At the time he was hired to work for 60 Minutes, Ed Bradley “was one of the few African-American journalists in such a high-profile position,” NPR notes.
In a speech to a racially mixed crowd, introducing Bradley for a journalism award, Don Hewitt toyed with the crowd’s sensitivities about Bradley’s race and said:
“I hired Ed Bradley because he’s a member of a minority.” The audience gasped, then Hewitt continued: “He’s a great gentleman and a great reporter. And if that ain’t a minority, I don’t know one.”
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