Safer now says follow-up story may be 'worthwhile' (04/30/95)

Safer now says follow-up story may be 'worthwhile'

by Andrij Wynnyckyj

NEW YORK - Morley Safer, the reporter of "The Ugly Face of Freedom" segment aired last fall by the CBS Sunday newsjournal "60 Minutes," has agreed that a follow-up story on conditions in Ukraine "would be a worthwhile project for a future '60 Minutes' report."

The seeming willingness to pursue the story of inter-ethnic relations in Ukraine was made evident in a letter sent on April 7 by Mr. Safer to the executive director of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris. Mr. Safer's letter refers to a conversation the two had he previous day which, the reporter wrote, gave him "a better understanding of some of the questions that were raised in our story on western Ukraine."

Reached by The Weekly on April 26, Mr. Safer denied that the letter represented any change, and said it did not reflect any commitment to produce a story on conditions in Ukraine. On the other hand, M . Safer emphasized, "We never said that we would not do [another] story on Ukraine."

Mr. Safer stressed that the telephone conversation with Mr. Harris and the ensuing letter were private communications, but he did concede that he had affixed a post scriptum to the letter that reads: "Feel free to distribute this letter to whomever you feel might be interested."

The CBS reporter would not comment on what constituted "a better understanding of the questions raised," as mentioned in the April 7 missive.

Mr. Safer called Mr. Harris on April 6, after the AJC's Irving Levine, a participant in his organization's "Project Ukraine," spoke with "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Don Hewitt.

Mr. Levine, a veteran of the U.S. Civil Rights movement, recently returned from a trip to Ukraine with Project Director David Roth and saw the "Hate mongering by CBS?" advertisement sponsored by the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee that ran on the April 3 op-ed page of The New York Times. The AJC activist, who lives in the same apartment complex as Mr. Hewitt, contacted the latter, pointed the ad out to him, and emphasized the statement denouncing the CBS program by Ukraine's chief rabbi, Yaakov Dov Bleich, that was quoted in the op-ed item.

In early December 1994, the Brooklyn-born and now Kyyiv-based Rabbi Bleich visited the U.S. at the same time as Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. At that time, Rabbi Bleich took the opportunity to meet with Mr. Safer and Jeffrey Fager, producer of the "Ugly Face" segment, and argue for an airing of his complaint that his words were taken out of context and for a follow-up story. He was rebuffed, however.

Safer comments

Mr. Safer averred that his previous statement to Rabbi Bleich of having no interest in covering the positive aspects of Jewish life in Ukraine was specific to that particular time. The veteran investigative journalist explained, "We can become more interested in a story or less; sometimes something we considered doing doesn't get done," while other unplanned projects can crop up.

Mr. Safer insisted that he does not offer comment on ongoing or future projects, only on those that have been completed. "It's simply a matter of broadcast policy," he said.

The CBS reporter's letter of April 7 mentioned that "the efforts being made by the government of Ukraine to combat anti-semitism [sic] and ensure the security of all its citizens," could be the focus of a future program.

Reached by telephone on April 26, Mr. Harris said Mr. Safer's letter was "a welcome development." According to the AJC executive, Mr. Safer said he had been made aware of concerns about the program, and consultations with his colleagues had led to a decision to "revisit the issues" and Ukraine in the late summer or fall of this year.

Mr. Harris said he had reiterated the points made in an earlier letter (sent on November 2, 1994) to Mr. Safer, stressing that "the story neglected many of the positive developments that we had witnessed in Ukraine, including the successes of efforts to strengthen Jewish community life in Ukraine, the government's manifest commitment to establish a democratic, pluralistic society in a new multi-ethnic country, and the many public statements and actions by Ukrainian government officials stressing that there as no place for anti-Semitism in Ukraine."

Mr. Harris told the "60 Minutes" journalist that had any of these points been included in the CBS report, this would have provided the balance that was largely absent from it. Mr. Harris indicated that one of the program's flaws was the implication that conditions that allegedly pertained to western Ukraine were prevalent throughout the country. The AJC director related that Mr. Safer regretted if any such implication were made. This was neither confirmed nor rejected by Mr. Safer in conversation with The Weekly, as the latter maintained that the content of the conversation was private.

AJC proud of its role

Asked to comment on the AJC's involvement in the CBS controversy, Mr. Harris said he was proud of his organization's role to date. "We have to act on our principles, because we believe in them strongly," Mr. Harris said. "I am pleased that 'Project Ukraine' has proven important, not only as an over-all program, but also permitted us the understanding to view the original CBS piece in a more critical light."

Mr. Harris, speaking of the AJC approach, said, "It is often not enough to express anger and pound the table. It might give you some momentary satisfaction, but it is much more important to achieve some positive result."

He also said the AJC is as committed as ever to its program and the effort to foster cooperation and dialogue between Ukrainians and Jews in Ukraine and in the diaspora. "We will go forward, both in the U.S. and in Ukraine in particular," he stated.

Mr. Harris said he is aware of the difficulties and impediments to dialogue that still exist, but expressed confidence that the Jewish and Ukrainian communities can "end up on the same track" in the effort to rebuild society in Ukraine and to establish positive relations elsewhere.

The AJC's executive director said he offered the CBS reporter "any cooperation that may be deemed appropriate" in helping "60 Minutes" prepare its next story on Ukraine.

The apparent shift by the "60 Minutes" team was hailed by, the Chicago-based director of "Project Ukraine," Mr. Roth. Mr. Roth said Ukrainians' persistence in maintaining pressure on CBS, combined with continued efforts for coalition-building with the AJC and members of the Jewish community, proved to be deciding factors in this latest development.

Safer's letter to AJC official

Following is the full text of Morley Safer's letter to David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

Dear David Harris:

April 7, 1995

It was a great pleasure talking to you yesterday. The points you made were well taken and I think we both now have a better understanding of some of the questions that were raised in our story on Western Ukraine.

I agree with you that a follow-up story on the efforts being made by the government of Ukraine to combat anti-semitism and ensure the security of all its citizens would be a worthwhile project for a future 60 Minutes report. To that end I will be in touch with Rabbi Bleich in Kyyiv about a possible meeting this autumn.

I will also keep in touch with your office.

Thank you once agin.

Sincerely,
Morley Safer

PS. Feel free to distribute this letter to whomever you feel might be interested.

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