PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA PUBLIC PROGRAMS SERIES, THE: PRODUCERS CIRCLE: AN EVENING WITH BILL MOYERS: JOURNALISM UNDER THE LENS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Producers Circle series. This evening honors journalist and public commentator Bill Moyers. Host Pat Mitchell (President and CEO, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and introduces a brief clip package of Moyers’ work. Mitchell then welcomes Moyers to the stage.
The discussion touches on such topics as: Moyers’ personal and professional partnership with wife Judith Moyers (acknowledged in the audience); his belief in the power of television and strength of his production team; his long-term friendship with Mitchell and their meeting through a controversial case regarding a dangerous chemical company; his 2007 documentary “Buying the War” about the press’ role in the Iraq War, the self-censorship of the journalism industry in the interest of not losing access to top officials; the similarities of Presidents Kennedy and Bush in relation to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars and how society is not learning from its mistakes; the growth of ideology and the dangers of propaganda; the way in which the American people are told to accept an erroneous “official view of reality”; the changing agenda of the news media; criticism of journalists still in denial about deceptive governments and the expectation of deference to politicians; the problem of accusations of anti-Americanism against journalists who question the government’s actions; the monopoly of the six global media owners and their interest in business over news; the debate over the FCC’s proposed lifting of the cross-ownership ban, which would allow smaller media groups to have more access and power; the evolution of popular media from radio to TV to cable to the internet, and the dangers of big corporations taking over and limiting freedom of information; the internet as a “corrective” of commercial press; the pros and con of free, unedited reporting; the power of editors as a “firewall” against misinformation; irresponsible journalism, including the rash of misogynistic comments about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; how democracy can die from “too many lies”; the independent non-profit newsroom ProPublica and its use in educating society; Moyers’ roots in the American South and its history of denial regarding slavery, and the long-term ramifications of ignoring truth; the difficulty of socialization while maintaining a polarizing career; his beliefs that political donors determine policy, and how rewarding benefactors instead of the people hurts democracy; tax alterations for the wealthy and the power of money; the importance of documentaries in invoking an emotional connection to truth; the way in which “the news is what powerful people want to keep hidden” and the domination of “the PR world”; governmental monitoring of his show for too-liberal commentary, despite his many interviews with conservative figures; the popularity of “fake news,” like Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” and the usefulness of combining fact and memory to make a point.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: the extreme cost of media advertisement in political campaigns and whether they should instead function as a public service; the changes and damages to journalism in recent times and Moyers’ belief that “the urge to tell the truth will always be there”; democracy’s nature as “a series of narrow escapes”; and several stories about the enduring power of journalism and journalists who gave their lives in pursuit of truth.
Clips featuring Moyers are interspersed throughout the program, including: “NOW With Bill Moyers”; “Buying the War”; comments from Dan Rather about 9/11 and his appearance on “Late Show With David Letterman”; “Moyers on America: Capitol Crimes”; and “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: December 11, 2007 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:39:07
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:91962
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Host
- Bill Moyers … Guest
- George W. Bush
- Hillary Clinton
- John F. Kennedy
- Judith Moyers
- Dan Rather
- Jon Stewart