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Bob Simon

Robert David Simon (May 29, 1941 – February 11, 2015) was an American broadcast journalist and foreign correspondent for News, where he reported from war zones and conflict areas across 67 countries over a nearly 50-year career. Born in , , and a graduate of with a degree in history, Simon joined in the 1970s after initial roles in print and other media, eventually becoming a prominent figure on for nearly two decades. His reporting earned over 40 major awards, including multiple Emmys and Peabody honors, for incisive coverage of international crises. A defining episode in his career occurred during the 1991 , when Simon and his crew were captured by Iraqi forces near the Saudi-Kuwaiti border, enduring 40 days of imprisonment, interrogations, and reported torture before release, an experience he later recounted in memoirs and broadcasts. Simon, who was based in as 's senior correspondent and identified as Jewish, continued foreign reporting until his death in a car accident at age 73.

Early Life

Birth and Family Background

Robert David Simon was born on May 29, 1941, in borough of . provide limited details on his parents or siblings, with no prominent figures among his of origin noted in biographical accounts from major news outlets. Simon's early upbringing in , a densely populated known for its diverse immigrant communities during the mid-20th century, shaped his formative years prior to his academic pursuits.

Education and Early Influences

Simon was born on May 29, 1941, in , , to a Jewish family as an ; his father was a German immigrant who worked on , and his mother was a Byelorussian immigrant employed as an . He grew up in before graduating from high school in suburban . His family's immigrant background likely exposed him to narratives of displacement and resilience amid global upheavals, including the , fostering an early interest in and international affairs. Simon attended Middlebury College in Vermont before transferring and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Brandeis University in 1962, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. At Brandeis, a liberal arts institution emphasizing social justice and Jewish intellectual traditions, he was a dedicated history major and particularly drawn to the teachings of philosopher Herbert Marcuse, a key figure in critical theory whose critiques of advanced industrial society influenced Simon's worldview during his formative undergraduate years. Following graduation, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study history and politics at the University of Lyon in France, along with a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, experiences that broadened his perspective on European culture and global dynamics. These post-graduation years abroad marked a pivotal shift; while Simon initially considered an academic career, his immersion in —where he met his future wife, —ignited a passion for foreign reporting over scholarly pursuits, steering him toward and . The combination of his family's heritage, rigorous historical training at Brandeis, and direct engagement with international settings thus laid the groundwork for his lifelong focus on conflict zones and cultural narratives.

Journalism Career

Initial Roles and Entry into Broadcasting

Simon joined CBS News in 1967 at the age of 26, transitioning from a brief stint as a at the U.S. mission to the in , where he worked in the political section from 1964 to 1967. Prior to that, after graduating from in 1962 and completing a Fulbright scholarship involving study in , he attempted graduate work but left after six weeks, finding academia unappealing. His entry into broadcasting came via an audition for a writing position at , where he began on the assignment desk, producing scripts for radio and television news broadcasts amid the network's expansion in domestic coverage. In his initial New York-based role as a reporter and assignment editor, Simon covered urban unrest, including inner-city riots and campus protests against the and poverty programs, often embedding with police and demonstrators to capture on-the-ground developments for and radio segments. This work marked his shift to , emphasizing live and quick-turnaround scripting over print, though he drew on his diplomatic background for analytical depth in stories involving policy and international tensions. By 1971, he transitioned to foreign , with his first overseas assignment in Saigon covering the escalating Vietnam conflict, which honed his skills in war-zone under deadline pressure. These early roles established Simon as a versatile field journalist at , bridging domestic and international beats while adapting to the demands of television's visual format, including voice-overs and stand-up reports that required concise, vivid narration. His progression from desk work to on-air correspondence reflected ' needs during a period of social upheaval, where broadcasters prioritized eyewitness accounts to compete with emerging cable and independent outlets.

CBS News Positions and War Coverage

Bob Simon joined in 1967 as a reporter and assignment editor based in , initially covering domestic events such as campus unrest during the and inner-city riots amid the civil rights era. He soon transitioned to international reporting, embedding in conflict zones that defined his career. From 1977 to 1981, Simon was assigned to CBS's bureau, focusing on ern affairs, before serving as the network's State Department correspondent in . In 1987, he was appointed ' chief correspondent, a role in which he reported from the region for decades, including during the and subsequent conflicts. His positions evolved to include contributions to and, later, , but his core expertise remained in on-the-ground war reporting. Simon covered approximately 35 overseas conflicts over five decades, often at great personal risk, including short detentions and injuries. Key assignments included the in the late 1960s, where he documented U.S. military operations; the (Biafra independence struggle, 1967–1970), exposing famine and combat; and the Soviet invasion of in 1968, reporting on student uprisings. In from 1969 to 1971, he covered and was severely beaten by a Protestant mob. Later, he reported on the 1974 in and the 1991 , during which he was captured by Iraqi forces on January 8 and held for 40 days until release on February 21. His war coverage emphasized firsthand observation, with dispatches from , , and Israel-Palestine highlighting tactical realities and human costs without narrative imposition.

60 Minutes Contributions

Bob Simon joined as a in 1996, contributing stories intermittently before becoming a full-time in 2005. Over nearly two decades, he produced more than 200 segments, emphasizing foreign reporting from underrepresented regions and cultures. His work often transported audiences to remote locales, such as monastic communities and conflict zones, leveraging his extensive experience in international . Simon specialized in in-depth profiles and investigations abroad, earning acclaim for his narrative style that combined on-the-ground observation with historical context. Notable segments included a 2011 interview with "," the Iraqi defector whose false testimony about mobile biological weapons labs bolstered pre-Iraq War intelligence claims, highlighting flaws in the intelligence process. That same year, he reported on , Greece's autonomous monastic republic, detailing its centuries-old traditions and exclusion of women, which drew millions of viewers to an otherwise inaccessible site. Other significant contributions encompassed explorations of global phenomena, such as a posthumously completed 2015 tribute segment on , Scotland's whisky distilleries, showcasing the island's rugged production methods. His final aired report in February 2015 examined ZMapp, an experimental treatment drug, underscoring rapid medical advancements amid the West African outbreak. Simon's segments frequently garnered , reflecting their journalistic rigor and viewer impact.

Notable Reporting Experiences

Gulf War Captivity and Aftermath

On January 21, 1991, five days after the start of Operation Desert Storm, correspondent Bob Simon and three members—producer David , cameraman Roberto Alvarez, and soundman Juan Ceballos—were captured by Iraqi forces while from a position near the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia . The team had separated from the U.S. military to pursue independent coverage, driving into Iraqi-controlled territory where they were stopped and detained. Simon and his colleagues endured 40 days of captivity in Iraqi prisons, including periods of , blindfolding, repeated interrogations, beatings, and other forms of inflicted by their captors. Transferred between facilities such as one in , they faced threats of execution and psychological pressure, with Simon later recounting how interrogators questioned his Jewish heritage amid antisemitic taunts. The Iraqi government under held them as leverage during the coalition's advance, denying initial reports of their detention before confirming it. The group was released on March 2, 1991, in as a "humanitarian " amid the coalition's offensive, appearing haggard but without visible severe injuries upon to U.S. authorities. immediately detailed the ordeal in CBS broadcasts, highlighting the regime's brutality and the personal toll of isolation, where he mentally replayed memories of family, literature, and travel to cope. In the aftermath, Simon chronicled the experience in his 1992 memoir Forty Days, describing survival strategies rooted in mental resilience and critiquing the employed by captors. The profoundly influenced his , fostering a deepened appreciation for freedom and informing his subsequent war reporting, though he noted its lasting emotional impact without publicly detailing clinical PTSD. It also elevated his reputation within for firsthand endurance under authoritarian regimes, earning awards and respect from peers, while underscoring risks for unembedded correspondents in conflict zones.

Middle East Assignments

Simon was assigned to CBS News' Tel Aviv bureau in 1977, marking the beginning of his extensive on-the-ground reporting from and the broader . In this role, he covered pivotal developments such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's historic visit to and the subsequent , which laid the groundwork for the 1979 Egypt- peace treaty. In 1987, Simon was elevated to CBS News' chief Middle Eastern correspondent, a position centered in Tel Aviv that he maintained for over two decades until relocating to New York in 2007. From this base, he reported on key conflicts, including Israel's 1982 invasion of alongside Palestinian Liberation Organization fighters and the outbreak of the in on December 9, 1987. His coverage extended to the 1993 between and the , as well as ongoing aspects of the Israeli occupation, such as West Bank settlements, refugee camps, and the construction of the Israeli security barrier. Simon's assignments also encompassed the November 4, 1995, assassination of Israeli Prime Minister , for which his reporting earned an Overseas Press Club award, a Peabody Award, and two . In the post-2003 period, he conducted the first Western television interview with Shiite cleric and interviewed Grand Ayatollah shortly before the latter's August 29, 2003, assassination in a car bombing. Throughout his career, Simon's work on included segments on Israel's missile defense system, tested amid rocket fire from in March 2012, and the challenges facing in the and as of October 2014.

Reporting Controversies

Criticisms of Middle East Coverage

Bob Simon's reporting, particularly his segments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, drew significant criticism for alleged anti-Israel bias, selective sourcing, and factual inaccuracies. Critics, including media watchdogs such as the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) and , argued that Simon's narratives disproportionately emphasized Palestinian grievances while downplaying Israeli security concerns and internal Palestinian factors contributing to regional issues. For instance, in a January 25, 2009, report titled "Is Peace Out of Reach?", Simon portrayed Israeli settlements as the primary obstacle to peace, interviewing settlement opponents but omitting data on Palestinian rejectionism and incitement, which some analysts contend perpetuated a one-sided view unsupported by negotiation histories like the Camp David Summit of 2000. The most prominent controversy arose from Simon's April 22, 2012, segment "Christians of the ," which attributed the decline in 's Christian population—from 15% in 1950 to about 2% by 2012—to policies, specifically the security barrier constructed after the Second Intifada (2000–2005). Simon interviewed Palestinian Christian figures affiliated with Sabeel Ecumenical Center, an organization critics describe as promoting anti- narratives akin to replacement theology, while excluding officials or data showing Christian population growth in proper (from 34% of total Christians in the region in 1948 to over 80% by 2012) and declines linked to governance, corruption, and Islamist pressures. The segment visually misrepresented the barrier as a towering encircling , whereas empirical mapping confirms it is predominantly a fence (over 90%) and was positioned to separate terrorist hotspots like from suicide bombing routes, reducing attacks by over 90% post-construction according to Defense Forces data. CAMERA documented these omissions and errors, noting Simon's failure to address pre-barrier emigration trends driven by economic stagnation under rule. Israeli Ambassador to the Michael Oren protested the segment's production by contacting executives, prompting his inclusion for rebuttal; Simon framed this as undue interference, stating on air that Oren's actions were "unprecedented" and aimed at , a portrayal critics viewed as inflammatory and dismissive of journalistic balance. In response, shareholders, including the National Christian Leadership Conference for , formally accused 60 Minutes of anti-Semitism in a May 2013 letter, citing the segment's reliance on sources with histories of anti-Zionist and its alignment with narratives minimizing intra-Palestinian factors in . Simon's defenders, such as pro-Palestinian outlets, countered that the reporting highlighted verifiable permit restrictions and checkpoint impacts, but detractors maintained these critiques ignored comparative data: Christian communities in grew by 1.4% annually from 2000–2010, per Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, contrasting with Bethlehem's exodus amid reported honor killings and church attacks under Palestinian control. CAMERA compiled a on Simon's career, citing over a dozen instances of what it termed "smearing ," including unbalanced guest lineups and shoddy commentary that amplified Palestinian claims without verification, such as uncontextualized assertions of settlement expansion ignoring violations by Palestinian leaders. These patterns, critics argued, reflected a broader institutional tilt in toward sympathetic Palestinian framing, potentially influenced by in hostile environments, though Simon's firsthand captivity lent him credibility in war reporting that some felt excused lapses in coverage. No formal retractions were issued by , but the controversies underscored debates over source selection in conflict zones, where empirical metrics like terror incident reductions versus emigration drivers often clashed with narrative emphases.

Responses and Defenses

Simon maintained that his reporting on the plight of Palestinian Christians in the 2012 60 Minutes segment "Christians of the Holy Land" was grounded in direct interviews with local Christian leaders, who attributed the community's decline primarily to Israeli occupation policies, including settlement expansion and the security barrier in Bethlehem. He emphasized that these views were endorsed by representatives of 13 Christian denominations, countering claims of fabrication or overreliance on biased sources. During the broadcast, Simon confronted Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, highlighting Oren's prior attempt to contact CBS News executives to prevent airing the story, framing such interventions as efforts to suppress factual on-the-ground perspectives rather than substantive rebuttals. CBS News defended the segment's integrity, refusing to retract or issue corrections despite protests from advocacy groups like CAMERA, which alleged factual inaccuracies such as inflated Christian population figures and omission of intra-Palestinian religious tensions. In response to 2013 shareholder resolutions accusing the report of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias, dismissed the claims without apology, affirming Simon's adherence to journalistic standards based on primary sourcing from affected communities. Simon similarly rebuffed bias accusations against his 2009 60 Minutes report on Israeli settlements, arguing that highlighting growing Israeli and Palestinian skepticism toward a —supported by polls showing over 50% of favoring settlement retention—was not anti-Israel but reflective of evolving realities on both sides. He positioned such coverage as essential to understanding stalled peace efforts, rejecting characterizations of his work as one-sided by noting inclusion of Israeli settler and official viewpoints, even if critical analysis revealed policy contradictions. In broader defenses of his reporting, Simon described accusations of bias as reflexive tactics by pro-Israel advocates to discredit uncomfortable truths, insisting his four decades of bureau chief experience in yielded balanced narratives informed by empirical observation rather than ideological slant. corroborated this by upholding Simon's autonomy, with no internal investigations or editorial overrides prompted by external complaints, underscoring a commitment to correspondent-led over pressure from advocacy lobbies.

Personal Life

Marriage and Family

Bob Simon married Françoise Simon in 1966 after meeting her while studying in France following his college graduation. The couple remained together for 49 years until Simon's death in 2015. They had one daughter, Tanya Simon, who became a producer for CBS News' 60 Minutes, collaborating with her father on stories including one about the Ebola virus at the time of his death. Tanya married Dr. Evan Garfein, and the couple had a son, Jack, born in July 2011; she was pregnant with their second child in February 2015. In his will, Simon bequeathed his entire $2 million estate to Françoise, including $1 million in investments and a $1 million home in the Hamptons on Long Island.

Residences and Personal Interests

Simon maintained primary residences in New York City, where he spent much of his professional life, and owned a $1 million home in East Hampton, Long Island, which he bequeathed to his wife upon his death. During his tenure as CBS News' chief Middle East correspondent in the 1980s and 1990s, he and his wife Françoise resided in a home in Herzliya Pituach, Israel, where he developed a network of local friends and found respite from reporting duties. As a youth, Simon grew up in the Bronx before his family relocated to Great Neck, New York, during his teenage years. Simon harbored a strong appreciation for opera, evidenced by his family's selection of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City as the venue for his post-death memorial service, described as one of his favorite spots. His personal life intertwined with his peripatetic career, including early travels in where he met his future wife, reflecting an affinity for international cultures shaped by his studies and subsequent global assignments. Beyond these, detailed accounts of recreational hobbies remain sparse in public records, with his interests largely aligned to intellectual pursuits like authorship, including his 1992 memoir Forty Days on his captivity.

Death

Car Crash Incident

On February 11, 2015, at approximately 6:44 p.m., Bob Simon, aged 73, was a rear in a southbound livery on Manhattan's when the vehicle lost control, struck a stopped at a red light, and then collided with a metal barrier. Simon was not wearing a seatbelt, resulting in him being thrown violently from the back seat into the front, where he sustained fatal injuries including a broken , severe head and , crushed chest, and broken legs. Preliminary police investigation indicated that the Town Car was accelerating and traveling at high speed immediately before the impact, with speed identified as a contributing factor. The driver, who survived with non-life-threatening injuries, was identified as having a history of nine prior license suspensions, though the exact cause of the loss of control—potentially including pedal error or —remained under review at the time. Simon was pronounced dead at the scene following extrication from the severely damaged vehicle.

Investigations and Legal Disputes

Following the February 11, 2015, crash on Manhattan's , New York Police Department investigators determined that the carrying Simon, driven by Abdul Reshad Fedahi for Skyline Credit Ride, rear-ended a before accelerating into a barrier at speeds exceeding 60 mph. Authorities concluded Fedahi likely pressed the accelerator instead of the brake after the initial impact, exacerbated by a numb or "dead" arm from his injuries, though both drivers tested negative for alcohol. Simon, unrestrained in the rear passenger seat, was ejected forward and sustained fatal blunt force trauma to the head and torso upon striking the partition and interior. Fedahi, a 44-year-old immigrant residing in a , held a chauffeur's suspended nine times prior for unpaid fines and carried two speeding convictions, raising questions about Skyline's vetting processes. No criminal charges were filed against him, as the incident was attributed to operator error rather than recklessness or impairment. Simon faced no citation, consistent with law exempting certain rear passengers in for-hire vehicles at the time. In June 2015, Simon's widow, Francoise Anne-Marie Simon, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in against Fedahi, Credit Ride, and vehicle lessors, alleging in hiring and operation that proximately caused the crash. countersued in 2015, asserting Simon's failure to wear a contributed solely to his injuries and death, invoking New York's doctrine to shift liability. The company argued the would have prevented his ejection, citing crash forensics, though plaintiffs contested this as victim-blaming amid the driver's documented infractions. Litigation intensified in August 2016 when plaintiffs claimed Skyline's experts unilaterally inspected and possibly altered the wrecked vehicle without notice, rendering key evidence—like accelerator pedal telemetry—unverifiable and prompting demands for sanctions. The case highlighted broader issues in City's livery industry, including lax oversight of drivers with suspended licenses, but settled out of court in 2017 with undisclosed terms, precluding public resolution of fault allocation.

Awards and Legacy

Major Honors and Achievements

Bob Simon amassed an extensive collection of accolades over his nearly five-decade career at , earning recognition for his foreign correspondence and investigative reporting. He received 27 , the highest number for a field reporter, including two for his coverage in the 1970s, two for the 1996 reporting on the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister , and others for segments on international conflicts and human stories broadcast on . Simon won four Peabody Awards, prestigious honors for excellence in electronic media, with notable citations for his 1989 coverage of the protests, the 1995 Rabin assassination reporting as part of , a 2000 international reporting award, and a segment on an all-black symphony orchestra in . He also secured the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, considered electronic journalism's highest honor, for the 60 Minutes II report "Shame of Srebrenica" exposing failures in the response. The Overseas Press Club recognized Simon multiple times, awarding him in 1975, 1977, , and 1996 for outstanding foreign reporting, culminating in its Special President's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 for his global contributions. Posthumously, the Radio Television Digital News Foundation presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, honoring his courageous fieldwork from hotspots including , Bosnia, and the . These honors underscored his commitment to on-the-ground reporting, often under perilous conditions, such as his 40-day captivity as a POW during the , which informed subsequent award-winning dispatches from .

Influence on Broadcast Journalism

Simon exemplified the traditional foreign correspondent model in broadcast journalism, emphasizing immersive, firsthand reporting from conflict zones over studio-based analysis, a practice that reinforced the importance of on-site verification in an era increasingly dominated by remote sourcing. Over a 47-year career at CBS News beginning in the late 1960s, he reported from more than 60 countries, including , , the , and the , producing dispatches that prioritized narrative depth and contextual nuance derived from direct exposure. His 1991 decision to bypass U.S. military pool restrictions during the —leading to his 40-day captivity by Iraqi forces—underscored a commitment to independent access, which he defended as essential for conveying the war's raw realities to audiences rather than government-vetted summaries. This stance influenced subsequent debates on journalistic autonomy in wartime, modeling resistance to institutional controls that could dilute factual accuracy. As chief correspondent from 1987, stationed in for over two decades, Simon established benchmarks for sustained regional expertise in broadcast media, filing stories that integrated historical context with contemporary events, thereby elevating the rigor expected of coverage. Joining 60 Minutes in 1996, he advanced long-form television through precise scripting that synchronized eloquent with visuals, a skill colleagues described as unparalleled in "setting words to pictures," which inspired refined storytelling techniques amid shifting formats toward brevity. Simon's career arc, from early profiles like his 1960s report on philosopher to late-career segments on global paradoxes, illustrated evolving yet enduring principles of broadcast reporting: curiosity-driven inquiry and aversion to , setting a template for reporters navigating adversarial environments. Within , he informally mentored production staff, with editor Stephanie Palewski citing him as both guide and confidant, fostering a culture of meticulous preparation among teams handling complex foreign stories. CBS News leadership, including President David Rhodes, posthumously hailed him as a "giant of " whose global pursuits defined the network's foreign desk standards, influencing hires and assignments toward experiential depth.

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