Denise Cetta

About

I started my career in documentary filmmaking, working first with Charles Guggenheim and later with legendary newsman Walter Cronkite. In 1997, I joined Morley Safer’s team at the CBS News magazine 60 Minutes. Since that time, every aspect of producing stories for 60 Minutes has sparked purpose and joy in me: generating ideas, researching and reporting, directing shoots, writing, and editing. Much of my work focuses on innovations in science, medicine and technology and explores ways these advances are transforming our daily lives, workplaces, and perceptions of one another. I am also passionate about developing comprehensive and nuanced reports about key challenges facing society in healthcare, education, child welfare, national security, and the environment. Merging compelling storytelling with a rigorous dedication to facts is the cornerstone of my professional philosophy. I define “good journalism” as the ability to break down complicated issues into understandable narratives that empower citizens to form their own opinions. I hope to help make people smarter, not angrier. The recognitions I have received from leading media organizations -- Edward R. Murrow, Emmy, Sigma Delta Chi, DeBakey, and the National Association of Black Journalists – have been an honor. Yet, my greatest fulfillment is witnessing the transformational power of knowledge -- seeing a professor use one of my pieces to launch a classroom discussion or hearing from a viewer that a story informed a new perspective.