Mike Wallace

When I was a kid, my mom didn't let us watch much tv. Not only were we restricted to just a couple hours a week, but my brother and I had to write essays explaining why we wanted to watch a particular show, and what the educational value would be. There were a few excetions. Nova was one of them, but my brother & I started passing on that one as soon as we became old enough to realize that we should feel a little uncomfortable watching the miricale of life with our parents.

The other big exception was 60 minutes. Every Sunday my mom would make her famous home-made pizza and she, my brother, my dad, and I would get together as a family and watch the show, talking about the issues it raised. In the last few years, especially with the war in Iraq, the investigation into September 11th, and controvercy surrounding Pres. Bush's supposed military service, I think the show has slipped a little. Lately it has come off as more political and biased - although there was an article this week about some of the good progress that has been made in Iraq. But the better articles are politically neutral and more obscure.

Nonetheless, the show has been part of my life, part of my family comming together, and provided material with which my parents were able to teach me to be more aware about the world around me. And Mike Wallace was a part of that.

Of course, he was more than just a 60 Minutes reporter - in the 40s he announced radio shows including the Lone Ranger. He has seen and been a part of almost the entire development of broadcast media, and each time someone like him steps aside, we lose a little perspective on how far media has come.

On the iPod:
U2; Joshua Tree