High-Tailing His Holiness and Humoring Hizbollah
PART V – Globe-Trotting with Pope John Paul II and Humoring Hizbollah An important part of any journalist’s job in Rome is covering the Vatican. Working in the Rome bureau of CBS News Mario extensively covered the historic papacy of John Paul II. Below are some of Mario’s reflections: “How much does that camera weigh? […]
Covering the Congo: Danger, Death and Diamonds
PART IV — OFF TO THE CONGO – DANGER, DIAMONDS AND DEATH In 1960 Mario landed in Rome between assignments. At that time the bureau was in Rome’s famous Piazza di Spagna (ah, the good old days of network television when they had tons of money– sadly, CBS no longer has a bureau in Rome). […]
The Glamour and Grime of a Foreign TV Correspondent
PART III – THE GLAMOUR AND GRIME OF A FOREIGN TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT After proving his talent in Boston, CBS decided to send Mario off to the Sierra Maestra moutains to follow Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the Cuban revolutionaries. Mario left my mouth hanging open when he told me casually, “I interviewed Castro at least […]
Covering Movers and Shakers
Dear Blog Readers: Following my post yesterday on the career of CBS Cameraman Mario Biasetti, I got some comments from women readers asking about the women in Mario’s life. I promise in upcoming posts I will fill you all in on Mario’s Italian-American Mamma, Mario’s talented and forbearing Connecticut Yankee wife, some of the powerful […]
All the People I Shot
Mario Biasetti is the Dean of the Television Journalists in Rome. At age 85 he is a relentless newshound, on top of any news story. I have known him for years and everytime we meet out on a news story– at the Vatican, at an earthquake, or shipwreck– I try to find a few minutes […]