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After 30 years, scholar Stephen Hess tracks down the journalists he first interviewed back in 1978 to see where they are now.
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Welcome back to a fox hole I'm still your host James Rosen I'm still in Washington you can still join our live -- just below -- screen on your screen.
Using your FaceBook or Twitter account to log in and send us your questions and comments now our next guest.
Is simply one of the most distinguished members of that elite class of people known as the pundit talk -- He was a staff aide to former president Dwight Eisenhower Gettysburg.
And he worked for Richard Nixon at various points including in the Nixon White House it was an early biographer Richard Nixon he's a senior emeritus fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Walking jukebox of amazing political anecdotes -- not so easy professor to try to please.
But a really nice guy and a very good friend and a fellow bus commuter and the author most recently of whatever happened to the Washington reporters 1978 to -- twelve we welcome to the fox hole the one and only.
Stephen Hess have you made it clear that this that the student the professor -- -- -- -- James that's true and then which was which.
-- full disclosure Steve Hess was my professor.
At the Johns Hopkins university in Baltimore in the subject of political science.
Added in a year that won't be specified here.
That and done and what and used to be at one time the most quoted pundit in America is not true USA today rated either.
Access to some secret between us all right USA today and its readers all right so let's talk about this book whatever happens the Washington reporters.
197082 -- twelve.
This is in essence a follow on to an earlier project of yours right you know -- that -- -- I wrote a book called the Washington reporters and I did an interview in 1970 feet.
I don't think 450.
People covering national national and the news from Washington.
And a generation later.
When I am I decided I would reintroduce them try to find them locate them found them all over the world.
And I read it and re interviewed 283.
Almost what lose a large percentage and -- 283 over a hundred were dead had a -- obituaries fifteen we couldn't find.
So for the first time this is a book that tells the story.
Of career patterns in journalism what happened to those.
450.
Today's day in journalism that they go someplace else and they get better jobs and -- on what I would do it.
-- and that's the story and what did you find by and large.
A lot of dissatisfaction that's what I'm almost no I don't -- that car.
Quite the contrary I thought that they would all be rushing in to something else because it was high energy low paid to -- the kids were in college they better make some more money that was the way it -- -- all they stayed in journalism two thirds of them.
Why because they were having so much fun -- made fun is supposed to do.
What you do after hours these people having fun on the job.
And that at at the same time they were marrying folks.
Cool what -- -- where we're psychiatrists -- -- -- -- -- At a high government officials and lobbyists as so -- so but it looked around they didn't need to go out and become a public relations person between the two of them they -- put their kids in college -- they can stay doing what they really love which is being journalists.
And you're talking about journalists across from different disciplines print television radio -- and and what.
I have to imagine that you know of course within the great sort of intervening event between 1978 -- -- point twelve in media terms -- the advent of the Internet.
What did your interviewees tell you about that well.
First -- with the advent of cable.
Israel suddenly all of there was just ABC NBC CBS and suddenly you you can go for ABC to fox is it is suddenly -- it.
The Internet I make cable news all at all that's -- -- I pay you like as a students Atlantic and -- -- -- I -- but I felt OK so you interviewed a lot of the people are very familiar names right to yeah.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Household -- and others would hey Sam Donaldson Ted Koppel Judy Woodruff.
A little sense and a number of others in fact Morgan Calvin and one of them is another big name.
Well familiar to our viewers who described for you in this interview clip we're going to play how he got into journalism in the first place back in 1965.
Courtesy of the local unemployment office in Connecticut.
-- -- And they found me a job as a cub reporter only old Hartford time which -- snapped up because I had to work.
But when I got into -- -- -- -- first day.
And since the atmosphere I know I was home it was.
This.
Flattering place was so this are reverend spirit and something happening all the time in those days there were no computers you have to go battered typewriters and -- only had a guy to copy this thing was -- Shea.
If his name -- been -- -- -- and it changes and negotiated because Cisco go straight.
Ready white haired deepest and -- -- cigarettes.
Coarse voice yelling copy out of Princeton newsroom the copy was being sent to pneumatic -- to the composing room which was above us it.
It was wonderful.
There -- -- of that -- it was wonderful now I have to say that Brit Hume who as managing editor.
Of Fox News was my boss for ten years I will say that I found him only intermittently appreciative of quote unquote a reference spirits that's not -- -- of.
The new engine it became an agent but -- it but the book also tells how -- they invented special report.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- They it and it what was and it was.
The Lewinsky always he usually has yeah -- -- -- on the -- campaign on proceedings that's all right so it's an exciting is it's deciding.
Story of these journalists they did interest in things like I'm sure our our viewers will enjoy looking this book is called -- -- happened -- the Washington reporters 1978 to 2012 notes Steve -- being here on set with us okay.
We've got to ask for a few of your best greatest hits one of my favorite ones is.
You heard from Richard Nixon.
Who for whom you had worked on and often and who whose -- you were portrayed and one in early biography you heard from Richard Nixon.
The day after the Kennedy assassination correct.
No you know I was with Richard Nixon.
We got two minutes -- I carry out we yeah we what we were together about the day after we were together at that day I was to join him in New York.
Because we -- right got to write a book together.
And I call Rosemary -- -- said do Wear what you do she should get to his office.
Don't get to his home he was not gonna go to until and I don't but I Fifth Avenue 62 street and Fifth Avenue.
And when I money he opened the door I was with he wishes it was almost shaking.
He just come back from Dallas.
He had been in Dallas and he was worried they took out the Dallas morning news to show me that he had a press conference.
And that he had said we shouldn't have activities like this because somebody has spat upon Adlai Stevenson and really what he was saying to me was.
-- you see I didn't have anything to do with this and he quickly called.
And and they relax and that point and and it was quite -- -- -- -- being blamed for this is clearly being blamed for -- PS that somehow this was done by a buyer right Winger and so what that he might be blamed for at and at Normandy was very shut up because it could've -- him to.
At a later he had a different story about how we responded -- I was there and he was.
Very soon got.
That's just one of the kinds of -- Steve test can tell you if your privilege to spend time -- -- -- been for many years now our thanks to Steve has a giant of Washington when we come back.
The -- also -- -- once again.
To beatle mania will talk with the director of a new film about the fab -- that features all kinds of famous people in it stay here in the foxhole.
