Barkley Kern's MyC-SPAN

Morley Safer talked about his early years at CBS News, revealing that he never finished college, and his impressions of Douglas Brinkley’s new biography, Cronkite, the designation of Mr. Cronkite as “the most trusted man in America,” and told stories of working with the former CBS News anchor in London and other locales. He also discussed some of the most controversial episodes of the weekly news magazine “60 Minutes.” Topics included his disapproval of the citizen journalism trend on the internet, and his family life and legacy.
Mr. Safer reacted to video clips of a C-SPAN tour of his office in New York City and to clips from C-SPAN programs. Also shown were video clips of “60 Minutes” colleagues and his April 1, 2012, report on the arts.
Morley Safer, a “60 Minutes” correspondent for forty-two years, joined CBS News as a reporter in 1964. He began his journalism career at various newspapers in Canada, and was a correspondent and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Bob Cusack and Craig Gilbert talked about Representative Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) stances on Medicare, Social Security, and the federal budget. The program included clips of some of his more than 400 appearances on C-SPAN since 1995, including when he was a congressional staffer to his current role as the chair of the House Budget Committee.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan attended a campaign rally at Long Family Orchard Farm and Cider Mill in Commerce, Michigan. In his remarks Mr. Romney alluded to ongoing charges over the authenticity of President Obama’s birth certificate by saying, “No one’s ever asked for my birth certificate.”

Jeremy Art talked about the launch of C-SPAN Convention Hub, a site dedicated to the Republican and Democratic National Committees' conventions.

Rice University History Professor Douglas Brinkley talked about his new biography of long-time CBS “Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite, who was often referred to as “the most trusted man in America.” Cronkite chronicles his early life in Missouri and Texas and his United Press wire service reporting from the front lines of World War II. He shared stories of Cronkite’s rise through the ranks of CBS News, including the task of anchoring the 1952 political conventions and the expansion of the CBS Evening News from 15 to 30 minutes in 1963. Brinkley suggests that while Cronkite’s Evening News broadcasts aimed for political objectivity, his radio commentaries were what he terms “left leaning.” Brinkley describes Cronkite’s retirement at age 65 from the nightly newscast and his subsequent regret in choosing Dan Rather as his replacement. Brinkley discussed his research methods, which included access to Cronkite’s private papers and interviews with over 150 people.

President Barack Obama gave a speech to campaign supporters in Roanoke, Virginia. He talked about his middle-class tax cut plan and other economic issues. The speech generated controversy from Mitt Romney’s campaign and among conservatives because of the president’s statement regarding the infrastructure used by business owners: “Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

Mitt Romney spoke to supporters at a town hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado. He called the president the “outsourcer in chief” and criticized his middle-class tax cut plan. He also talked about his qualifications for his vice presidential running mate as well as his work at Bain Capital.

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) announced his retirement from the House of Representatives. He cited redistricting as the main reason, but also the desire to do other things in his life. He answered questions from reporters on topics that included regrets in his career, the 2008 financial crisis, and the 2012 Republican presidential field. He stated he would not become a lobbyist because one of the advantages of retiring is that he no longer has to be nice to people he dislikes.

After former President Richard Milhous Nixon died, C-SPAN showed footage from his farewell address. The morning he resigned, the president and his family addressed administration officials and White House staff concerning his thoughts on that important day. The address included a tribute to the White House staff and the president’s parents.