Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMoyer interview to shed light on value of inquiry
By Erin Hendricks
Posted: 3/21/05, 11:53 PM EST Section: Pulp
As a magnet for the public eye and the champion of numerous performance awards, Bill Moyers is more likely to be associated with a Hollywood starlet than a retired news journalist.
Delving into the life of the 70-year-old broadcast veteran, though, reveals his character résumé exceeds that of most stage players - including his days as a Baptist minister, Peace Corps director and presidential adviser.
Recently known as the television host of "NOW with Bill Moyers" on PBS, Moyers will shed light on the accolades of his lengthy journalism career at 7:30 tonight in Hendricks Chapel. The format of the lecture series will be a conversational interview between Moyers and Gustav Niebuhr, a religion and media associate professor at Syracuse University.
Although the lectures committee reserved the guest speaker last year, it was Moyers' December retirement that turned his appointment on the Hill into a reality.
"He has long been on a list of people we wanted to get, but until he retired it was almost impossible," said Esther Gray, coordinator of the lecture series and special assistant for academic affairs. "He represents the best in journalism."
Moyers' reputation stems from not only a wide variety of career moves, but also an extended list of awards inspired by his commitment to news production. Among his list of achievements are 30 Emmy awards, two highly-coveted Dupont Columbia Gold Batons and the National Humanities Medal.
The honors Moyers has accumulated over his career are products of the provocative subjects he documents, according to Silvio Torres-Sallant, head of the Latino and Latin American Studies Program and member of the lecture committee.
"He has a long history of work in media work with politically challenging ideas, making him the perfect kind of speaker for students to be exposed to," Sallant said. "He has the power of ideas to contribute to social transformation."
While many journalists strive to make headlines, Moyers has worked to surface the truths beneath them, broaching sensitive subjects such as dying, addiction, and the powers of myth. The most challenging feature of his career has been chronically ideas rather than events, Sallant said.
Delving into the life of the 70-year-old broadcast veteran, though, reveals his character résumé exceeds that of most stage players - including his days as a Baptist minister, Peace Corps director and presidential adviser.
Recently known as the television host of "NOW with Bill Moyers" on PBS, Moyers will shed light on the accolades of his lengthy journalism career at 7:30 tonight in Hendricks Chapel. The format of the lecture series will be a conversational interview between Moyers and Gustav Niebuhr, a religion and media associate professor at Syracuse University.
Although the lectures committee reserved the guest speaker last year, it was Moyers' December retirement that turned his appointment on the Hill into a reality.
"He has long been on a list of people we wanted to get, but until he retired it was almost impossible," said Esther Gray, coordinator of the lecture series and special assistant for academic affairs. "He represents the best in journalism."
Moyers' reputation stems from not only a wide variety of career moves, but also an extended list of awards inspired by his commitment to news production. Among his list of achievements are 30 Emmy awards, two highly-coveted Dupont Columbia Gold Batons and the National Humanities Medal.
The honors Moyers has accumulated over his career are products of the provocative subjects he documents, according to Silvio Torres-Sallant, head of the Latino and Latin American Studies Program and member of the lecture committee.
"He has a long history of work in media work with politically challenging ideas, making him the perfect kind of speaker for students to be exposed to," Sallant said. "He has the power of ideas to contribute to social transformation."
While many journalists strive to make headlines, Moyers has worked to surface the truths beneath them, broaching sensitive subjects such as dying, addiction, and the powers of myth. The most challenging feature of his career has been chronically ideas rather than events, Sallant said.
