This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV

It has been a remarkable career for Bob Schieffer, the chief Washington correspondent for CBS News. He is trusted by countless Americans to cover the stories that matter. During his extraordinary career, he has won six Emmys. In 2002 the National Press Foundation hailed him as the Broadcaster of the Year. Now the highly respected veteran newsman shares the stories he's long kept under wraps in a book The Washington Post says "is everything a memoir should be: candid, funny, and loaded with great stories about famous people." Schieffer goes beyond the news everyone is familiar with to share the compelling anecdotes only his colleagues were previously privy to. Says the author, "I want to tell you about the parts that didn't get on television or in the paper." The result is an eye-opening glimpse behind the scenes of the news business.

Whether the topic is the Nixon White House or Vietnam, the JFK assassination or the 1968 election, Schieffer has a story to tell that you simply have not heard before, but are almost certain to find fascinating. Schieffer reads his own work here, delivering a pitch-perfect narration that captures every nuance of his witty and wise insights.

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It might not have occurred to anyone to clamor for longtime CBS reporter Schieffer's memoir, but now that it's in print, it makes for a highly engaging read. He's seen it all and has much wisdom about journalism and governance to impart. The book spans virtually every important domestic story of the past 40-odd years; among his captivating subjects are the 1962 integration of the University of Alabama, JFK's assassination, Vietnam, Nixon-era peace protests and Watergate. The book's emphasis changes subtly from events to personalities when Schieffer takes over Face the Nation. As the subtitle suggests, Schieffer wisely forgoes rehashing familiar tales like Watergate or the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in favor of revealing the background action that went unreported at the time. He structures the book as a collection of anecdotes, and, unsurprisingly for such a seasoned pro, Schieffer has a sharp eye for intriguing details and an instinct for maintaining the proper focus on his subjects rather than on himself. When he does get personal, he admirably questions his occasional missteps in balancing family and career. The telling is so unfussy, modest and straightforward that it rarely prompts speculation about the juicy bits that he couldn't write in a book. Indeed, the work succeeds not only as a primer on broadcast journalism but also as an informal history of America over the past 40 years. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. FROM BOOKLIST
Schieffer, veteran television journalist and moderator of Face the Nation, offers insights and a riveting behind-the-scene look at the news events--and the television news business itself--over the 40-plus years of his career. Schieffer recalls the moments that defined his career and shaped the nation, from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Schieffer also recalls his career trajectory from a newspaper reporter in Fort Worth, Texas, to a failed bid to replace Walter Cronkite as anchor of CBS Evening News, to his tenure on the respected Sunday-morning news show. He shares off-camera moments with some of the most powerful politicians and journalists in the nation, including his long friendship with fellow Texan Dan Rathers. In his career, Schieffer has covered wars, seen presidents come and go, witnessed the ups and downs of White House relations with the press, observed the rise and fall of the powerful and the petty, and covered Washington from the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Capitol Hill. This engaging memoir offers readers a closer perspective on both newsmakers and news reporters over the past four decades. Vanessa Bush
Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved REVIEW
"A terrfific read." —Larry King

"A pull-no punches book, but gracefully written, sparkling with good humor and full of new insights into Washington and the history of our times." —Dan Rather

"This insightful,instructive, and entertaining book on Washington, national politics and journalism is the work of one of the best reporters of our time. His keen eye and Texas sense of humor are a pitch-perfect combination to take us through some of the larger and small events of the last quarter-century." —Tom Brokaw ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Schieffer is the chief Washington correspondent for CBS News and the moderator of Face the Nation. He is also the winner of six Emmys.

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