Television journalism is, in fact, still a thing. But just barely.
Sadly, the best newsmagazine show on television will air its final episode in the coming weeks. I'm talking about Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. Frankly, it's a bit of a blow for me. I clung to it like a life preserver in a swelling sea of fetid infotainment. I will miss its probity, its courage and its consistent relevance. Mostly, I will miss seeing them almost-singlehandedly preserve the fine and shockingly rare art of great television journalism ... and do so with a skill and a fearlessness that put 60 Minutes to shame for 29 seasons.
Thankfully, though, there will still be CBS's Sunday Morning ... a decidedly sleepy show that doesn't hit nearly as hard as Real Sports ... in fact, they usually toss softballs at celebrities during puffy profiles ... but they do manage to shed plenty of interesting light despite the notable absence of heat. Mostly, they churn out finely-crafted newsmagazine pieces ... on art, on history, on science and on culture. And they've always got one human interest tear-jerker thrown in for good measure. They do it every week, filling an hour and half with a wide range of stories by a great crew of seasoned reporters who are introduced by an insanely likeable Jane Pauley.
However, they usually manage to drop one well-researched, incredibly trenchant hard news piece into the mix ... and each time they do, I find myself amazed that they give the time they do to the topics they do and that they do it with real journalistic skill ... and yesterday was no different.
Below you will find a link to a TWELVE MINUTE story on the daunting issue of the toxic "e-waste" we in the "developed world" ship off to the "developing world." It's one of the few examples of the amazing potential of television journalism still left on America's airwaves.
TITLE: The tragic costs of e-waste
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-tragic-costs-of-e-waste/