Perspective: If a prominent conservative speaks at an Ivy League school, will students show up?
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NEW HAVEN, CT. — When Megyn Kelly was the featured guest at fellow Fox alumni Tucker Carlson's live show in Kansas City last year, thousands showed up, including Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
Carlson, like Jordan Peterson, has shown that he can draw a paying crowd, and Kelly herself is used to speaking before a multitude, whether it's on her eponymous podcast or at a Trump campaign rally.
But she arrived on the campus of Yale University April 16 to find an auditorium with plenty of vacant seats, even though the event had been advertised as open to the public. There were no protestors of the kind that Charlie Kirk always seems to attract, and there seemed to be one law enforcement officer for about every 10 people in attendance — which may be why everyone was so well-behaved.
The Buckley Institute, which sponsored the event, says its mission is 'to promote intellectual diversity and freedom of speech' at Yale while providing a home for 'enlightened conservative thought.' Given that, the liberal students on campus failed themselves in not taking the opportunity to hear, and to challenge, one of the most prominent voices in conservative media today.
Kelly was invited to speak on the subject of 'The New Media Revolution' and she talked about why she believes that 'legacy' media is gasping its last breaths, replaced by long-form podcasts and a new form of media in which people get news from individuals that they trust, rather than media conglomerates like the ones she used to work for, NBC and Fox.
It might not be the sexiest of topics — and certainly was not as controversial as Ben Shapiro's speech last year on 'How Oct. 7 broke America's college campuses.' About a thousand people were turned away from that event, the Yale Daily News reported.
In contrast, the student newspaper didn't even cover Kelly's conversation with Buckley Institute president William Barbee, even though the topic was equally important, having arguably influenced the results of the 2024 election and upended how Americans consume news, possibly forever.
'It had to happen, because the old system was so corrupt and so broken. And the people demanded alternate options,' said Kelly, who has moderated six presidential debates. The revolution began, she said, with the success of Fox News and radio commentators like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, and exploded with the advent of social media, streaming and podcasting.
Digital media, Kelly said, is the future of news. 'Young people do not sit in front of cable news hour after hour the way we used to, the way my mom will. They just don't consume news that way. And so the future's going to be digital. It's going to be a direct relationship between you and a trusted few who you believe will tell you the truth.'
Kelly argued, as she did in a recent interview with The New York Times, that the old way of the media, with journalists and media companies presenting themselves as objective, is untenable because it's unbelievable — so often, bias creeps out in reporting. In new media, she says, 'You will know their political biases, and you will factor that into what they're telling you. ... It's just such a more useful, truthful, honest way of getting your news.'
She also told the audience that Trump didn't deliver a fatal blow to legacy media by repeatedly calling out 'fake news,' a strategy which she said was necessary. 'Trump didn't kill cable news, but he was like a Kevorkian. They killed themselves, but he helped. He set them up, gave them the machine, and they were like, let's press the button,' she said, adding that Trump 'had no choice but to try and undermine the credibility of all these news organizations' because of their relentless negative coverage of him. It was a 'brilliant strategy,' she said.
It was also a dangerous one. Now that some in the media have tried to course-correct and be more representative of conservatives, they face a subset of Americans who are openly hostile to anyone who identifies themselves as a reporter. (Ask me how it went when I tried to interview people at a Ron DeSantis campaign rally in the deep South. I might as well have been selling timeshares.) But Kelly is smart and influential, and Yale students can't understand America as it is without listening to, and engaging, with people like her. You can watch the full conversation here.
I recently traveled to Boone, North Carolina, for a conversation with Franklin Graham, the eldest son of the famed evangelist, who now heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the international humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse.
Here's a tidbit that didn't make it into my story.
When Billy Graham first invited Franklin to be on his board of directors, the father told the son, 'Franklin, don't say anything. Just sit there and listen — for the first 10 years, I don't want you to say nothing. Then you can speak.'
It wasn't hyperbole, or at least Franklin Graham didn't perceive it as such. He obeyed.
'I sat there quiet for 10 years,' he told me. 'But I watched. And I learned. He set the example.'
You aren't learning anything when you're talking, President Lyndon Johnson and others have said. Billy Graham seemed to know that, too. Here's the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say.
The prodigal son no more: Inside the world of Franklin Graham
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs have often focused on race. But they have value in exposing people to religious diversity as well, writes Jazmin Kreimer.
'People of faith may also play meaningful roles in shaping DEI programs that transcend these concerns and which can be appreciated across the political spectrum. Believers bring distinct capacities to these conversations.'
Want to Make DEI Programs More Effective? Focus on Religion
Jay Evensen has a funny and interesting take on the Great Penny Debate: what are the unintended consequences of doing away with that coin?
'The Federal Reserve lost $85.3 million last year by minting pennies. But without pennies, experts say it would need to begin producing more nickels, because it would be the least valuable form of currency.'
Forget Pennies; Do We Really Need Nickels?
As the battle between the Trump administration and Harvard University intensifies, Jacob Hess looks at the religious schools that have long been reluctant to receive federal funds. 'Action Trump takes against schools like Harvard and Columbia is being eyed warily by conservative campuses — aware that similar steps could be taken by future Democratic administrations against their own schools.'
It's Not Just the Religious Conservative Schools Wondering Now If They Need to Forgo Federal Funding
When Jordan Peterson launched his online university, with annual tuition set at $500, Princeton University's Robert P. George told me that was an 'astonishingly low fee' given the quality of professors and the courses Peterson Academy offered. But then again, many online courses, including some at Princeton and Stanford, are available for free, and $500 can be a heavy lift for young Americans struggling to make rent.
Not sure how much it helps, but Peterson Academy just lowered tuition to $399, saying it's because of 'incoming funding' that won't compromise its mission. They're promising four new courses a month, in addition to 43 offered now, as well as live events in the future. Maybe stay away from New Haven? Just a suggestion. As always, thank you for reading and being part of the Right to the Point community. You can reach me at Jgraham@deseretnews.com or on X, @Grahamtoday.
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