Jeff Fager And Lesley Stahl On 50 Years Of '60 Minutes'

>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
FOLKS, THIS SEASON "60 MINUTES" CELEBRATES ITS 50th
ANNIVERSARY.
MY NEXT GUESTS HELP MAKE IT THE MOST-WATCHED NEWS PROGRAM IN
AMERICA.
PLEASE WELCOME LESLEY STAHL AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JEFF FAGER.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) LESLEY, LOVELY TO SEE YOU.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> Stephen: JEFF, NICE TO SEE YOU.
NOW, LESLEY, OBVIOUSLY, WE ALL KNOW YOU.
YOU'RE ON TV.
THAT MAKES YOU IMPORTANT.
WHO'S THAT GUY OVER THERE?
AND WHY DO WE CARE?
>> SO,OB, HE, OBVIOUSLY, HE'S TH BOSS, AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT
ABOUT JEFF IS THAT HE TOOK OVER FROM THE GIANT, THE
CREATOR, DONAHUEI DON HEWITT WHO CREATED "60 MINUTES," AND
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, AS YOU MAY WELL KNOW, TO TAKE OVER FROM
THE GOD.
BUT JEFF DID IT, AND HE DID IT MAGNIFICENTLY.
HE'S KEPT WHAT DON CREATED AT ITS HEART AND SOUL, BUT
HE'S MADE US MORE NEWSY.
HE'S MADE US ON THE NEWS MORE THAN WE USED TO BE.
AND ONE OF DON'S GREAT STRENGTHS WAS THAT HE COULD
LOOK AT A STORY AND KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO MAKE IT
BETTER.
AND WE ALL THOUGHT, WELL, JEFF'S NEVER GOING TO BE AS
GOOD AS DON AT THAT.
AND HE IS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> HAVE I SUCKED UP ENOUGH?
>> Stephen: YEAH, YOU SURE HAVE.
( APPLAUSE ) NOW, SO, YOU'RE IN THE
50th SEASON OF "60 MINUTES."
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IT'S AS GOOD AS IT EVER WAS.
I WATCHED IT THIS SUNDAY.
HAD THREE PERFECT "60 MINUTES" STORYS.
YOU HAD PUERTO RICO.
YOU HAD THE SLOWLY TILTING MILLENNIUM TOWER IN SAN
FRANCISCO.
AND YOU HAD THE MUSICAL PRODIGY FROM ENGLAND.
LIKE, WHAT'S THE FORMULA THAT GOES INTO CHOOSING
THOSE THREE STORIES?
WHY ARE THOSE "60 MINUTES" STORIES.
>> IT REALLY IS A PERFECT MIX, THIS SUNDAY NIGHT
BROADCAST WE JUST HAD.
YOU LOVE TO HAVE SOMETHING WHICH IS IN THE NEWS-- WHICH
IS PUERTO RICO.
IT'S DEVASTATED BY THIS TERRIBLE HURRICANE.
AND TO HAVE THE PIECE ABOUT THE LEANING BUILDING IN THE
MIDDLE WAS FASCINATING.
AND THEN THIS BEAUTIFUL PRODIGY AS THE END PIECE,
WHICH WAS INSPIRATIONAL AND JUST LOVELY TO WATCH.
SO THAT MIX IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE TRY TO DO EVERY
SUNDAY NIGHT.
>> Stephen: NOW, IS THERE A-- IS THERE A COMPETITIVE
CULTURE AT "60 MINUTES"?
I HEAR THAT IT'S-- WHAT'S THE WORD-- A TIGER PIT
BETWEEN THE--( LAUGHTER )
IS THERE A STORY THERE?
IS THERE A STORY THERE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT IS A TIGER PIT.
AND STEVE KROFT AND I WENT AT IT BECAUSE WE BOTH WANT
HARVEY WEINSTEIN.
I'M JOKING.
>> Stephen:ENING YOU'RE KIDDING ON THE SQUARE
BECAUSE-- >> I'M TOTALLY KIDDING.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU GUYS WILL SNAKE
EACH OTHER'S STORIES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, AND THAT'S
JUST HOW THAT IS.
>> WELL, I THINK THAT THAT REPUTATION COMES FROM MIKE
WALLACE WHO WAS NEVER AFRAID TO SAY, "I'M PREPARED TO
STEAL YOUR STORY FRU."
>> Stephen: BUT PREPARED AND THEN WOULD DO IT.
>> YES.
>> OH, MY GOD, HE DID IT WITH ME WHEN I FIRST GOT
THERE WITH BARBRA STREISAND.
HE READ UPSIDE DOWN ON MY NOTES THAT BARBRA
STREISAND-- HE THOUGHT THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
AND HE CALLED HER AND HE TOOK IT AWAY FROM ME.
>> Stephen: DID YOU GO AFTER HIM WITH A BROKEN
BOTTLE?
WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> YOU KNOW, I SUFFERED.
I SUFFERED.
I JUST WAS HURT.
HE WAS VERY LOVELY TO ME.
HE WAS A TOUGH MAN.
HE'S WHAT YOU SAW ON TELEVISION.
BUT HE CALLED ME IN ONE DAY, AND HE SAID, "LOOK, KID,
YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT UNTIL YOU LEARN HOW TO
ASK AN EMBARRASSING QUESTION WITHOUT BEING EMBARRASSED."
AND THAT'S, OF COURSE, WHAT HE DID.
>> YEAH.
>> AND IT WAS HARD.
YOU KNOW, YOU ASK THESE PERSONAL QUESTIONS, AND
BELIEVE ME, YOU SUFFER INSIDE.
>> Stephen: IS THERE A QUESTION-- LIKE, IS THERE A
QUESTION THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BRING YOURSELF
TO ASK, LIKE, WITH A SUBJECT?
>> WELL, IT'S REALLY HARD WHEN YOU HAVE A SICK KID AND
YOU'RE INTERVIEWING THE PARENTS.
AND MAYBE THE PARENTS DID-- WERE NEGLIGENT IN SOME WAY.
AND THAT IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE.
IT'S THE PERSONAL STORIES THAT-- NOT WITH POLITICIANS.
THERE'S NOTHING I WOULDN'T ASK A POLITICIAN.
( LAUGHTER ) AND NOTHING I WOULD BE
EMBARRASSED ABOUT ASKING A POLITICIAN.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, THERE'S
A NEW BOOK OUT TO GO WITH THE 50th YEAR OF "60
MINUTES."
THE BOOK IS WARTS AND ALL.
MOSTLY SUCCESSES, BUT SOME FAILURES.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU-- WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU KNOW,
ON A PIECE OR PRODUCING SOMETHING IF IT DIDN'T GO
WRITE, IF YOU DIDN'T GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT, IF YOU
WERE CAUGHT UP SHORT ON SOMETHING, HOW DID YOU DEAL
WITH IT?
>> YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS WE LEARNED
FROM DON HON HEWITT THAT GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNING
OF CBS NEWS, IS OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES.
NOBODY THINKS YOU'RE GOING TO BE PERFECT.
THE AUDIENCE, VIEWERS KNOW THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
SOMETIMES.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLY STRENUOUS AND
RIGOROUS PROCESSES OF BRINGING THE STORIES TO AIR.
SO BY THE TIME THEY GET TO AIR, OUR-- ALL OF OUR TOOLS
FOR WATCHING AFTER FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY, IT'S GONE
THROUGH THE GRIST MILL.
IT REALLY HAS.
THEY'RE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
BUT WHEN WE DO MAKE MISTAKES, YOU BETTER OWN UP
TO THEM, EXPLAIN HOW IT HAPPENED, AND MOVE ON ONE
STORY AT A TIME.
>> I HAD ONE.
>> Stephen: YOU HAD ONE MISTAKE?
( APPLAUSE ).
>> I HAD A BIGGIE.
IT'S TRUE.
IT WAS A DEFECTOR.
>> Stephen: A DEFECTOR.
>> RIGHT BEFORE THE IRAQ WAR, AND HE CAME ON.
I WAS WARNED NEVER LISTEN TO A DEFECTOR.
THEY'RE GOING TO LIE TO YOU.
BUT I WENT AHEAD AND DID IT.
WE HAD HIM VETTED.
AND HE WAS TELLING US ABOUT THESE TRUCKS THAT SADDAM
HUSSEIN HAD HIM BUY-- RENAULT TRUCKS-- AND THEY
WERE ROAMING THE COUNTRYSIDE OF IRAQ MAKING BIOLOGICAL
WEAPONS, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
AND, OF COURSE, IT WASN'T TRUE.
AND WE PUT THE STORY ON "60 MINUTES," AND IT WAS SO
PAINFUL WHEN WE REALIZED IT.
AND WE DID APPROXIMATION IT.
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT?
HOW LONG BEFORE YOU FOUND OUT IT WAS A LIE?
>> FOR A LONG TIME, MONTHS.
>> Stephen: HAD THE WAR ALREADY STARTED AT THAT
POINT?
>> YEAH, WE FOUND-- THE WHOLE WAR FOUND OUT AFTER
THE WAR START GLD DID YOU FEEL ANY CULPABILITY AT THAT
POINT?
>> I DO, TERRIBLE.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THESE FEEL ?TION I
DON'T MEAN TO BE TOO PERSONAL.
BUT YOU TAKE THE WORK VERY PERSONALLY AND YOU ARE PART
OF A HISTORICAL MOMENT YOU WISH HADN'T HAPPENED, HOW DO
YOU OBI HAVE AT THAT?
>> YOU GO ON AND DO YOUR NEXT STORY AS WELL AS YOU
CAN AND THE NEXT ONE AND THE NEXT ONE AND YOU DON'T MAKE
ANY MORE MISTAKES.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
DISWREF, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
"60 MINUTES" AIRS SUNDAY NIGHTS AT 7:00 ON CBS
AND THE BOOK "FIFTY YEARS OF 60 MINUTES" IS AVAILABLE NOW.
JEFF FAGER AND LESLEY STAHL, EVERYBODY!
Ed Gillespie Loses In Virginia... Thanks To Don. Jr. Jason Segel Escaped LA For An Orange Grove Mavis Staples Performs 'Build A Bridge' Trump's Mar-A-Lago Hires 70 Foreign Workers The Paradise Papers Includes Celebrities, Too Alt-Right White Supremacists Have Claimed Papa John's Josh Gad Can't Turn Off 'Olaf' Voice Lawrence O'Donnell Sees Traces Of George Wallace In Donald Trump In Asia, Trump Might Meet 'Pen Pineapple Apple Pen' Guy Stephen Colbert monologue 11/7/2017 - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Nov 7, 2017

Jeff Fager And Lesley Stahl On 50 Years Of '60 Minutes'

Latest Posts