A conversation with David Gelber

By Kayla Molander

David Gelber’s name has appeared as producer on over 100 stories for 60 Minutes over the course of his nearly sixty-year career.

That career is one guided by gut instinct, and trying to do the right thing.

Gelber explains his approach in a phone interview. “What’s given me joy in journalism is to start with what my gut feels about something and try to tell that story as honestly and as powerfully and with as much emotional power as I can find.”

That is a far-cry from traditional journalistic ideals of objectivity, but that has never been a problem for Gelber.

“For much of my journalistic life, if not all of it, I’ve certainly walked this line between journalism and advocacy,” he says.

Advocacy lies at the heart of Gelber’s current project, which is dedicated to what he calls “overwhelmingly the biggest story of our time.”

The story is climate change, and “the enormity of this issue cannot be understated,” he says.

In the presidential debates from the last two presidential elections, there were no questions about climate change in any of the televised debates.

“You tell me how reporters from NBC and CBS and ABC and CNN can conduct debates in 2012 and 2016 without even mentioning climate change once?” Gelber asks.

That is just the beginning of how he believes the networks have failed in their coverage of climate change. He thinks that in their quest for balance, networks have ignored scientific reality.

“Twenty years from now, we’re going to look back at this and see it as one of the most outrageous failings of American journalism… Television should be ashamed of itself.”

Gelber left 60 Minutes in 2011 when he was not permitted to exclusively cover stories about climate change. The YEARS Project was born shortly after, where Gelber created the Emmy-winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously about climate change.

According to the organization’s website, “The YEARS Project is a multimedia storytelling and education effort designed to inform, empower, and unite the world in the face of climate change.”

Despite its mission statement, Gelber insists the non-profit deals only in fact, and bias is not an issue.

“I hate that word [bias]. There’s plenty of bias out there. We are extremely careful. We have never been accused of misstating factual information. The climate issue is a settled issue among scientists. There is nobody, including Exxon Mobile, anymore who pretends that human-caused climate change is not a scientific fact.”

Fact, according to Gelber, can coexist with passion in journalism.

“There’s been amazing journalism that’s been done by reporters who are both passionate about a subject and honest to report it fairly and accurately.”

The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics does not state that journalists should avoid subjects they are passionate about, but it does caution to avoid conflicts of interests – real or perceived. The line between passion and conflict of interest is undefined and therefore debatable. Gelber thinks it’s worth discussing but is not the most important issue.

“Objectivity. I don’t know what that is, but I know what honesty is,” he says.

“That word [objectivity] needs to be defined better,” he continues. “The way it’s used by conventional mainstream journalists means don’t tip your hand that you feel strongly about an issue, which really bothers me, because I don’t feel that’s essential.”

It is no secret that Gelber feels strongly about climate change. He makes no apologies for his feelings. He compares denying climate change to believing the earth is flat, and does not entertain climate change deniers. He does not call that bias.

“I think the bias was in this ‘on the one hand, on the other hand’ crap that the networks were putting out for years. Where they would give equal time to these liars who worked for the fossil fuel companies.”

Gelber can speak candidly about the networks because he no longer works for them. He is now the chairman of his own foundation. He lets his moral code guide his actions, and suggests young journalists do the same, and not be afraid to speak out against injustice.

“People have to know what they stand for… If they have real integrity they’ll know where to draw the line. They’ll know when to speak up when they see bullshit.”