Tuesday, April 10, 2012

John Doyle: On Mike Wallace and wallowing in nostalgia

The Globe and Mail's John Doyle has an excellent column on the death of Mike Wallace.
Excerpt:
"It was a time when the theatre of television was being explored and better understood. The lure of the interrogation-style interview, with the interviewee/suspect under the lights, proved irresistible. Especially in the pre-colour TV era. Wallace was good at it, grasping the theatrical mannerisms and exaggerations needed to make it work. That’s what he took to 60 Minutes and he performed in the same style right up to his final interview, with Roger Clemens, in 2008.
"Most of Wallace’s career unfolded in the pre-cable era. A time when Americans and Canadians had few news choices. That made 60 Minutes matter, with a significance and heft that is unthinkable today. Before the 24/7 news cycle, there existed a short list of news events that truly mattered and a short list of TV outlets covering them."

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