[7] After World War II ended in 1945, Hewitt returned to his job as copyboy for the Tribune, then worked for The Associated Press at a bureau in Memphis, Tennessee.

He was also the first director of See It Now, co-produced by host Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly which started in 1951; his use of "two film projectors cutting back and forth breaks up the monotony of a talking head, improves editing, and shapes future news broadcasts.

[3] He directed the televised production of the first 1960 U.S. presidential candidate debate between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice-president Richard M. Nixon on September 26, 1960, at the CBS studios in Chicago.

He later became executive producer of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, helming the broadcast of John F. Kennedy's assassination as the story developed.

Initially wary of a lawsuit, Hewitt sided with CBS News management and killed the Wigand story by censoring the interview.

[11] After blowback, a more complete presentation of the story was allowed to air, but the handling of the issue remained "a dark, sorry period in the otherwise virtuous life of 60 Minutes.

Declining ratings at 60 Minutes—after decades of being in the top 10, the show had dropped in rankings to number 20—contributed to what became a public debate in 2002 about whether it was time for CBS to replace Hewitt at 60 Minutes.