The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for July 1, 2025
Distinguished television journalist Bill Moyers died June 26th at age 91. In his long career, he earned 30 Emmy awards, served as President Lyndon Johnson’s press secretary, helped found public broadcasting, and was a stalwart voice for democracy and democracy reform.
On being a reporter, Moyers told a Chautauqua Institution audience in 2016, “I was hooked, and in one way or another I’ve continued to engage the issues of money and power, equality and democracy over a lifetime spent at the intersection between politics and journalism.”
He served as an aide to Johnson’s failed 1960 campaign, and from 1964 to 67, served as Johnson’s press secretary during the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. He was instrumental in the creation of public broadcasting, where later reported for almost a decade. He wrote scores of commentaries for CBS and NBC, and produced 70 documentaries for PBS.
Democracy and democracy reform appears frequently in Moyers work, including his Moyers on Democracy podcast, and a companion book of speeches.
When Moyers retired in 2017, he wrote: “In the meantime, please remain vigilant and engaged as citizens in the civic and political life of your community and our country. Democracy is fragile, and no one can say with certainty that it can withstand the manifold risks to which it is now exposed.”We’ve linked to his farewell essay and more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Bill Moyers – (2017) Farewell
Moyers on Democracy – PODCAST: Democracy on the Edge
Bill Moyers – (2016) We, the Plutocrats vs. We, the People – Saving the Soul of Democracy
Frontline – Legendary Journalist Bill Moyers, Correspondent on FRONTLINE Documentaries Including ‘Two American Families,’ Dies at 91
BillMoyers.com – BILL MOYERS BIOGRAPHY
Doris “Granny D” Haddock – Walking Across America in My 90th Year: Forward by Bill Moyers
Groups Taking Action:
The Nation – John Nichols: Bill Moyers Kept the Faith in Democracy. We Need His Example More Than Ever.
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
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