Late last year I was contacted by a producer from America's most important newsweekly program, the venerable 60 Minutes. Like most Gen-Xers, I have long memories of watching 60 Minutes broadcasts, going back to the days in which we all watched the same three major networks (that's right kids, there was literally nothing else on). I was familiar with how highly produced and compelling these episodes were, but I was about to get a much deeper appreciation for how much work goes into each one. 

As a maritime transparency advocate, I was enthused by the idea of helping this program to document the Philippines' existential struggle against China's maritime aggression and bring it to its millions of viewers worldwide. However, I knew that the crew out on an actual mission would be quite a challenge--one that that turned out to be long, difficult and almost didn't happen. 

I explained why it was so involved and difficult to my podcast co-host Jim Carouso at the end of an episode we recently recorded:

Despite all the challenges, the episode was an overwhelming success and I was deeply gratified to have played my part. The broadcast--which was included in the program's 2024 season premiere last Sunday--reached 11 million viewers, while the YouTube version has already added 3.5 million more in just its first 5 days online. That's more than five times as many as either of the other two segments from the premiere and already among the show's most popular videos of all time.

Most importantly, the world is learning about the Philippines' brave stand against Beijing's brutal tactics, and (to channel our podcast theme) why we should care! If you haven't seen it yet you can watch it here: