The Insider Page #23

ERIC KLUSTER:

That's happening. And, hopefully we

won't have to use the alternate, but we

should have it in the can.

LOWELL:

I'm not touching my film...

ERIC KLUSTER:

I'm afraid you are.

LOWELL:

No, I'm not...

ERIC KLUSTER:

We're doing this with or without you,

Lowell. If you like, I can assign

another producer to edit your show...

Lowell's stunned. He looks like he's been hit with a

hammer...

LOWELL:

Since when has the paragon of

investigative journalism allowed lawyers

to determine the news content on "60

Minutes"?

DON HEWITT:

It's an alternate version. So what if we

have an alternate version? And I don't

think her being cautious is so damned

unreasonable.

ERIC KLUSTER:

(wry)

So, now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen,

Mr. Rather's been complaining about his

chair again.

(laughter)

As they start to leave...

LOWELL:

(mild)

Before you go...

And Lowell takes out...

LOWELL (CONT'D)

I discovered this. SEC filing...

(he gets their attention)

For the sale of the CBS Corporation to

Westinghouse Corporation.

MIKE WALLACE:

What?

DON HEWITT:

Yeah, I heard rumors.

LOWELL:

It's not a rumor. It's a sale.

(rhetorical answer)

If Tisch can unload CBS for $81 a share

to Westinghouse and then is suddenly

threatened with a multibillion-dollar

lawsuit from Brown & Williamson, that

could screw up the sale, could it not?

ERIC KLUSTER:

(serene)

And what are you implying?

LOWELL:

(to Kluster)

I'm not implying. I'm quoting. More

vested interests...

(reading from SEC filing)

"Persons Who Will Profit From This

Merger...

(beat)

Ms. Helen Caperelli, General Counsel of

CBS News, 3.9 million. Mr. Eric Kluster,

President of CBS News, 1.4 million..."

DON HEWITT:

Are you suggesting that she and Eric are

influenced by money?

LOWELL:

Oh, no, of course they're not influenced

by money. They work for free. And you

are a Volunteer Executive Producer.

DON HEWITT:

CBS does not do that. And, you're

questioning our journalistic integrity?!

LOWELL:

No, I'm questioning your hearing! You

hear "reasonable" and "tortious

interference." I hear... "Potential

Brown & Williamson lawsuit jeopardizing

the sale of CBS to Westinghouse." I

hear... "Shut the segment down. Cut

Wigand loose. Obey orders. And f***

off...!" That's what I hear.

DON HEWITT:

You're exaggerating!

LOWELL:

I am? You pay me to go get guys like

Wigand, to draw him out. To get him to

trust us, to get him to go on television.

I do. I deliver him. He sits. He

talks. He violates his own f***ing

confidentiality agreement. And he's only

the key witness in the biggest public

health reform issue, maybe the biggest,

most-expensive corporate-malfeasance case

in U.S. history. And Jeffrey Wigand,

who's out on a limb, does he go on

television and tell the truth? Yes.

Is it newsworthy? Yes. Are we gonna air

it? Of course not. Why? Because he's

not telling the truth? No. Because he

is telling the truth. That's why we're

not going to air it. And the more truth

he tells, the worse it gets!

DON HEWITT:

You are a fanatic. An anarchist. You

know that? If we can't have a whole

show, then I want half a show rather than

no show. But oh, no, not you. You won't

be satisfied unless you're putting the

company at risk!

LOWELL:

C'mon, what are you? And are you a

businessman? Or are you a newsman?!

Because that happens to be what Mike and

I do for a living...

MIKE WALLACE:

Lowell.

LOWELL:

(runs on)

"Put the corporation at risk"...? Give

me a f***ing break!

MIKE WALLACE:

Lowell.

LOWELL:

These people are putting our whole reason

for doing what we do...on the line!

MIKE WALLACE:

Lowell!

LOWELL:

What?

MIKE WALLACE:

I'm with Don on this.

And there it is.

EXT. LOWELL'S HOUSE, BERKELEY - AFTERNOON

We see Sharon in a vegetable garden in their side yard...

She turns, seeing him standing behind her...

After a moment. She knows.

SHARON:

What's wrong?

LOWELL:

They're killing the Wigand interview...

SHARON:

What?!

LOWELL:

They're pretending it's process.

Bullshit, it's foregone.

SHARON:

(beat)

What are you and Mike going to do?

LOWELL:

I'm alone on this...

SHARON:

(beat)

Oh, baby...

And the phone RINGS... Sharon goes in the house to get it...

She comes back out...

SHARON (CONT'D)

(after a beat)

Jeffrey Wigand...

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