Bill Moyers was a journalist for over 60 years, known for his criticism of conservative media and coverage of various issues. He started as a reporter and later became a minister before joining politics as Lyndon Johnson’s press secretary. He hosted his own news program and interview series on PBS and received numerous journalism awards. He was accused of bias by conservatives but continued to pursue liberal goals. Despite this, his respect for America’s great thinkers and innovators makes his series fascinating studies for all.
Bill Moyers is one of the most identifiable figures in 21st century journalism. Born in 1934, his media career spanned over sixty years. Bill Moyers is known for his strong criticism of the conservative media and his coverage of several issues that were of particular interest to him. He was also actively involved in John F. Kennedy’s campaign and served as Lyndon Johnson’s press secretary when Johnson took over after the Kennedy assassination.
For a journalist, Bill Moyers has an unusual background. He started working at 16 as a reporter for the Texas Marshall News Messenger. However, his interest in journalism competed with an equal interest in theology. He received a bachelor’s degree in theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in 1959.
The lure of public and political life did not keep him long as a minister and he left the ministry to run Lyndon Johnson’s presidential campaign. After Kennedy’s assassination, Bill Moyers served informally as Secretary of State before taking over as Johnson’s press secretary.
In print, he was editor of the New York Newsday for three years following his position as press secretary. In 1971, however, he moved into television and began a decade-long career hosting his own news program, Bill Moyers’ Journal, produced by PBS. Bill Moyers spent the second half of this time also working as a senior correspondent for CBS.
In the 1980s, Bill Moyers became known for his insightful serial programs. He is perhaps best known for his six-hour interview series with Joseph Campbell, produced in 1987. The interviews were broadcast in 1988 and were the last Campbell did before his death in 1987.
Bill Moyers has also received critical acclaim for his show The World of Ideas in which he interviewed various scholars, scientists, politicians and artists. He did two series of World. The interviews have been transcribed and published, as has the Joseph Campbell series. All three books were highly successful.
While continuing to produce both series and books, most notably The Language of Life and Healing and the Mind, Bill Moyers also returned to PBS in a more politically oriented format on NOW with Bill Moyers from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, Bill Moyers he officially retired, but was not long held back from journalism and returned to PBS with a new Wide Angle series the following year.
Bill Moyers has received virtually every major journalism award, and some like the Peabody, multiple times. He was accused of bias by conservative journalists in 2004 and has since abandoned any pretense of objectivity to pursue the more liberal goals of open support for the Democratic Party. His criticism of conservative journalism stems from her concern with what he perceives as ignorance of the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States. He is dedicated to trying to change the especially Middle American thinking about what constitutes good governance.
With such an impressive record of accomplishments and the respect of most of his peers in journalism, Bill Moyers can certainly achieve some level of success in his new political pursuits. However, the constant onslaught of the conservative press can make those he most wants to reach resistant to his ideas. Regardless of bias, Bill Moyers is notable for his respect for America’s great thinkers and innovators, and as such, his series are fascinating studies for all.
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