Former CBS News Chief To Host Journalism Talk

CHATHAM – Over the course of his decades-long career, Andrew Heyward has seen firsthand how radically the American news media landscape has and continues to change. From his time as a network news producer and executive to more recent work as an advisor and consultant for colleges and universities, the concept of media has changed drastically since he departed his post as president of CBS News in 2005.

Those changes have brought significant challenges for mainstream media, including how to monetize and sustain itself with the rise of the internet and social media. Equally troubling, Heyward said, is how trust in media has eroded among viewers and readers over time as the news landscape continues to change. 

“I think the national (media) scene has become very problematic,” said Heyward, a Vermont resident who lives seasonally in Chatham. “It’s been weakened economically, as of course has local journalism, but it’s also become polarized and toxic, especially on cable.”

Heyward will discuss the current state of journalism, the challenges facing it and what the future holds in “From Cronkite to Crisis,” a talk May 8 at Cape Cod Community College’s Tilden Arts Center. The talk, which starts at 7 p.m., is being presented as part of the Cape Cod Speaker Series.

Heyward’s career began in local television news in New York. “I was interested in journalism,” he said. “I thought I might end up in law school, but I got hooked immediately on the atmosphere of the newsroom, so I never went to graduate school.” 

From there, Heyward advanced into a producer role in New York City at what he called “an inappropriately young age.” He eventually made his way to CBS News, where he rose to the position of executive producer of the CBS Evening News before a nine-year run as president. In between, he also developed newsmagazine programs including CBS’ award-winning 48 Hours.

For much of his broadcasting career, Heyward worked in a relatively tight television news market in which network news reigned supreme. The same held for print newspapers, Heyward said, allowing for what he called “a common information culture” from which the public could form opinions and have civil discussions on issues of the day.

But that all changed with the rise of the internet and social media, which splintered and fragmented news and information across an endless number of outlets and platforms.

“Now because of changes in technology, politics, demographics, we now have a world where people can cocoon themselves in their own factual universes without exposing themselves at all to other points of view,” he said. “And that makes reaching rough consensus nearly impossible.”

While he and his colleagues saw the emergence of online and digital news coming, Heyward said many in the news industry failed to anticipate how drastically it would change the traditional news model, and how divisive it would be for readers and viewers.

“I don’t think people foresaw the degree to which technology would isolate people rather than connect them,” he said. “I think there was too much optimism about its ability to connect people across geography and across interests.”

Those divisions have only deepened over time. In 2025, news outlets are left to contend with covering a presidential administration that continues to outwardly challenge the freedom of the press. The test for journalists and outlets going forward is to figure out how to navigate that threat while working to regain public trust and keep hold of their credibility.

“I don’t think ignoring Trump is an option at all,” he said. “His behavior is too consequential and he is the president of the United States. I think somehow understanding what it means for Main Street is a very, very big part of the challenge.”

But as perilous as the current state of media might appear, Heyward said he’s hopeful that both mainstream media and new media can turn the tide and regain some of that trust that’s been lost from audiences over the years. New models such as nonprofit journalism are helping pave a promising new direction for the future of news, he said, while mainstream media is also starting to adapt to how audiences are gathering their news today. 

“To me, one of the ironies has been that we take these students who are immersed in new media and social media and have a tendency to train them in what the previous generation did. And I think you’re seeing a shift now to focusing on the essentials of good journalism in new formats.”

Heyward also said that local news can also play a pivotal role in helping engineer that turnaround. In recent years, he’s focused his energy on exploring ways of strengthening local television news.

“Start locally,” he said. “Local news can’t be demonized as fake. Either (the) Ben Franklin (Store) is going to close or it isn’t. You can see the news for yourself.”