From his vantage point as News Director of CBS News in Washington, the author examines the role of television news in our society and gives an insider's view of the day-to-day process of selecting and presenting news. Highlighting the book are in-depth discussions of past and recent news events. The Nixon "Checkers" speech, John Kennedy's fight to become the first Catholic president, the Edward R. Murrow-Joseph McCarthy television drama, and Vice-President Agnew's sharp attack on the television networks are described in anecdotal fashion. The author examines the powerful effect of television news and discusses the power to determine what that news shall contain. He traces the role of television in the black revolution, black riots, the Viet Nam war, and the resultant anti-war protests. He examines the part television plays in fostering violence in America and provides a firsthand account of television coverage of the Kennedy assassination and funeral. The influence of television on politics is discussed with particular reference to political campaigns in general, to the famed televised debates of 1960, to the political conventions, and to the presidential press conferences. In conclusion, he delineates the effect of government regulation on the selection and presentation of television news. (JY)