Joseph Wershba, a pioneer of CBS News, dies at 90

[May 17, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Joseph Wershba, a CBS News producer and reporter whose work with Edward R. Murrow on the "See it Now" segment about Sen. Joseph McCarthy helped end the 1950s communist witch hunt, has died. He was 90.

Wershba, who became one of the original "60 Minutes" producers, died Saturday on Long Island, N.Y., of complications from pneumonia.

Born in Manhattan, Wershba joined CBS News in 1944 as a radio news writer. Four years later, he became a correspondent and worked on the groundbreaking "Hear it Now" documentary series, the radio precursor to "See it Now."

After moving into TV news, he worked on the pivotal 1954 expose on McCarthy. It became the centerpiece of the 2005 feature film, "Good Night, and Good Luck." Robert Downey Jr. played the role of Wershba.

[Associated Press]

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