The Flip Side
By Ken Judkins
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE LEWISVILLE LEADER, 11/20/2004
When the News Went Live
As the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination is upon us, it seems a good time to talk about one of the more engaging books I've come across in some time.
When the News Went Live, co-written by Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, and Wes Wise, tells the story of the most infamous era in Dallas history through the first-person eyes of four local journalists.
Bob Huffaker wrote the majority of the book, telling the story of that awful time in Dallas that began with the assault on UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson in October 1963, through the trial of Jack Ruby in early 1964. Each of the other three authors contributed a chapter relating their own experiences at the time, while all four collaborated on the final chapter lamenting the state of broadcast journalism today.
Each of the four men has a fascinating tale to tell.
Huffaker was a reporter for KRLD and by extension CBS. He broadcast the motorcade and later scenes at Parkland Hospital as word was received that the president had died of his wounds. Two days later he was holding the CBS microphone as Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald a few feet in from of him.
George Phenix filmed scenes of the president's arrival at Love Field, then of the chaos around Parkland. He was manning the CBS film camera standing next to Huffaker as Jack Ruby elbowed in beside him and then darted out and shot Oswald.
Those of us who grew up in the metroplex all remember Bill Mercer as the voice of Saturday Night Wrestling. He has had a distinguished career as the voice of a number of local sports teams. He broadcast a bizarre midnight news conference with Lee Harvey Oswald on the night of the assassination. (It was determined later that Jack Ruby was in attendance.)
Wes Wise was a popular sportscaster in the area for years, and then served as an equally popular mayor of Dallas, in which capacity he helped save the School Book Depository from destruction. He was accosted by Jack Ruby outside that infamous building the day before Ruby shot Oswald, and was waiting to cover the arrival of Oswald at the county jail.
When the News Went Live was the brainchild of Bob Huffaker, who left journalism decades ago for a career teaching English. He told me his coverage of the assassination caused him to reflect on the nature of the profession, deciding he didn't want to spend the rest of his life "reporting on tragedy." Though stated by none of the authors, I was struck by the fact that they were all very young when this event was thrust upon them. It is obvious that being in that place at that time in their positions had a profound effect on each of their future lives.
The authors' accounts of the time literally bring the events up close and personal to the reader. The book overlays the thoughts and feelings of each on top of the factual events and is unique to the genre.
None of the authors is sympathetic to conspiracy theorists. They were hard-nosed journalists interested only in the facts, and they use them to tell an incredible story.
When the News Went Live paints a tragic portrait of Jack Ruby that is downright moving at times. It is difficult to read this book without ultimately feeling sorry for the strange little man who was flabbergasted to find he was not treated as a hero after slaying the man he perceived as killing the nation's soul. His high-profile attorney's exploitation of his plight and the subsequent downward spiral toward mental illness are tenderly portrayed.
I am always fascinated with the more obscure tidbits of history, and this book is full of them. In one interesting side story, a week prior to Kennedy's visit George Phenix was covering a Dallas appearance by Alabama Governor George Wallace when he (Phenix) was physically attacked by General Edwin Walker, who, ironically and not known at the time, Oswald had tried to kill the previous April. Huffaker relates stories about the resentment that sprang up in the local press toward the perceived arrogance and condescension among members of the national media who sometimes had no qualms about taking over their local offices.
The final chapter provides the authors' collective take on the state of journalism today. None of the four is complimentary of the current trend toward sensationalism and the lack of in-depth investigation. When I asked Huffaker if he would consider a career in journalism were he starting out today, he stated, "I really don't think I would."
Had these four chosen different professions during their younger days, we would all be the poorer for it.
This is a first-class account of a tragic historical moment that still has an impact on our nation.
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