"60 MINUTES" celebrates anniversary at National Press Club
CBS' "60 Minutes" celebrated fifty years of storytelling at the National Press Club on Tuesday and discussed the future of the venerated news magazine.
"We will play well, do well in the digital world, doing what we do best," said "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager.
Fager and CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker discussed their most memorable moments of the show, digital journalism, and the current state of the press at the National Press Club Ballroom before roughly 200 people.
"I hope that the way we tell our stories, the way we report our stories, the stories we choose to cover will be the same for many years to come," said Fager.
The night opened with a video that travelled back in time to some of the show's most iconic moments – which included cameos from legendary correspondents, several presidents and a host of celebrities. Former general manager of CBS Radio Network News Mike Freedman then moderated a fifty-minute panel discussion with the television magazine's leading man and one of its top correspondents.
There was also some discussion of Stormy Daniels' recent segment, which was watched by more than 20 million people.
"Did anybody watch this past Sunday night's broadcast?" Fager joked to the room. "It is important because it is a question of campaign finance laws, and if there were violations, and that's going to be investigated at some point," said Fager, stressing why the interview was vital for 60.
Outside of the steamy Stormy interview, Fager said that the way "60 Minutes" has told stories over the last fifty years is consistent to how his predecessor, executive producer and creator Don Hewitt, told them.
"It hasn't changed," Fager said. "One because of the people, and two because of the incredible investment CBS News has made."
"The storytelling will be the same," he said later. "I think where it's delivered will be different."