the closer you get to a live Q&A and/or boots on the ground, the less edited the truth becomes? But when you are interviewing people who are known liars or incessantly ramble nonsense, then aren’t you obligated to edit for the truth? In the day and age of everyone controlling their own narrative through social media or a channel or platform that aligns to their personal agenda, however, it seems like truth and honesty are becoming harder and harder to find.

This book references individual 60 Minutes segments that I am never going to watch, but could work well if it was in a digital format that linked to the actual episodes mentioned. Most importantly, this book reminded me of a time before 24-hour and breaking news life and that no one is paying me to constantly monitor the news anymore, so I think I am going to start setting fake appointments to digest current events rather than subscribing to all of the push notifications, etc. that are being used as weapons to cause constant distraction and anxiety. I already turned off the cable TV news as background noise a while ago.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, it was okay, but not really good. The book gives some history of 60 Minutes and its reporters through the years (well, up to 1984), and takes a look (or tries to) at the questions behind 60 Minutes' production and fairness. In the end, though, the book really just seems to say what we already knew or suspected: Yes, the show and the reporters have a goal, and will edit their stories to match their goals. No surprise. There are also a few moments of explaining the creator's/producers' aims and theories behind the show ("People, not issues," etc.), which are semi-interesting.