Legendary newsman dies
NEW YORK — Viewers didn’t need to see Morley Safer’s reporting to feel its effects.
They could have almost heard the yowling from the Oval Office and the Pentagon after Safer’s 1965 expose of a U.S. military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans’ view of the war.
They likely felt a flush of gratitude on learning that Safer’s 1983 investigation of justice gone awry resulted in the release of a Texas man wrongfully sentenced to life in prison.
Safer’s far-flung journalism got reactions and results during a 61-year career that found him equally at home reporting on social wrongs, the Orient Express, abstract art and the horrors of war.
That career came to an end this week, with a “60 Minutes” tribute on Sunday and, then, with Safer’s death, at age 84, on Thursday.
He is survived by his wife, the former Jane Fearer, and his daughter, Sarah.
NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw visited with Safer last Friday, two days after his retirement was announced.
They spoke about the towering journalists of Safer’s era, men like The Washington Post’s Ben Bradlee and “60 Minutes” creator-executive producer Don Hewitt.
Safer said quietly, “All the great ones are gone,” Brokaw recalled in an e-mail.
“No, Morley, you’re still with us,” replied Brokaw before kissing Safer on the forehead.
“60 Minutes” carries on, but now the legends are gone.
