‘Nightline’ at 30: A Retrospective in Journalism
EmailA moment out of the daily grind to celebrate a milestone. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the "Nightline" debut, a television news gamble that grew out of the Iran hostage crisis. My colleague Kinga Janik has compiled a mind-blowing interactive timeline that features some of our finest programming — from capturing critical moments in history to creative storytelling we often do best. As she notes in the accompanying report, the early reviews were not exactly promising. "To judge from its premiere, it is not likely to see 'America Held Spellbound,'" wrote Tom Shales, who remains a TV columnist for the Washington Post. But here were are, three decades later, always striving to be on the news — and deliver it to you as intelligently as possible. As our executive producer James Goldston likes to say, "On we go." Click HERE to check out the interactive timeline. And with so many throwback "Nightline" videos to choose from, I picked the one below, the first live shot ever from Mt. Everest in 1982. Enjoy.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
This is one of the best shows left on television. Most of television is now a disaster.
This show has continued to provide good content for the most part. There are those occassional stories about celebrities or some other gossip topic that I could do without. It would be better to stay with national and international news about topics that have real bearing on us hard working citizens. Nightline’s help in exposing government for the failed circus that is has become has been helpful. Please focus on real news like that and keep up the good work.
The current journalists are good and Ted Koppel was stellar. I was on a plane with Ted Koppel and his wife recently. They are looking good.
Posted by: Proud Native American and Angry Independent Voter | March 24, 2010, 12:24 pm 12:24 pm
Too bad that after 30 years, Nightline’s current jounalistic claim to fame is hit pieces on the 9/11 truth movement.
Pathetic excuse for journalism.
I just wonder how errant and filled with propaganda the original Nightline reports on the Iranian hostage situation would look today with the benifit of hindsight. I believed anything they said in those days. Now I know better.
Posted by: Tom | March 24, 2010, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm