--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I ever heard about '60 Minutes,' I…" description: "\"Before I ever heard about '60 Minutes,' I had been a writer, a columnist for 'Life' magazine and for 'Newsweek' - that was about as high as you could g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/shana-alexander-11547_care_before-i-ever-heard-about-60-minutes-i-h_1826670.jpg" --- # Before I ever heard about '60 Minutes,' I had been a… ![“Before I ever heard about '60 Minutes,' I had been a writer, a columnist for 'Life' magazine and for 'Newsweek' - that was about as high as you could get in column writing. I care about my writing. I'm not a quack-quack TV journalist.” quote by Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/shana-alexander-11547_care_before-i-ever-heard-about-60-minutes-i-h_1826670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/shana-alexander-11547_care_before-i-ever-heard-about-60-minutes-i-h_1826670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/shana-alexander-11547_care_before-i-ever-heard-about-60-minutes-i-h_1826670.jpg) > “Before I ever heard about '60 Minutes,' I had been a writer, a columnist for 'Life' magazine and for 'Newsweek' - that was about as high as you could get in column writing. I care about my writing. I'm not a quack-quack TV journalist.” [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker emphasizes a distinguished writing career and rejects being a sensational TV journalist, valuing serious journalism over entertainment. **In simple terms:** Serious writing is valued over sensational TV. Key Takeaway Uphold journalistic integrity and depth. Themes journalism integrity career Mood determined proud Type professional defensive When to use this quote - career choices - media criticism - public trust Key Concepts media ethics professionalism Questions to Reflect On - How can serious journalism thrive in TV? - What defines a "quack" journalist? A Different Perspective The statement may overlook the impact of broadcast media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [60 Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/60-minutes-460480/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Column Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/column-writing-2239915/) [Columnist Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columnist-life-2239913/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Minutes Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes-writer-2239914/) [Writer Columnist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-columnist-2239912/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I majored in journalism at Arizona State University, where I began writing the columns I write now, but I cannot, in good conscience, refer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-notaro/i-majored-in-journalism-at-arizona-state-university-where-i-began/) [Laurie Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-notaro/) > [Column writing is like gas - it fills the available space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/column-writing-is-like-gas-it-fills-the-available-space/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > ['60 Minutes' was a disaster for me because it made everybody think that I was the house liberal of CBS, which is the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/60-minutes-was-a-disaster-for-me-because-it-made-everybody-think-that/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [ ... Don \[Hewitt, 60 Minutes exec producer\] told me, "You have set broadcast journalism back 20 years." Naturally, I was both proud and elated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-von-hoffman/don-hewitt-60-minutes-exec-producer-told-me-you-have-set-broadcast/) [Nicholas von Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-von-hoffman/) > [I can tell you categorically that we at 60 Minutes did not pay Michael Jackson one cent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hewitt/i-can-tell-you-categorically-that-we-at-60-minutes-did-not-pay/) [Don Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hewitt/) > [I just have to make sure that for 60 minutes, I'm going out there and doing my job, running routes the best that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/i-just-have-to-make-sure-that-for-60-minutes-i-m-going-out-there-and/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [The wise teacher knows that 55 minutes of work plus 5 minutes laughter are worth twice as much as 60 minutes of unvaried work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-highet/the-wise-teacher-knows-that-55-minutes-of-work-plus-5-minutes/) [Gilbert Highet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-highet/) > [He's so slow that he takes an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-so-slow-that-he-takes-an-hour-and-a-half-to-watch-60-minutes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I totally remember that: being 25 and unemployed and trying to stretch each cappuccino for 60 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/i-totally-remember-that-being-25-and-unemployed-and-trying-to-stretch/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Really, those 60 minutes when I am on the field is my time to enjoy myself, and I don't have to worry about anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-ha-clinton-dix/really-those-60-minutes-when-i-am-on-the-field-is-my-time-to-enjoy/) [Ha Ha Clinton-Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-ha-clinton-dix/) > [Boy is my wife stupid. It takes her and hour and a half to watch 60 minutes. My daughters no bargain either. In public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/boy-is-my-wife-stupid-it-takes-her-and-hour-and-a-half-to-watch-60/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [On TV, stories and events are finalized in 30 or 60 minutes, or neatly tied up after a season or two. The best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/on-tv-stories-and-events-are-finalized-in-30-or-60-minutes-or-neatly/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [At first, when my agent told me, 'They want you to do an interview, a piece for '60 Minutes,' I was like, 'What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-antetokounmpo/at-first-when-my-agent-told-me-they-want-you-to-do-an-interview-a/) [Giannis Antetokounmpo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-antetokounmpo/) ## More by Shana Alexander > [We are on a sexual binge in this country. ... One consequence of this binge is that while people now get into bed more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/we-are-on-a-sexual-binge-in-this-country-one-consequence-of-this/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The real trouble with the doctor image in America is that it has been grayed by the image of the doctor-as-businessman, the doctor-as-bureaucrat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-real-trouble-with-the-doctor-image-in-america-is-that-it-has-been/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Roughly speaking, the President of the United States knows what his job is. Constitution and custom spell it out, for him as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/roughly-speaking-the-president-of-the-united-states-knows-what-his/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Good drama should sandpaper the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/good-drama-should-sandpaper-the-mind/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The mark of a true crush... is that you fall in love first and grope for reasons afterward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-mark-of-a-true-crush-is-that-you-fall-in-love-first-and-grope-for/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-sad-truth-is-that-excellence-makes-people-nervous/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The majority of Utah's citizens do not merely approve the death penalty, they demand it - the state religion demands it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-majority-of-utah-s-citizens-do-not-merely-approve-the-death/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [In Utah, the American melting pot is unstirred. Three out of four people are Mormons, and they are all here in this bleakly beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/in-utah-the-american-melting-pot-is-unstirred-three-out-of-four/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Ours is the first society in history in which parents expect to learn from their children, rather than the other way around. Such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/ours-is-the-first-society-in-history-in-which-parents-expect-to-learn/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The notion that the great artist requires a great patron has been around since the Pharaohs. That the born patron also needs an artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-notion-that-the-great-artist-requires-a-great-patron-has-been/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The law changes and flows like water, and . . . the stream of women's rights law has become a sudden rushing torrent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-law-changes-and-flows-like-water-and-the-stream-of-women-s-rights/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [The paradox of Reality is that no image is as compelling as the one which exists only in the mind's eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/the-paradox-of-reality-is-that-no-image-is-as-compelling-as-the-one/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Mind and body are not to be taken lightly. Their connection is intimate and mysterious, and better mapped by poets than pornographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/mind-and-body-are-not-to-be-taken-lightly-their-connection-is/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Writing about your family is the hardest thing, unless you had the perfect happy family life, which very few of us have had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/writing-about-your-family-is-the-hardest-thing-unless-you-had-the/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) > [Between the two poles of whole-truth and half-truth is slung the chancy hammock in which we all rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-alexander/between-the-two-poles-of-whole-truth-and-half-truth-is-slung-the/) [Shana Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) [Explore all 59 Shana Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-alexander/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. 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Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. 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