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CBS's "60 Minutes" aired Scott Pelley's interview with Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich on March 18th, 2007 ("The Killings in Haditha"). Pelley's performance was a disgraceful failure. Instead of using the discussion as a platform to give the viewers information about Wuterich's experience and what happened in Haditha on November 19th, 2005 in a simple, straightforward fashion -- which is, or at least should be, the aim of such interviews -- Pelley spent far too much time moralizing about Wuterich's actions and endeavoring to make sure that everyone knew that he was making important, and importantly correct, judgments about what Wuterich had done. Everyone can agree that what happened that day in Haditha was tragic, like so much of what happens any in war. I'm not saying that what Wuterich did that day Haditha was legal, morally permissible, illegal or morally impermissible. But I'm certain that the way Scott Pelley conducted the interview was unacceptable. I might, after some thought, make a judgment about what I thought of Wuterich's actions, but only if I had enough facts about the incident to form such a judgment. And I would have gotten such information if Pelley had done a passable job in his discussion. His moralizing was counterproductive and irritating. Regardless of the moral or legal status of Wuterich's actions on November 19th, 2005, he did do a good job of handling Pelley's ham-fisted melodrama -- he didn't succumb to the pressure to show excessive, blathering emotion and didn't make an on-air entreaty for forgiveness, absolution and mercy. Shame on you "60 Minutes". And Shame on you, Scott Pelley, for such a cheap, manipulative charade of an interview. You could have provided us with information, but left us with only tawdry, highhanded sanctimony.
score 5/10
wash-jones 18 March 2007
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1620077/ |
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1-11-2020 11:29:13