This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV [Hardcover]

Bob Schieffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2003

In Bob Schieffer's own words, from the JFK assassination to the World Trade Center attacks, "I got to see most of it and came to know many of the major figures of those four decades because I am a reporter. I became a reporter because I always wanted to see things for myself and make my own judgments about them. Those events I covered have become part of our history and you already know most of them. But I want to tell you about the parts that didn't get on television or in the paper, the serious parts and the not-so-serious parts, the good times I had, and the presidents, senators, correspondents, big-time crooks, and small-time swindlers I came to know. Here are the stories I tell my friends, and they are the stories I want to share with you."

Schieffer is not only broadcast journalism's most experienced Washington reporter, but one of its best natural writers. This Just In is filled with great behind-the-scenes tales and surprising scoops based on dozens of brand-new-and sometimes startling-interviews. Smart, witty, and insightful, these are the stories you'll want to share with your friends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It might not have occurred to anyone to clamor for longtime CBS reporter Schieffer's memoir, but now that it's in print, it makes for a highly engaging read. He's seen it all and has much wisdom about journalism and governance to impart. The book spans virtually every important domestic story of the past 40-odd years; among his captivating subjects are the 1962 integration of the University of Alabama, JFK's assassination, Vietnam, Nixon-era peace protests and Watergate. The book's emphasis changes subtly from events to personalities when Schieffer takes over Face the Nation. As the subtitle suggests, Schieffer wisely forgoes rehashing familiar tales like Watergate or the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in favor of revealing the background action that went unreported at the time. He structures the book as a collection of anecdotes, and, unsurprisingly for such a seasoned pro, Schieffer has a sharp eye for intriguing details and an instinct for maintaining the proper focus on his subjects rather than on himself. When he does get personal, he admirably questions his occasional missteps in balancing family and career. The telling is so unfussy, modest and straightforward that it rarely prompts speculation about the juicy bits that he couldn't write in a book. Indeed, the work succeeds not only as a primer on broadcast journalism but also as an informal history of America over the past 40 years. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Schieffer, veteran television journalist and moderator of Face the Nation, offers insights and a riveting behind-the-scene look at the news events--and the television news business itself--over the 40-plus years of his career. Schieffer recalls the moments that defined his career and shaped the nation, from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Schieffer also recalls his career trajectory from a newspaper reporter in Fort Worth, Texas, to a failed bid to replace Walter Cronkite as anchor of CBS Evening News, to his tenure on the respected Sunday-morning news show. He shares off-camera moments with some of the most powerful politicians and journalists in the nation, including his long friendship with fellow Texan Dan Rathers. In his career, Schieffer has covered wars, seen presidents come and go, witnessed the ups and downs of White House relations with the press, observed the rise and fall of the powerful and the petty, and covered Washington from the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Capitol Hill. This engaging memoir offers readers a closer perspective on both newsmakers and news reporters over the past four decades. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399149716
• ISBN-13: 978-0399149719
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #923,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Personal Historical Memoir, June 12, 2003

By 

Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV (Hardcover)

I would not have thought to pick up this book, except that, by serendipity, I heard parts of it on Radio Reader as I was driving to work for several mornings, and by further serendipity, I heard the author talking about my late aunt, whom I never knew very well, and who, as it turns out, was a noted eccentric among the White House press corps.

So, I bought the book. And I'm very glad I did. The story begins with Bob Schieffer's baby steps in journalism, his experiences during the the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the civil rights struggles of the 60s, his changing perceptions of the war in Viet Nam, his personal experience of growth and change in the news business and in American governance, then Watergate, and finally, the events of September 11.

Although I learned nothing dramatically new (except the story of my eccentric aunt), I did enjoy seeing familiar events through the eyes of one very astute and well-informed observer. Author Bob Schieffer writes in an easy, flowing style, as though he is talking to the reader personally. He conveys a great sense of warmth and compassion as he talks about figures who are, to most of us, the great and near great. He does not hesitate to poke fun at himself or to share his foibles and failures. He comes across as a really nice person who just happens to have first-hand experience of the great events of the last forty years. The book moves along quickly, reads easily, and leaves you wanting more.

I feel very fortunate that I was able to read this book, and I highly recommend it to others. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof positive a book can be apolitical AND good, February 24, 2003

By 

Book Buff (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV (Hardcover)

If you're expecting one of those polarizing, didactic tell-alls from Mr. Schieffer, you will be disappointed. This is a wonderfully centrist look at 40 years of American history through the eyes of one of the elder statesmen of the news media. THIS JUST IN allows you to check your dogma at the door, along with whatever SLANDER or STUPID WHITE MEN drivel you've been reading, and to enjoy a nonfiction book without judging its contents or its author. WAY TO GO, BOB!!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Memoir, February 21, 2003

By 

Richard A. Mitchell "Rick Mitchell" (candia, new hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV (Hardcover)

This is a terrific memoir of Mr. Schieffer's professional life. The book is, as one would expect, extremely well-written. The author's self-effacing and engaging style that works so well on TV works equally well as he tells his stories.
The book is a newsman's view of the news he reported.

Most impressively, Mr. Schieffer walks that thin line of relating recent history to give enough background without insulting the reader's intelligence by treating him as if he has been living in a shell for the last 35 years or so.

This is a typical memoir in that it relates Mr. Schieffer's professional career. The subtitle - "What I Couldn't Tell you on TV" is unfortunate, however, because there are not really any secrets in the book. This is a memoir and not a "tell-all". I do not think this author would be amenable to tablois style tell-all yarns. That does not detract from the book, only makes the title a bit misleading.

Mr. Schieffer has reported and/or been close to most of the major stories in America for the last few decades. This is an enjoyable look at those stories through his eyes which had a close-up view. The writing is as good as the view he gives the reader.