Moyers fervently believes that presenting news requires subjecting official views to critical scrutiny. Otherwise, news simply becomes a recounting of the official line, a form of publicity. Reporters then act as stenographers for the powerful. Moyers contends that journalism matters and world-class journalism still exists. His patriotism is grounded in a moral vision with allegiance to American ideals. He maintains an enduring faith in the nation's promises and possibilities. The legendary interviewer Studs Terkel says Bill Moyers "always ... offers the gifts of thoughtfulness and of hope." Journalist Bill Moyers was the Deputy Director of the Peace Corps under founding Director Sargent Shriver.
Ralph Scharnau writes: Looking for a modern-day patriot, I decided to write about a distinguished American journalist, Bill Moyers
Who do you consider a modern-day patriot?
Moyers believes democracy, good journalism intertwined
The pundit offers viewers measured, thoughtful and respectful commentary
By Ralph Scharnau for the TH
It seems fitting after the recent celebration of the Fourth of July holiday to reflect on the founding of the American Republic. The patriots of the Revolutionary War era proclaimed the birth of a new nation in the Declaration of Independence. They embraced the principles of liberty, equality and democracy.
These ideals provide the foundation for our continuing struggle to create, in the words of the Constitution, "a more perfect Union." Looking for a modern-day patriot, I decided to write about a distinguished American journalist, Bill Moyers.
Moyers believes that the quality of democracy and the quality of journalism are deeply intertwined. He believes that liberty requires vigilant, independent and investigative news reporting. And he believes that equality is the hallmark of a society that values the humanity of its citizens.
Bill Moyers graduated with a major in journalism from the University of Texas and was subsequently ordained as a Baptist minister. His career in politics includes serving as an aide to Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, deputy director of the Peace Corps, and special assistant and then press secretary for President Johnson. His fierce loyalty to Johnson ended when his opposition to the escalating war in Vietnam caused him to quit his post in December 1966.
After he left the White House, he slowly began to realize that "what's important in journalism is not how close you are to power but how close you are to reality." The job of the journalist is to "seek out and offer the public the best thinking on an issue, event or story" based on questioning sources and confirming evidence. Moyers describes his life in journalism as "a continuing course in adult education."
Although he had stints with CBS and NBC news and served as publisher of Newsday, he is best known for the many interviews, reports and documentaries he has produced and narrated for the Public Broadcasting System. He has received more than 30 Emmys, television journalism prizes and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Today, his commentary continues in his PBS weekly program, "Bill Moyers Journal."
Unlike the spin and snappy rejoinders of many of today's pundits, Moyers offers viewers measured, thoughtful and respectful commentary. He exudes genuine warmth and empathy. He has conducted long interviews with leading humanists. He talks to guests from across the political spectrum, left, right and center.
Bill Moyers' programs offer in-depth examinations of many issues. He has reported on famine in Africa, war in Central America, inner-city families in Newark and working class families in Milwaukee. He has covered the corrosive influence of money in politics, the abuse of power, secrecy in government and the lies and bravado surrounding the "war on terror." Other programs ranged from pesticides in food to the costs of environmental deregulation, from life for homeless veterans to field work for children of immigrants, from drug addiction to modern dance, and from the art of poetry to religion in the public arena.
Moyers sees inequality as the single most important issue today. In his most recent book, "Moyers on Democracy," he writes that "extremes of wealth and poverty cannot be reconciled with a genuinely democratic politics." The revolutionary idea of democracy, he reminds us, means more than a representative government, it also means promoting the welfare of "we the people," not just the favored few.
Moyers finds the corporate consolidation of media troubling. With a few huge corporations dominating the media landscape, executives and investors pursue increased profit margins and share prices while degrading news content on public policy. About two-thirds of today's newspaper markets are monopolies. At the same time, the rise of ideologically partisan television and radio programming touts propaganda as fact and demonizes those who disagree.
Media outlets across the country have suffered from reduced investment in reporting. Fewer reporters, editors, producers and writers have restricted time, resources and opportunities to track down stories.
Moyers fervently believes that presenting news requires subjecting official views to critical scrutiny. Otherwise, news simply becomes a recounting of the official line, a form of publicity. Reporters then act as stenographers for the powerful.
Moyers contends that journalism matters and world-class journalism still exists. His patriotism is grounded in a moral vision with allegiance to American ideals. He maintains an enduring faith in the nation's promises and possibilities. The legendary interviewer Studs Terkel says Bill Moyers "always ... offers the gifts of thoughtfulness and of hope."
Scharnau teaches U.S. history at Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta.
