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When Fred Friendly's powerful examination of broadcast news was published in 1967, it was judged by The New Yorker to be "an engrossing professional memoir." and it quickly leaped onto The New York Times bestseller list. Now reissued with a new Introduction by Dan Rather, anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, and Tom Bettag, executive producer of Nightline, on the anniversary of Friendly's death, this discourse on the importance of television in society presents...
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When Fred Friendly's powerful examination of broadcast news was published in 1967, it was judged by The New Yorker to be "an engrossing professional memoir." and it quickly leaped onto The New York Times bestseller list. Now reissued with a new Introduction by Dan Rather, anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, and Tom Bettag, executive producer of Nightline, on the anniversary of Friendly's death, this discourse on the importance of television in society presents Friendly's uncannily prescient views on the corrosive effect of money on the news business, the sensationalization of news reporting, and the viewing public's appetite for quality broadcasting. With Edward R. Murrow, Fred Friendly practically invented television journalism. Through telling anecdotes and penetrating analysis, he recalls his collaborations with Murrow, from their stinging documentary on Senator Joseph McCarthy to CBS's pioneering coverage of the burgeoning civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. Friendly also recounts his resignation as president of CBS News in 1966, when the network ran reruns of I Love Lucy instead of Senate hearings on the war in Vietnam. Following that controversial decision, he began writing this memorable book.