''CBS Reports'' is the umbrella title used for documentaries by

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

which aired starting in 1959 through the 1990s. The series sometimes aired as a

wheel series A wheel series, wheel show, wheel format or umbrella series is a television series in which two or more regular programs are rotated in the same time slot. Sometimes the wheel series is given its own umbrella title and promoted as a single unit ins ...

rotating with '' 60 Minutes'' (or other similar CBS News series), as a series of its own, or as specials. The program aired as a constant series from 1959 to

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

Origin

''CBS Reports'' premiered on October 27, 1959. Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle. (1979). ''

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present'' is a trade paperback reference work by the American television researchers Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, first published by Ballantine Books in 1979. History Th ...

''. Ballantine Books, p. 95. It was intended to be a successor to

Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...

's influential ''

See It Now ''See It Now'' is an American newsmagazine and documentary series broadcast by CBS from 1951 to 1958. It was created by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, with Murrow as the host of the show. From 1952 to 1957, ''See It Now'' won four Emmy ...

'', which had ended 15 months prior, and employed several members of the ''See It Now'' production staff. For the remainder of 1959 and through 1960, ''CBS Reports'' was broadcast on an irregular basis as a series of specials. The network gave ''CBS Reports'' a regular primetime slot in January 1961, at 10 p.m. (EST) on Thursdays. That placed it against two "tremendously popular" established shows, ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'' on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and ''

Sing Along With Mitch Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

.Harding, Henry. (1962, April 28-May 4). ''For The Record''.

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

, New York State Edition, p. 14-1. Consequently, ''CBS Reports'' was pre-empted by a high number of CBS affiliates that aired local programming in its timeslot. When the networks announced their Fall 1962 schedules, ''Sing Along With Mitch'' and ''The Untouchables'' had been moved from the Thursday 10 p.m. timeslot. However, CBS also decided to move ''CBS Reports'' to Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (EST), explaining that "the earlier hour will permit more young people to watch the program." But that move again put the program up against two "consistent rating leaders," '' The Virginian'' on NBC and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' on ABC. ''CBS Reports'' continued to lead the network's Wednesday primetime line-up until Fall 1965, when the network placed ''

Lost In Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' in the 7:30 p.m. Wednesday timeslot and moved ''CBS Reports'' to Tuesday at 10 p.m., opposite '' The Fugitive'' on ABC and NBC's ''Tuesday Night at the Movies''.

Revivals

The ''CBS Reports'' banner was brought back into use in 2009, with the series ''CBS Reports: Children of the Recession''. Instead of being a stand-alone documentary, the new incarnation consisted of reports across all

platforms.

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

led coverage. The series of reports won the a

Columbia School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sc ...

Alfred DuPont Award. In January 2010, a second Couric-led series aired, ''CBS Reports: Where America Stands''. When the

CBSN CBS News (formerly CBSN, also known as the CBS News Streaming Network) is an American streaming video news channel operated by the CBS News and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount Global. Launched on November 6, 2014, it features blocks ...

streaming service rebranded to one bearing the

name in January 2022, it was also announced that the ''CBS Reports'' banner would return once again, starting on February 25.

Gayle King Gayle King (born December 28, 1954) is an American television personality, author and broadcast journalist for CBS News, co-hosting its flagship morning program, '' CBS Mornings'', and before that its predecessor ''CBS This Morning''. She is ...

will host the first new documentary aired under that banner, and all documentaries previously under the CBSN Originals banner will be updated to CBS Reports.

Notable episodes

''CBS Reports'' received a Peabody Award in 1960 for the episode "

Harvest of Shame ''Harvest of Shame'' was a 1960 television documentary presented by broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow on CBS that showed the plight of American migrant agricultural workers. It was Murrow's final documentary for the network; he left CBS at ...

", which examined the lives of

migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant worker ...

s in the United States. ''CBS Reports'' also received Peabody Awards for ''Storm Over the Supreme Court'', ''KKK - The Invisible Empire'', ''The Poisoned Air'', ''Hunger in America'', ''The Battle for South Africa'', '' The Boston Goes to China'', '' The Vanishing Family - Crisis in Black America'', ''D-Day'', and for Roger Mudd's interview with Ted Kennedy. 1961's ''

Biography of a Bookie Joint "Biography of a Bookie Joint" is an American documentary that aired on November 30, 1961, on CBS under the network's ''CBS Reports'' banner. It documented Swartz's Key Shop, an illegal bookmaking establishment located at 364 Massachusetts Avenue i ...

'', which documented an illegal bookmaking establishment in Boston, was nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Program of the Year The Primetime Emmy Award for Program of the Year was an annual award presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. It recognized the best single television program of the year. In early Emmy ceremonies, anthology series were more common than ...

. Boston Police Commissioner Leo J. Sullivan was forced to resign after the episode, which showed members of his department visiting the gambling establishment. '' CBS Reports: The Homosexuals'', which aired in 1967, was the first time homosexuality was presented on a national network broadcast. "The Homosexuals" was praised for debunking negative stereotypes, but also condemned for generalizations and promoting other stereotypes. LGBT activist

Wayne Besen Wayne Besen is an American LGBT rights advocate. He is a former investigative journalist for WABI-TV, a former spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, and the founder of Truth Wins Out. Besen came out to his parents before starting his Truth ...

called "The Homosexuals" "the single most destructive hour of antigay propaganda in our nation's history." ''

Gay Power, Gay Politics "Gay Power, Gay Politics" is a 1980 episode of the American documentary television series ''CBS Reports''. It was anchored by Harry Reasoner with reportage by George Crile III, George Crile. Crile also produced the episode with co-producer Grace Di ...

'', which aired in 1980, was also criticized for unfairly misrepresenting a number of sexual issues, reinforcing stereotypes, and making homosexuals appear as threats to public decency.Alwood, Edward (1998). Straight News. Columbia University Press CBS later apologized for manipulating the soundtrack of a speech made by San Francisco Mayor

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she wa ...

the first time that the LGBT community had received an apology from a major news organization. In 1982, General

William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (March 26, 1914 – July 18, 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from ...

sued

George Crile III George Washington Crile III (March 5, 1945 – May 15, 2006) was an American journalist most closely associated with his three decades of work at CBS News. He specialized in dangerous and controversial subjects, resulting in both praise and c ...

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

, and CBS for libel after the network aired ''

The Uncounted Enemy ''The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception'' was a controversial television documentary aired as part of the '' CBS Reports'' series on January 23, 1982. The 90-minute program, produced by George Crile III and narrated by Mike Wallace, asserted t ...

'', which contended that Westmoreland had manipulated intelligence reports about enemy strength in order to create the impression of progress. Westmoreland dropped his lawsuit, ''

Westmoreland v. CBS ''Westmoreland v. CBS'' was a $120 million libel suit brought in 1982 by former U.S. Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland against CBS, Inc. for broadcasting on its program ''CBS Reports'' a documentary entitled ''The Uncounted Enemy ...

''; however, CBS lost its libel

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

over the case.

References

{{reflist 1959 American television series debuts 1950s American documentary television series 1960s American documentary television series 1970s American documentary television series 1980s American documentary television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series 2010s American documentary television series American television series revived after cancellation Peabody Award-winning television programs