A Ticking Clock tells more than time

I saw author Ira Rosen interviewed on tv recently, and knew immediately I wanted to read his book Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes of 60 Minutes, as I watched that show for many years, and the subject matter is a virtual time capsule of my lifetime. I checked library digital offerings and borrowed the Macmillan audiobook on Hoopla, unusual for a recent book (2/16/21) that it would have been available without a hold list. I’ve noticed Rosen has not done a lot of interviews that have been recorded online, a good way to get word out for this book that should be required reading for every boomer; it does not disappoint. Some say the truth is stranger than fiction, and this book represents that in spades, if for no other reason than truth has become the empty chair in almost all forms of 21st century discourse.

Some have criticized the book based on politics, but liars and scoundrels are bipartisan as well as vocationally omnipresent, and I didn’t find anything particularly off putting that would have precluded me from reading the book, if for no other reason than it represents Rosen’s opinions, not necessarily universal truths. If you’re a Mike Wallace fan, you probably won’t appreciate what is possibly the first unblinking, unvarnished depiction of the man. It certainly gave me a better understanding of what son Chris had to contend with growing up. 

The public hungers for honesty and authenticity in media as in politics, and lines have long since blurred between interviewer and subject; this book reminds me of the Hollywood proverb “once you learn to fake sincerity, you’ve got it made.” It seems as in Hollywood, so goes the nation. Shows like 60 Minutes were must see tv for decades, and the behind the scene ego driven prima donna tyrants of earlier years have been replaced by new generations, while channel choices have increased exponentially. The conceptual value of a show like 60 Minutes still holds true, perhaps more so in today’s chaotic stew of global personalities, but with so much competition across numerous platforms, their clock may soon be silenced. 

I haven’t tuned into 60 minutes for decades, the caustic arrogance of it’s talent diminished my appetite for its brand of journalism long ago, but I’ll still check out a segment online if it trends. Those like myself who could be happy watching news round the clock seek their sources according to how well any given show or platform meets their expectation of fairness, authenticity, timeliness, and honesty in coverage. We yearn for the journalistic integrity of Lois Lanes and Clark Kents in real life, while the industry overlooks the irony these fictions are almost impossible to detect in the profession. Faking sincerity will get you on the cover of Time, and get your show carried as long as ad revenues support it, but not a moment longer. The 60 Minutes clock stopped ticking for me a long time ago, but I’m glad Ira Rosen took the time to publish his account of the scenes we didn’t see.