A Tribute to Joe Wershba by Jeff Fager

Good morning. On behalf of Shirley and the rest of the Wershba family here today, thank you all for being here. And to everyone from CBS News, we have gathered to honor one of the most important people in our organization, and one of the finest men ever to walk our halls, Joe Wershba. Joe had many talents, but above all, he was a true writer. He was a master of understatement, something that became part of the CBS style. Still, when it comes to his contribution, there is no way to overstate it.

Joe was one of the founding fathers of CBS News and one of the original producers of 60 Minutes.

Everyone in our organization should know what Joe and Shirley did with Murrow and the team that stood up to McCarthy. Without their courage, this country might have taken a very different path. They put themselves on the line to report the truth. They did not hold back, even when the odds were against them, including pressure from the forces we know can sometimes be the strongest of all, the ones inside our own company.

Don Hewitt used to always say, "I've succeeded by surrounding myself with people smarter than me." Of course, we all knew Don was usually the smartest person in the room. But did he surround himself with remarkable people? He certainly did. Joe was one of the first.

Joe had two qualities that are not often found together in one person at 60 Minutes. He was a great reporter, and he was a true gentleman. He left around the same time I arrived at 60 Minutes in the late 1980s, but I heard more about him than about any other producer. That says a great deal about the mark he left on the place.

Beyond the many 60 Minutes stories he helped bring to life, Joe helped shape our culture. It is a culture we still protect, in ways both large and small. I do not know exactly how much of what we do today still comes from his influence, but I do know this: Joe was known for speaking his mind, no matter the subject. That has always been a point of pride at 60 Minutes. It is never personal. It is always about what is best for the story or for the organization.

Recently, Phil Scheffler told me about some smaller but still meaningful parts of the 60 Minutes culture that can be traced back to Joe. Don Hewitt told me on my first day there that we do not have memos, and we do not have meetings. Just bring us good stories, and everything will be fine. As it turns out, Joe Wershba is the reason we still do not have meetings at 60 Minutes.

He once brought everyone together because he was concerned that producers were not receiving enough credit for their work. The meeting became tense. There was shouting and doors slamming, the way many of us remember things happening there. That led Don to say in anger, "That's the last meeting we will ever have at 60 Minutes." But Joe achieved what he set out to do. He made sure the producer’s name appeared on the "book," the graphic shown behind the correspondent, where it remains to this day.

One thing I always heard about Joe was that he kept in touch with the people featured in his stories. That says a lot about him. It means he did not only love the work. He also cared about people. Those are the qualities that make truly great reporters.

George Clooney sent us this quote about Joe, since Joe was an important figure in his movie "Good Night and Good Luck."

"At some point in our lives, most of us are faced with a decision that could jeopardize our career and our livelihood. Joe and Shirley faced that on a daily basis. It wasn't just his career he risked: the Gulf of Tonkin, Milo Radulovitch, Annie Lee Moss. He had the responsibility of holding our leaders to the standard that made this country great. At a time when we throw the word 'brave' around too easily, Joe Wershba was truly brave. He risked everything, and our world is better off because of him. We very much miss Joe Wershba."