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Mike Wallace Apologizes |
News/May 2006 |
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"Barbra, I do
apologize.
I have nothing in the world but respect and admiration for you."
- Mike Wallace
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Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
May 21, 2006
Sorry
does indeed seem to be the hardest word for veteran interviewer
and journalist Mike Wallace. After 15 long years, and with some
persuasive arm twisting from CBS colleague Leslie Stahl, Mike Wallace
finally gave in and apologized for his notoriously mean spirited 1991
interview with Barbra Streisand. During the May 21, 2006
broadcast of "60 Minutes," Wallace admitted that he was tough on
Streisand back then, but then looked directly into the camera and had
this to offer to his former PM East side-kick:
"Barbra, I do
apologize.
I have nothing in the world but respect and admiration for you."
A Look Back
 The
year was 1991 and Barbra Streisand was making the rounds to promote
her new film, "The Prince of Tides." One of the media interviews which
Barbra agreed to participate in was with Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes."
Wallace and Streisand had worked together on his "PM East" show in the
early 1960s, so it was only natural for Barbra to expect somewhat
easy, if not fair treatment from Wallace.
As it turned out, Barbra found herself on the hot seat, having to
defend her own personal experiences with analysis. But the real
low-blows started coming when Wallace broached the subject of her
step-father's lack of affection for her, and her own mother's failure
to display outward support her career throughout the years.
Wallace was trying to use Barbra's own life experiences to tie into
the message being conveyed in "The Prince of Tides." In the process,
he was mean spirited and crossed the line by displaying a total lack
of respect during the interview.
His apology was a long time coming.
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