Steve Kroft

Journalist
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

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About
About this interview

In his three-hour interview, Steve Kroft details his early interest in journalism and his stint in the army, where he reported for both the Armed Forces Radio and Stars & Stripes. He chronicles his time in local television in Jacksonville, FL, and in Syracuse, NY, where he was noticed by CBS and brought on board as a correspondent for The CBS Evening News. He discusses his various posts at CBS, including his time as a foreign correspondent and his year on the short-lived news magazine show West 57th. He speaks of his many years as a correspondent on the classic news documentary program 60 Minutes, and talks about reporting on presidents, 9/11 and the Gulf War, and the disaster at Chernobyl. Kroft recalls his working relationship with other 60 Minutes luminaries like Mike Wallace and Don Hewitt and describes what makes a good 60 Minutes correspondent. He speaks of the then-current state of television news, his legacy in television news, and his advice to aspiring journalists. Dr. Ralph Engelman conducted the interview on November 14, 2011 in New York, NY.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"When I first came to 60 Minutes I was surrounded by people that were among the best that have ever done television news. To stay there you have to show that you could do it. In twenty-some years I've shown that I can, that I was able to play on this court."

People Talking About ...
Steve Kroft
Highlights
Steve Kroft on becoming a correspondent for 60 Minutes
01:57
Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes  interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42
Steve Kroft on the movement toward more celebrity-driven news
03:14
Steve Kroft on interviewing Clarence Thomas for 60 Minutes  and dealing with criticism of his interviews
05:19
Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden
03:15
Full Interview

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Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on his early interest in journalism; on his experience at the Armed Forces Radio and Stars & Stripes
On covering Vietnam; on working in local news in Syracuse, New York; on working in local news in Jacksonville, Florida
On going to work for CBS News; on his early years at CBS New s and his mentors there
On becoming a foreign correspondent for CBS News; on joining the news magazine show West 57th

Chapter 2
On working on West 57th; on joining 60 Minutes; on his relationship with Don Hewitt; on finding his way as a reporter on 60 Minutes
On competition for stories on 60 Minutes; on working with the producers of 60 Minutes
On covering various stories on 60 Minutes; on interviewing Bill and Hillary Clinton for 60 Minutes
On interviewing Clarence Thomas and President Obama for 60 Minutes
Steve Kroft on his working relationship with Don Hewitt on 60 Minutes

Chapter 3
On interviewing President Obama; on stories he's covered for 60 Minutes; on the then-current state of broadcast news
On coverage of 9/11; on how audiences for network news have changed; on the shift toward celebrity-driven news
On his favorite interviews; on then-current projects
On his greatest professional achievements and regrets; on advice to aspiring journalists and his legacy in television news
Shows

60 Minutes

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Steve Kroft on why 60 Minutes was a good fit for him
02:35
Steve Kroft on his working relationship with Don Hewitt on 60 Minutes
01:54
Steve Kroft on finding his way on 60 Minutes
02:12
Steve Kroft on the competition for stories on 60 Minutes
04:19
Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42
Steve Kroft on competition among correspondents on 60 Minutes
01:43
Steve Kroft on working with the producers of 60 Minutes
04:40
Steve Kroft on covering TWA Flight 847 for 60 Minutes
03:10
Steve Kroft on covering Chernobyl for 60 Minutes
02:35
Steve Kroft on interviewing Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1992 for 60 Minutes
05:33
Steve Kroft on covering the Gulf War for 60 Minutes 
02:53
Steve Kroft on various stories he's covered for 60 Minutes
06:52
Steve Kroft on interviewing Clarence Thomas for 60 Minutes and dealing with criticism of his interviews
05:19
Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama for 60 Minutes
04:10
Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden
03:15
Steve Kroft on his personal favorite 60 Minutes reports
03:11
Steve Kroft on the types of stories he covers for 60 Minutes
02:05
Steve Kroft on the limitations of the 60 Minutes format
03:58
Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes coverage of 9/11
01:13
Steve Kroft on how technology has changed reporting on 60 Minutes
02:25
Steve Kroft on his celebrity and his political views
03:21
Steve Kroft on keeping control of his interviews and interviews he wishes he could do
02:49

CBS Evening News with Dan Rather

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Steve Kroft on his early years on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and transitioning into his position there
04:29
Steve Kroft on his early mentors at CBS News and his early assignments 
02:02
Steve Kroft on being transferred to CBS News' southwest bureau in Dallas
04:32
Steve Kroft on becoming a foreign correspondent for CBS News in 1984
10:13

CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

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Steve Kroft on going to work for CBS News and covering El Salvador
04:23
Topics

9/11

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Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes coverage of 9/11
01:13

Barack Obama

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Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama for 60 Minutes
04:10
Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden
03:15

Bill Clinton

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Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes  interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42

Criticism of TV

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Steve Kroft on interviewing Clarence Thomas for 60 Minutes and dealing with criticism of his interviews
05:19

Fame and Celebrity

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Steve Kroft on the movement toward more celebrity-driven news
03:14

Gulf War

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Steve Kroft on covering the Gulf War for 60 Minutes 
02:53

Technological Innovation

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Steve Kroft on how technology has changed reporting on 60 Minutes
02:25

Television Industry

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Steve Kroft on interviewing Clarence Thomas for 60 Minutes and dealing with criticism of his interviews
05:19
Steve Kroft on the movement toward more celebrity-driven news
03:14

Television and the Presidency

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Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama for 60 Minutes
04:10
Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes  interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42
Steve Kroft on interviewing President Obama after the death of Osama bin Laden
03:15

Vietnam War

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Steve Kroft on how his service in Vietnam prepared him to become an journalist
01:43

War

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Steve Kroft on how his service in Vietnam prepared him to become an journalist
01:43
Professions

Correspondent

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Steve Kroft on the biggest story of his career and his advice to aspiring journalists
03:01

Journalists & News Producers

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Steve Kroft on the biggest story of his career and his advice to aspiring journalists
03:01
Genres

News and Documentary

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Steve Kroft on being a correspondent for 60 Minutes
54:34
Steve Kroft on being a correspondent for 60 Minutes
47:16
People

Bill Clinton

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Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42

Don Hewitt

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Steve Kroft on his working relationship with Don Hewitt on 60 Minutes
04:06

Fred Friendly

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Steve Kroft on attending Columbia to study journalism
01:14

Mike Wallace

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Steve Kroft on his 60 Minutes interview with Bill and Hillary Clinton
04:42

All Interviews

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