'60 Minutes' Creator Slams Guard Story

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

'60 Minutes' Creator Slams Guard Story

16 minutes ago

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The creator of "60 Minutes," Don Hewitt, said Thursday he would not have done the story on President Bush (news - web sites)'s National Guard service that got CBS anchor Dan Rather in so much hot water.

Rather apologized Sept. 20 for a Sept. 8 "60 Minutes" story that cited documents purported to be from one of Bush's commanders in the Texas Air National Guard. Numerous questions have been raised about the documents' authenticity.

Speaking on a South Dakota Public Broadcasting radio show, Hewitt said the story was an old one that had already been dealt with in the 2000 presidential campaign.

"I never would have done the story," said Hewitt, who retired in June as the show's executive producer after 36 years.

"I would have been very wary injecting myself into a campaign. You've got to be very careful that you're not perceived as doing the job that one of the two candidates should be doing himself."

Hewitt, 82, was in Vermillion to receive the 2004 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism at the University of South Dakota.

During the radio show, Hewitt said he's sorry that "60 Minutes" and Rather were perceived as doing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites)'s job for him "by bringing up an old issue, and they weren't careful enough to not make mistakes. And the minute you make one mistake, you're dead."

[JoJo Gunn]

[Mfkmmof4]

You go Mr. Hewitt - of course your candidate can't correct is dumb mistake!

[Lawgvr1955]

Hewitt, 82, was in Vermillion to receive the 2004 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism.

I am undwhelmed.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

"You can't play war hero if it's about a war where you threw your medals away," Hewitt said.

Hardly a better quote could be found...

[VOA]

Hewitt, 82, was in Vermillion to receive the 2004 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence
in Journalism at the University of South Dakota.

Brokaw's alma mater.
Yep, no incest in the journalism community.

(I'm not knocking Vermillion...just that it appears they've got the
typical liberal Borg colony at their J-school, like most universities)

[Paleo Conservative]

'60 Minutes' Creator Slams Guard Story....3 Weeks After It Ran on CBS

[Verginius Rufus]

Hewitt is a smarmy slimeball...Brit Hume played a bit more of his comments and he went on to insinuate that Bush went into the Guard because he was trying to avoid going to Vietnam.

[BunnySlippers]

•

[NYCVirago]

"I would have been very wary injecting myself into a campaign. You've got to be very careful that you're not perceived as doing the job that one of the two candidates should be doing himself."

What nonsense. He had no problem with making 60 Minutes the Bush-bashing book of the week club.