--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were the first people who did…" description: "\"We were the first people who did investigative stuff, who asked occasionally abrasive, occasionally confrontational questions.\" — Mike Wallace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/mike-wallace-5222_asked_we-were-the-first-people-who-did-investi_1206987.png" --- # We were the first people who did investigative stuff, who… ![“We were the first people who did investigative stuff, who asked occasionally abrasive, occasionally confrontational questions.” quote by Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/mike-wallace-5222_asked_we-were-the-first-people-who-did-investi_1206987.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/mike-wallace-5222_asked_we-were-the-first-people-who-did-investi_1206987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/mike-wallace-5222_asked_we-were-the-first-people-who-did-investi_1206987.png) > “We were the first people who did investigative stuff, who asked occasionally abrasive, occasionally confrontational questions.” [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights pioneering investigative journalism that challenged authority with tough questioning. **In simple terms:** Emphasizes bold, probing inquiry in reporting. Key Takeaway Ask tough questions to uncover truth. Themes journalism investigation accountability media ethics Mood critical inquisitive Type journalistic historical When to use this quote - news reporting - political interviews - media analysis Key Concepts interview technique public scrutiny press freedom Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do journalists have when confronting power? - How does style affect credibility? A Different Perspective Aggressive questioning can alienate sources or audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked/) [Asked Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-occasionally-3643477/) [Confrontational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confrontational/) [Confrontational Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confrontational-questions-3643478/) [Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did/) [Did Investigative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-investigative-3643479/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Investigative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigative/) [Investigative Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigative-stuff-3643476/) [Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasionally/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [I'm often asked - and occasionally in an accusatory way - 'Are you atheist?' And it's like, 'You know, the only 'ist' I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-m-often-asked-and-occasionally-in-an-accusatory-way-are-you-atheist/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [People keep saying I've changed. I used to be confrontational. But I'm - I haven't changed. It was - it's just that circumstances have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/people-keep-saying-i-ve-changed-i-used-to-be-confrontational-but-i-m/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [I'm not confrontational in any way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-solomon/i-m-not-confrontational-in-any-way/) [Stacey Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-solomon/) > [Confrontational things, admission of error, admission of defeat, restructuring, laying people off - those are not American ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-ross/confrontational-things-admission-of-error-admission-of-defeat/) [Wilbur Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-ross/) > [I bring values, resiliency, a thick skin, and I'm not afraid to be confrontational. I don't remember anyone before bringing that to the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-paladino/i-bring-values-resiliency-a-thick-skin-and-i-m-not-afraid-to-be/) [Carl Paladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-paladino/) > [As a person who is not confrontational by disposition I tend to see that the quality of being confrontational is a positive attribute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hall/as-a-person-who-is-not-confrontational-by-disposition-i-tend-to-see/) [John Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hall/) > [This marched was planned to be non violent and non confrontational, and gladly it stayed that way. What really impressed me was the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-blair/this-marched-was-planned-to-be-non-violent-and-non-confrontational/) [John Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-blair/) > [She lived in fear of his shifting moods, his volatile temperament, his insistence on steering even mundane exchanges down a confrontational path that, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/she-lived-in-fear-of-his-shifting-moods-his-volatile-temperament-his/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I'm interested in really particular details, ideas, thoughts, and emotions, yet it's defused with performance, where you can play with hiding things, or be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-tompkins/i-m-interested-in-really-particular-details-ideas-thoughts-and/) [Sue Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-tompkins/) > [I'm only confrontational with my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-m-only-confrontational-with-my-friends/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I'm not a screamer. I'm confrontational, but I don't think that translates into anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/i-m-not-a-screamer-i-m-confrontational-but-i-don-t-think-that/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I'm not really a confrontational person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javale-mcgee/i-m-not-really-a-confrontational-person/) [JaVale McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javale-mcgee/) > [Early on, I really liked the idea of being confrontational. I loved the idea of making songs that made people really uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/early-on-i-really-liked-the-idea-of-being-confrontational-i-loved-the/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [I feel irrational so confrontational to tell the truth I am getting away with murder it isn't possible to never tell the truth but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/papa-roach/i-feel-irrational-so-confrontational-to-tell-the-truth-i-am-getting/) [Papa Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/papa-roach/) > [By nature I can be a confrontational person. I don't feel like there's anything wrong with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/by-nature-i-can-be-a-confrontational-person-i-don-t-feel-like-there-s/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) ## More by Mike Wallace > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Residents grimly spoke of the crisis as “O Grab Me”—“embargo” spelled backward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/residents-grimly-spoke-of-the-crisis-as-o-grab-me-embargo-spelled/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“The key to success in the Gold Room was information. Knowledge of a battle’s outcome obtained an hour before one’s competitors could be parlayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/the-key-to-success-in-the-gold-room-was-information-knowledge-of-a/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“When the popular actor John Hodgkinson appeared in the red coat of a British officer, hecklers wouldn’t allow him to continue until he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/when-the-popular-actor-john-hodgkinson-appeared-in-the-red-coat-of-a/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [When I came to CBS it was the mother church. I mean that was - everybody wanted to go to work for CBS News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/when-i-came-to-cbs-it-was-the-mother-church-i-mean-that-was-everybody/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Even though Jack Kennedy and I were about the same age and lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same elementary school, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/even-though-jack-kennedy-and-i-were-about-the-same-age-and-lived-in/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Warner took to writing in hopes of making money and submitted a pious and sentimental novel to Harpers, which rebuffed it with the single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/warner-took-to-writing-in-hopes-of-making-money-and-submitted-a-pious/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Horace Greeley cautioned one upstate hopeful: “You do not realize how little the mere talent of writing well has to do with success or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/horace-greeley-cautioned-one-upstate-hopeful-you-do-not-realize-how/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“Political editors were a truculent breed. Leggett’s boss, William Cullen Bryant, took a cowskin whip to William Leete Stone of the Commercial Advertiser in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/political-editors-were-a-truculent-breed-leggett-s-boss-william/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [But I was never, you know, when I see some kids today who are close to their parents, close to their friends... I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/but-i-was-never-you-know-when-i-see-some-kids-today-who-are-close-to/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“And among the prissiest. Gilder’s method of raising public standards of taste and morality required the production of bloodless pages. As custodian of genteel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/and-among-the-prissiest-gilder-s-method-of-raising-public-standards/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Covering Richard Nixon's triumphant run in 1968 turned out to be my last major assignment as a general correspondent for CBS News. In September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/covering-richard-nixon-s-triumphant-run-in-1968-turned-out-to-be-my/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [There's not a better job in journalism than the one we have, seriously on '60 Minutes' - not a better job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/there-s-not-a-better-job-in-journalism-than-the-one-we-have-seriously/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [Both my parents came from Russia and suddenly they wound up in Boston, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts and they felt the sun rose and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/both-my-parents-came-from-russia-and-suddenly-they-wound-up-in-boston/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [“In the symphonic world, musically inclined industrialists and financiers were having problems of a different sort with the New York Philharmonic. The old German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/in-the-symphonic-world-musically-inclined-industrialists-and/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) [Explore all 102 Mike Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) ## More Asked quotes > [“Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice. "Because if I had the chance... I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Who tricked me into this whole thing and leaves me standing here? Who am I? How did I get into the world? Why was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/who-tricked-me-into-this-whole-thing-and-leaves-me-standing-here-who/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“The best questions are ones never asked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cory-molloy/the-best-questions-are-ones-never-asked/) [Robert Cory Molloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cory-molloy/) > [A lot of people think I'm snotty. So what? They never asked me out when I was serving cheeseburgers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-moriarty/a-lot-of-people-think-i-m-snotty-so-what-they-never-asked-me-out-when/) [Cathy Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-moriarty/) > [I've been so lucky with the people I've worked with, but I'm such a fan girl. When I moved to London at 16, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-smith/i-ve-been-so-lucky-with-the-people-i-ve-worked-with-but-i-m-such-a/) [Sheridan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-smith/) > [For me to even be talking about bikini confidence is crazy. If you had asked me a couple of months ago, I probably would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordin-sparks/for-me-to-even-be-talking-about-bikini-confidence-is-crazy-if-you-had/) [Jordin Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordin-sparks/) > [Only once have I been made mute. It was when a man asked me, 'Who are you?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/only-once-have-i-been-made-mute-it-was-when-a-man-asked-me-who-are-you/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [The only thing Steve Jobs has ever asked me in all the years we've been together and have been partners, the only thing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/the-only-thing-steve-jobs-has-ever-asked-me-in-all-the-years-we-ve/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“A girl likes to be asked, dumbass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/a-girl-likes-to-be-asked-dumbass/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [I've been asked to school dances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wolfhard/i-ve-been-asked-to-school-dances/) [Finn Wolfhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wolfhard/) > [“Which to you have?' Mel asked, blocking the entry with his body. 'Talent or issues?' I paused for a moment, thought about this. 'Both,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-sales/which-to-you-have-mel-asked-blocking-the-entry-with-his-body-talent/) [Leila Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-sales/) > [“Did you find someone who makes you feel all those things?” she asked, not wanting to think of her own failed union. He locked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-rossi/did-you-find-someone-who-makes-you-feel-all-those-things-she-asked/) [Mila Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-rossi/) > [Hang on, did you just call me Angel?” I asked. “If I did?” “I don’t like it.” He grinned. “It stays. Angel.” He leaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/hang-on-did-you-just-call-me-angel-i-asked-if-i-did-i-don-t-like-it/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [At first, I asked, Why me? 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