Heat and Light: Advice for the Next Generation of Journalists. Mike Wallace and Beth Knobel. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2010. 276 pp.
When it comes to fame—and probably fortune as well—there are few twentieth-century journalists who have enjoyed greater success than Mike Wallace. His gripping 60 Minutes interviews with most of the major news figures of the age set a standard for television journalism that will likely never be surpassed. So when Wallace and his former CBS colleague Beth Knobel (now a faculty member at Fordham University) offer a how-to guide to doing journalism, notice must be paid.
The result, Heat and Light, is a journalism primer aimed at the next generation of high school journalists. The text provides a detailed account of what budding journalists can expect as they enter the world of journalism, from interviewing sources to applying news judgment, from journalistic ethics to the differing demands of broadcast and print. Not only does this book present tips for building a successful foundation for one’s journalistic career, but it also details where journalism might be headed in the future.
It is important to note that one key component of journalism, Wallace and Knobel maintain from the onset, is objectivity. It is, they claim, “the gospel of journalism.” Untroubled by any postmodern notions of the elasticity of truth, “the central goal of journalism is to separate fact from fiction,” they write. In the case of a book for novice journalists in the twenty-first century, this is probably a very good idea.
Given the book’s target market of aspiring high schoolers—i.e., young persons born in the mid- to late-1990s—one might worry about the possibility of a serious generational disconnect, principally because the vast majority of the authors’ careers in journalism occurred before their readers were born. Despite the prominence and longevity of Wallace’s career, he may enjoy significantly less name recognition in the contemporary high school cafeteria than Mark Zuckerberg or Sergey Brin. Perhaps knowing that this might be an issue, Wallace and Knobel make a point of relating their own past experiences to what they see as the present realities of the practices of the present profession of journalism.
In addition to elaborating on bigger-picture topics, Wallace and Knobel also provide workaday advice that will help novice journalists acquire the skills that will serve as a proper foundation for future careers in journalism. Not surprisingly, they take a page from the playbook of the long-time producer of 60 Minutes, the late Don Hewitt, whose public mantra as well as the title of his 2001 autobiography was Tell Me a Story. Concomitantly, Heat and Light devotes almost an entire chapter to the keys to finding a good story. Recalling the title of the book, the authors present a convincing argument that good journalism lies in finding the correct balance between heat (the drama) and light (the information). In their view, a story cannot have too much of either if it is to succeed.
Moreover, and more conventionally, the authors emphasize the importance of understanding newsworthiness when looking for a story. In an insightful and eloquent passage, they note the various factors—such as proximity, impact, conflict, prominence, and timeliness—that help define the nature of newsworthiness. They also quote the personal views of other CBS colleagues on the subject. One of the more interesting is Scott Pelley, who describes a personal five-item checklist he uses. “One does not have to satisfy all five,” says Pelley, “but if you have three out of five, it’s going to be a great story.”
In many ways, the book is an accurate reflection of the best attributes of the body of work Wallace created in his fifty-plus years as a journalist. For instance, given his many triumphs with the one-on-one interview—including Malcolm X, Richard Nixon, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, etc.—it seems logical that the book would advise young journalists always to think about developing a story through character. The authors demonstrate how this can be accomplished by using filmmaker Steven Spielberg as an example. Spielberg did not call his movie The Holocaust. Instead, he made a movie called Schindler’s List that was about the Holocaust.
The authors also make a point of explaining the role sources play in the journalistic world, noting that spending time building relationships with sources can prove to be more beneficial for the future than for the story at hand. If, over time, the reporter has gained their trust, sources can provide the reporter with future references, exclusive interviews, and secret information. For example, after a report came out about his steroid use in baseball, Roger Clemens wanted to prove his innocence. He would allow only Wallace to interview him. Clemens trusted Wallace to present him honestly because Wallace had previously interviewed him and established a relationship of trust.
Drawing on their own experiences, Wallace and Knobel reveal mostly basic, sometimes even common sense, information. Clearly the book is best suited for younger audiences. In the last chapter, however, they offer their views on the future of the profession, forecasting the death of print and the rise of more personalized “news on demand” and user-created content. In addition, they expect that the primacy of technology will continue to transform journalism. But even in the face of all this transformation, their parting words to the young journalist are: “Remember, the world is counting on you.”
David Abrahamson and Angela Lee
Northwestern University