Can Mass Media Promote Democracy Instead of Divisiveness? Here’s a Guy Who Did.

Jim Hightower's Lowdown

Every once in a great while, a major media celebrity comes along who puts his or her talent and – well, celebrity – to work for the Common Good.

Many generous artistic souls support good causes – and bless them for that! But there are a few who put the public interest at the center of their professional calling, and it’s been my joy to know a couple of them. We just lost a special one: Phil Donahue.

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For 30 years, he brought a high-energy mix of unscripted fun, freewheeling grassroots democracy, serious issue exchanges, and public purpose to the unlikeliest of venues: Daytime TV talk shows. “Donahue” – the person and the show – defied studio bosses and conventional wisdom about what would appeal to “the great unwashed.” His crazy idea was to confront biases directly, with the audience as the stars. He put big issues in front of mainstream audiences before most TV bosses knew they were issues – abortion, medical price gouging, gender identity, atheism, NAFTA, Native Americans, AIDS, nuclear power, prison reform, family farmers, and so much more. And he did it daily, not talking to a pre-selected audience of like-minded people, but engaging disparate viewpoints directly in (often fiery) broadcasts.

Moreover, he brought genuine activists (not just sparklies) onto the show as guests. Even I made a couple of appearances. We were not invited to peacock and pontificate, but to provide a bit of insight and, most importantly, offer ways for viewers to fight back for fairness, justice, and a little more sanity in our world.

Phil Donahue is the model of what democratic media ought to be – an open exchange with regular people to promote the Common Good. See some Donahue for yourself at jimhightower.com/donahue.

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