I've always said there are four words that every child in the world knows, and those are, "Tell me a story,." Even the people who wrote the Bible knew that. They told stories, like the story of Noah.
Confrontation is not a dirty word. Sometimes it's the best kind of journalism as long you don't confront people just for the sake of a confrontation.
When there was a disaster, it used to be that people went to church and all held hands. Now the minute anything happens they run to CNN.
It's a movie, OK? I went to see GONE WITH THE WIND, but did I really believe there was a guy named Rhett Butler who said, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"? No. Movies need heroes and villains, and real life doesn't usually have heroes and villains. Real life has a lot of shades of gray, and moves have black and white even when they're in color.
The businessman only wants two things said about his company-what he pays his public relations people to say and what he pays his advertising people to say. He doesn't like anybody ever to look above, beyond or over that.
I plan to die at my desk.
I can tell you categorically that we at 60 Minutes did not pay Michael Jackson one cent.
Let's give the conventions back to the politicians. If we think there's any news, we can tack it on afterward as commentary. But the conventions should be their show, not ours.
