Spotlight on the CBS Evening News and “Assignment America”

I simply cannot resist a “slice of life” story. These deceptively simple snapshots of everyday life are usually about complications and conditions that we all can relate to, and thus have a homespun quality that recalls a bygone era. 

Recently my friend, well aware of my weakness for the anecdotal, turned me on to journalist Steve Hartman’s “Assignment America” on the CBS Evening News.

For two minutes every Monday night, Hartman tells a uniquely American story in way that is both charming and compelling (credit ace reporting, witty writing, and the human factor).  Most amazing is how in the telling Hartman manages to tug at the heartstrings without over-sentimentalizing or manipulating the subject matter or the viewer.  Two of Hartman’s more memorable snippets—“Man and Goose Form Unlikely Friendship” and “Father Read to Daughter Every Night Until College" --are super examples of fine sketch journalism (and I dare you to not get sucked in).

Both accounts touchingly illustrate the beauty in unlikely connections—and isn’t that what history is? The great connector of all things, people, and experience? If reality TV were anything like it is on Monday eve, I’d reconsider my decision to ditch cable.

Got a story that you think deserves 15 minutes of air-time (or at least two)? Email your ideas to Steve Hartman online via the CBS Evening News.