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Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bill Moyers, former White House press secretary and PBS journalist, passes away at 91
Bill Moyers, a distinguished journalist known for his unwavering moral conviction and dedication to investigative reporting, passed away on Thursday in Manhattan at the age of 91, according to The New York Times. With a career spanning over four decades, Moyers became a prominent figure in American journalism, particularly for PBS, where he left an indelible mark on the field. Moyers was celebrated for his deep intellectual curiosity and his concern for both the state of the world and its potential future. Throughout his career, he was vocal about his belief that mainstream media was heavily influenced by corporate interests, often reflecting biases that aligned with the right. Despite exposing corruption and the shortcomings of various political figures and institutions, Moyers remained an idealist, advocating for journalism's crucial role in safeguarding democracy. Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, paid tribute to Moyers, acknowledging his commitment to giving a platform to dissenting voices, both from the left and the right. "Moyers constantly reminded us of journalism's indispensable role in our democracy," she wrote, highlighting his ability to elevate marginalized issues and challenge the political elite. Moyers had a long association with PBS, hosting shows such as Bill Moyers Journal and Now With Bill Moyers. He also produced influential documentaries like Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth and The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis, which stirred controversy for their critiques of U.S. foreign policy. Before his PBS career, Moyers served as the White House press secretary under President Lyndon B. Johnson and played a pivotal role in the formation of the Peace Corps. Over the years, he also worked with CBS, NBC, and MSNBC, further cementing his status as a leading figure in American journalism. Moyers received numerous accolades, including more than 30 Emmys and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2006. He is survived by his wife Judith, three children, and five grandchildren.
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Bill Moyers, former White House aide and PBS journalist, dies at 91
Bill Moyers, a soft-spoken former White House aide turned journalist who became a standard bearer of quality in TV news, died Thursday in New York. He was 91. Moyers' son William told the Associated Press his father died at Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital after a long illness. Moyers began his TV career in 1971 during the early years of PBS after serving as a leading advisor and press secretary to President Johnson. He spent 10 years in two stints at CBS News in the 1970s and '80s. He was editor and chief correspondent for 'CBS Reports,' the network's prestigious documentary series, and an analyst for the 'CBS Evening News.' He also did a turn as a commentator on 'NBC Nightly News' and was a host of the MSNBC program 'Insight' in 1996. But Moyers was often frustrated with the restraints of corporate-owned media and returned to non-commercial PBS each time. At PBS, 'Bill Moyers Journal' was the first news program on the service, launched in 1972 just as the Watergate scandal was heating up. His documentaries and series, which included 'Now With Bill Moyers' and the weekly interview show 'Moyers & Company, ' often examined complex issues and offered serious discussion. He earned top prizes in television journalism, including more than 30 Emmy Awards. His final program for PBS aired in 2013. Moyers made a posthumous star out of a literature professor at Sarah Lawrence College with the landmark 1988 PBS series 'Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth,' an exploration of religious and mythological archetypes. The series was watched by 30 million viewers. His 2006 series 'Faith and Reason,' where Moyers interviewed authors about the role of religion in their lives, was the kind of programming that distinguished public television, even as audiences had more viewing options on cable. Moyers also fronted tough investigative programs such as 'The Secret Government,' a deep dive into the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan administration. He often focused on the influence of money in the nation's politics. A believer in liberal causes, Moyers aggravated Republican administrations who often cited his programs when they accused PBS of bias and attempted to cut its federal funding. PBS President Paula Kerger, who worked closely with Moyers for decades, said he always embodied the aspirations of public television. 'Bill was always of service: as a journalist, a mentor, and a fierce champion for PBS,' Kerger said in a statement. 'He fought for excellence and honesty in our public discourse, and was always willing to take on the most important issues of the day with curiosity and compassion.' Moyers was born June 5, 1934 in Hugo, Okla., the son of a dirt farmer and day laborer. He attended high school in Marshall, Texas, where he covered sports for the local newspaper. After graduating from the University of Texas, he earned a master's in divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and became an ordained minister. He preached at small rural churches. While in college, he established a relationship with Johnson, who hired him to work on his 1954 reelection campaign for U.S. Senate. He worked as a news editor for KTBC radio and television, the Austin, Texas, outlets owned by Johnson's wife, Lady Bird. Moyers stuck with Johnson when the senator was elected as John F. Kennedy's vice president, becoming his personal assistant and later serving as a deputy director of the Peace Corps. After Johnson was sworn in as president on Nov. 22, 1963, following the assassination of Kennedy, Moyers ascended as well. He was a top Johnson aide with a wide range of duties including press secretary. According to a 1965 profile in Time magazine, Moyers was a key figure in assembling Johnson's ambitious domestic policy initiatives known as the Great Society. He shaped legislation and edited and polished the work of Johnson's speechwriters. When Johnson underwent anesthesia for a gall bladder operation, Moyers was given responsibility to decide whether then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey should take over the president's powers in the event of a crisis. Moyers had a major impact on political communication when in 1964 he signed off on the creation of the 'Daisy' ad for Johnson's presidential election campaign. The ad showing a girl counting petals she pulls from a daisy blends into a countdown for the launch of nuclear missile. Moyers expressed regret for the spot — an attack on Johnson's Republican opponent Barry Goldwater's views on the use of nuclear weapons. He believed the use of visceral imagery harmed the country's politics in the long term. Moyers left the Johnson White House in 1967 as he was disenchanted with the escalation of the Vietnam War. He went on to become publisher of the Long Island, N.Y., daily newspaper Newsday, raising its stature in the journalism industry, before his first tenure at PBS. When he rejoined PBS in 1986, he formed his own production company called Public Affairs Television. Moyers' preacher-like delivery and emphasis on high moral standards in his commentaries led some people to criticize him as being a pious scold. But as cable news brought a more raucous style of current affairs discussions to TV, Moyers' gentler approach was an oasis for many. 'His mission has always been to make things better, not louder,' Neil Gabler wrote in an appreciation of Moyers for The Times in 2009. 'In a world of ego and bombast, he has always been modest and self-effacing.' Moyers is survived by his wife Judith; three children, Suzanne Moyers, John D. Moyers and William Cope Moyers; six grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Bill Moyers, broadcaster and LBJ's White House press secretary, dies at 91
FILE PHOTO: Journalist Bill Moyers delivers the keynote speech at the People for the American Way Foundation's Spirit of Liberty dinner in Beverly Hills September 21, 2004. REUTERS/Fred Prouser FSP/ABP/File Photo Bill Moyers, a key member of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson's inner circle who went on to become a guiding force in American journalism during more than 40 years in public television, died on Thursday aged 91. Moyers, who announced he was "signing off" from internet journalism in December 2017, three years after retiring from the PBS airwaves, died of complications from prostate cancer at a Manhattan hospital, the Washington Post and New York Times reported, citing his son, William Cope Moyers. His death was confirmed to Reuters in a statement from Paula Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service, who saluted Moyers as a "true giant of public media." "Not only was Bill a journalist of the highest caliber, he played an essential role in the creation of PBS as a trusted aide to President Johnson," Kerger said. At a time when critics said broadcast news was becoming fluffier and shallower, Moyers pursued a thoughtful, in-depth approach, bringing an intellectual perspective delivered in a soothing Texas drawl. He took an activist approach to the job, and The Nation magazine called him a "radical presence" in broadcast news, which his critics said was proof that the Public Broadcasting Service network should not get federal funding. Starting in 1971, Moyers regularly hosted a succession of news and commentary shows on public television, including "Bill Moyers' Journal," "Now With Bill Moyers," "Moyers on America" and "Moyers and Company," as well as limited-run series on the U.S. Constitution, faith and mythology. Among the other topics he explored at length on his programs were poverty, racism, money in politics, climate change, income inequality, the shortcomings of the media and what he called the "pirates and predators of Wall Street." "He used the tools of the documentarian to wield a velvet sledgehammer, bludgeoning corporate polluters and government ne'er-do-wells with precision and grace," New York Times media columnist David Carr wrote in 2004. Billy Don Moyers was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1934, and grew up mostly in Marshall, Texas. A dutiful, energetic overachiever, he dedicated himself to school, church and work, including a job at the local newspaper. His early adult life would be a tug of war between the pulpit, the press and politics. He was attending North Texas State College when he first went to Washington in 1954 as a summer intern in the office of then-Senate Minority Leader Lyndon Johnson. When he returned to school, transferring to the University of Texas, he worked on the student newspaper, and Johnson made sure he had a job at the Austin television station owned by his wife, "Lady Bird" Johnson. He also pursued a career in the clergy, becoming ordained as a Baptist minister in 1954 and earning a master of divinity degree at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1959. 'YOUNG MAN IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING' Johnson's legendary powers of persuasion eventually prevailed and Moyers became an aide during Johnson's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination against John F. Kennedy in 1960. After the election, Kennedy chose Moyers to be assistant director of his newly established Peace Corps. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Johnson became president, Moyers moved to the White House. He was only 30 years old but became one of the most important people in Washington - a duty-bound, deal-making extension of his boss. He served as Johnson's press secretary, adviser, speech writer and congressional go-between. In 1965, he appeared on the covers of Newsweek and Time, which called him "LBJ's Young Man in Charge of Everything." Moyers was a driving force in forging Johnson's Great Society legislation - laws and programs that included the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the "war on poverty," Medicaid and Medicare, conservation and aid to education. "He taught me so much about politics and about what's possible, about human behavior, about the consequences of decisions," Moyers said of Johnson in a 1989 Texas Monthly interview. "At the same time, he was a driven man, a man who could consume you." Critics said Moyers sometimes got his hands dirty on Johnson's behalf. He was known to leak stories and plant questions with the press corps in advance of news conferences. The Washington Post reported that he ordered the FBI to search for gay people in the administration, and CBS correspondent Morley Safer said in his autobiography that Moyers also had a role in the FBI's bugging of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Moyers left Johnson's service in 1967 - partly because he no longer believed in his boss's war in Vietnam - to become publisher of Newsday, a Long Island, New York daily. The newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership, but he left in 1970 after the publisher deemed him too liberal. Moyers then went on a bus ride around the country that he chronicled in the book "Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country." He made his move to PBS in 1971 with "Bill Moyers Journal" and in 1986 he and his wife, Judith, started their own production company to make shows for public television stations. Moyers had stints with the major networks - as a correspondent and commentator with CBS in the 1970s, and with NBC and MSNBC in the 1990s - but greatly preferred the freedom and depth that public television offered. The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago called him "one of the few broadcast journalists who might be said to approach the stature" of legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. Moyers' body of work earned him more than 30 Emmys, nine Peabodys, two Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Awards and three George Polk Awards, among other accolades. He was elected to the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. Moyers and his wife had three children, William Cope, Alice Suzanne, and John Davidson. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill Moyers, broadcaster and LBJ's White House press secretary, dies at 91
(Reuters) -Bill Moyers, a key member of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson's inner circle who went on to become a guiding force in American journalism during more than 40 years in public television, died on Thursday aged 91. Moyers, who announced he was "signing off" from internet journalism in December 2017, three years after retiring from the PBS airwaves, died of complications from prostate cancer at a Manhattan hospital, the Washington Post and New York Times reported, citing his son, William Cope Moyers. His death was confirmed to Reuters in a statement from Paula Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service, who saluted Moyers as a "true giant of public media." "Not only was Bill a journalist of the highest caliber, he played an essential role in the creation of PBS as a trusted aide to President Johnson," Kerger said. At a time when critics said broadcast news was becoming fluffier and shallower, Moyers pursued a thoughtful, in-depth approach, bringing an intellectual perspective delivered in a soothing Texas drawl. He took an activist approach to the job, and The Nation magazine called him a "radical presence" in broadcast news, which his critics said was proof that the Public Broadcasting Service network should not get federal funding. Starting in 1971, Moyers regularly hosted a succession of news and commentary shows on public television, including "Bill Moyers' Journal," "Now With Bill Moyers," "Moyers on America" and "Moyers and Company," as well as limited-run series on the U.S. Constitution, faith and mythology. Among the other topics he explored at length on his programs were poverty, racism, money in politics, climate change, income inequality, the shortcomings of the media and what he called the "pirates and predators of Wall Street." "He used the tools of the documentarian to wield a velvet sledgehammer, bludgeoning corporate polluters and government ne'er-do-wells with precision and grace," New York Times media columnist David Carr wrote in 2004. Billy Don Moyers was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1934, and grew up mostly in Marshall, Texas. A dutiful, energetic overachiever, he dedicated himself to school, church and work, including a job at the local newspaper. His early adult life would be a tug of war between the pulpit, the press and politics. He was attending North Texas State College when he first went to Washington in 1954 as a summer intern in the office of then-Senate Minority Leader Lyndon Johnson. When he returned to school, transferring to the University of Texas, he worked on the student newspaper, and Johnson made sure he had a job at the Austin television station owned by his wife, "Lady Bird" Johnson. He also pursued a career in the clergy, becoming ordained as a Baptist minister in 1954 and earning a master of divinity degree at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1959. 'YOUNG MAN IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING' Johnson's legendary powers of persuasion eventually prevailed and Moyers became an aide during Johnson's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination against John F. Kennedy in 1960. After the election, Kennedy chose Moyers to be assistant director of his newly established Peace Corps. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Johnson became president, Moyers moved to the White House. He was only 30 years old but became one of the most important people in Washington - a duty-bound, deal-making extension of his boss. He served as Johnson's press secretary, adviser, speech writer and congressional go-between. In 1965, he appeared on the covers of Newsweek and Time, which called him "LBJ's Young Man in Charge of Everything." Moyers was a driving force in forging Johnson's Great Society legislation - laws and programs that included the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the "war on poverty," Medicaid and Medicare, conservation and aid to education. "He taught me so much about politics and about what's possible, about human behavior, about the consequences of decisions," Moyers said of Johnson in a 1989 Texas Monthly interview. "At the same time, he was a driven man, a man who could consume you." Critics said Moyers sometimes got his hands dirty on Johnson's behalf. He was known to leak stories and plant questions with the press corps in advance of news conferences. The Washington Post reported that he ordered the FBI to search for gay people in the administration, and CBS correspondent Morley Safer said in his autobiography that Moyers also had a role in the FBI's bugging of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Moyers left Johnson's service in 1967 - partly because he no longer believed in his boss's war in Vietnam - to become publisher of Newsday, a Long Island, New York daily. The newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership, but he left in 1970 after the publisher deemed him too liberal. Moyers then went on a bus ride around the country that he chronicled in the book "Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country." He made his move to PBS in 1971 with "Bill Moyers Journal" and in 1986 he and his wife, Judith, started their own production company to make shows for public television stations. Moyers had stints with the major networks - as a correspondent and commentator with CBS in the 1970s, and with NBC and MSNBC in the 1990s - but greatly preferred the freedom and depth that public television offered. The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago called him "one of the few broadcast journalists who might be said to approach the stature" of legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. Moyers' body of work earned him more than 30 Emmys, nine Peabodys, two Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Awards and three George Polk Awards, among other accolades. He was elected to the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. Moyers and his wife had three children, William Cope, Alice Suzanne, and John Davidson. (Writing by Bill Trott; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Rosalba O'Brien and Stephen Coates)
The Star
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Bill Moyers, broadcaster and LBJ's White House press secretary, dies at 91 -Washington Post
(Reuters) -Bill Moyers, a key member of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson's inner circle and later a guiding force in American journalism during more than 40 years in public television, has died at the age of 91, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. At a time when critics said broadcast news was becoming fluffier and shallower, Moyers pursued a thoughtful, in-depth approach, bringing an intellectual perspective delivered in a soothing Texas twang. He took an activist approach to the job and The Nation magazine called him a "radical presence" in broadcast news, which his critics said was proof that the Public Broadcasting Service network should not get federal funding. Starting in 1971, Moyers had regular shows on public television, including "Bill Moyers' Journal," "Now With Bill Moyers," "Moyers on America" and "Moyers and Company," as well limited-run series on the U.S. Constitution, faith and mythology. Among the other topics he explored at length on his shows were poverty, racism, money in politics, climate change, income inequality, the shortcomings of the media and what he called the "pirates and predators of Wall Street." "He used the tools of the documentarian to wield a velvet sledgehammer, bludgeoning corporate polluters and government ne'er-do-wells with precision and grace," New York Times media columnist David Carr wrote in 2004. Billy Don Moyers was born in Hugo, Oklahoma, on June 5, 1934, and grew up mostly in Marshall, Texas. A dutiful, energetic overachiever, he dedicated himself to school, church and work, including a job at the local newspaper. His early adult life would be a tug of war between the pulpit, the press and politics. He was attending North Texas State College when he first went to Washington in 1954 as a summer intern in the office of then-Senate Minority Leader Lyndon Johnson. When he returned to school, transferring to the University of Texas, he worked on the student newspaper and Johnson made sure he had a job at the Austin television station owned by his wife, "Lady Bird" Johnson. He also pursued the ministry, becoming ordained as a Baptist minister in 1954 and earning a master of divinity degree at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1959. Johnson's legendary powers of persuasion eventually prevailed and Moyers became an aide during Johnson's unsuccessful presidential run against John F. Kennedy in 1960. After the election, Kennedy chose Moyers to be assistant director of his newly established Peace Corps. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Johnson became president, Moyers moved to the White House. He was only 30 years old but became one of the most important people in Washington - a duty-bound, deal-making extension of his boss. He served as Johnson's press secretary, adviser, speech writer and congressional go-between. In 1965, he appeared on the covers of Newsweek and Time, which called him "LBJ's Young Man in Charge of Everything." Moyers was a driving force in forging Johnson's Great Society legislation - laws and programs that included the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the "war on poverty," Medicaid and Medicare, conservation and aid to education. "He taught me so much about politics and about what's possible, about human behavior, about the consequences of decisions," Moyers said of Johnson in a 1989 Texas Monthly interview. "At the same time, he was a driven man, a man who could consume you." Critics said Moyers sometimes got his hands dirty on Johnson's behalf. He was known to leak stories and plant questions with the press corps in advance of news conferences. The Washington Post reported that he ordered the FBI to search for gay people in the administration, and CBS correspondent Morley Safer said in his autobiography that Moyers also had a role in the FBI's bugging of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Moyers left Johnson's service in 1967 - partly because he no longer believed in his boss's war in Vietnam - to become publisher of Newsday, a Long Island, New York daily. The newspaper won two Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership, but he left in 1970 after the publisher deemed him too liberal. Moyers then went on a bus ride around the country that he chronicled in the book "Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country." He made his move to PBS in 1971 with "Bill Moyers Journal" and in 1986 he and his wife, Judith, started their own production company to make shows for public television stations. Moyers had stints with the major networks - as a correspondent and commentator with CBS in the 1970s, and NBC and MSNBC in the 1990s - but greatly preferred the freedom and depth that public television offered. Moyers and his wife had three children, William Cope, Alice Suzanne, and John Davidson. (Writing by Bill Trott; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Rosalba O'Brien)
