At 87, Wallace still tells it like it is

[hang a left]

At 87, Wallace still tells it like it is

By Suzanne C. Ryan, Globe Staff | December 8, 2005

Mike Wallace and his hard-hitting brand of journalism have been synonymous with ''60 Minutes" since CBS introduced the program in 1968. Now 87 years old, Wallace, who has interviewed everyone from Malcolm X to Johnny Carson, has written his second memoir. Wallace was in Brookline, his hometown, recently to talk about ''Between You and Me." He managed to squeeze in trips to his old house on Osborne Road and to his elementary school, Edward Devotion, before answering a few questions.
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Q. President George W. Bush has declined to be interviewed by you. What would you ask him if you had the chance?

A. What in the world prepared you to be the commander in chief of the largest superpower in the world? In your background, Mr. President, you apparently were incurious. You didn't want to travel. You knew very little about the military. . . . The governor of Texas doesn't have the kind of power that some governors have. . . . Why do you think they nominated you? . . . Do you think that has anything to do with the fact that the country is so up?

Q. What do you think about American journalism today, with its plagiarism scandals, layoffs, and conglomerate ownership influencing newsrooms?

A. It's different, isn't it? The days of Walter Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley are gone. People still do watch, but it doesn't have the clout that it used to have. I don't know what's going to happen or if there will be an evening news 10 years from now. It's a very expensive operation to keep up.

Q. How do you relate to contemporary media? Do you read blogs, play video games, consult your Blackberry?

A. No. I feel as though I'm out of it. I chide myself. But I'm not doing that much day-to-day coverage now.

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[...of J.Temperance]

1. It's a pity that his son is such a TOTAL asshole...and liar n/t

[Gregorian]

2. Mike Wallace was vehemently opposed to jailing Judith Miller.

He's goofy.

[endarkenment]

5. He was probably confusing her for a real journalist. eom.

[Gregorian]

6. I think Wallace is a great man.

I want to cut him some slack. But when he and Martin Kalb sit on stage and make a big issue out of possibly signing off their shows each night with a protest against the jailing of Miller, I just wonder what they are smoking.

I honestly think these older guys aren't paying attention any longer. After 85, I give people slack. I can't blame him for that.

[catmother]

3. i've been watching 60 minutes since it began. love mike wallace

he's tough and asks the right questions. may he live to be 100.

[stevedeshazer]

4. One of the last great ones

Right up there with Walter Cronkite and Daniel Schorr.

[brentspeak]

7. What about Morely Safer?

He did great work during the Vietnam War.