Don Hewitt on the Kennedy-Nixon debate

Producer Don Hewitt discusses his ambivalence about the power of televised presidential debates, which started with the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960.

"When that debate was over, I realized that we didn't have to wait for an election day, we just elected a president. It all happened on television...I'm not sure that's good. I'm not sure that's not bad. I don't think you oughta pick your presidents by who's the best television performer. There's something wrong with that. That's always worried me. Great television performers don't necessarily make good presidents, and yet that's how we pick them now. We have these televised debates, which I started."

Watch Don Hewitt’s full interview where he details his many career accomplishments, including the creation of 60 Minutes.

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