►
From YouTube: Moments with Melinda: Interview with Mitchell Stephens
Description
From Melinda Moulton:
Mitchell Stephens is Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Mass Communications at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. Mitch is also a respected journalist and historian with several original published works.
6/1/2023
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A
A
Great
to
see
you
all
the
way
from
New
York
City
thanks
for
joining
my
my
show
today,
I'm
so
excited
to
interview
you.
Let
me
tell
my
viewers
a
little
bit
about
you.
Mitch
Stevens
is
professor
emeritus
of
Journalism
and
mass
communications
at
New,
York
universities,
Arthur
L,
Carter
journalism,
Institute
Mitch,
is
also
a
respected
journalist
and
historian
with
several
original
published
works.
A
B
Oh
yeah
I
actually
live
right
now
about
eight
blocks
from
where
I
was
born.
So
all
my
travels
over
the
years
have
added
up
to
eight
blocks
at
the
moment
and
and
but
I
made
a
Suburban
track
and
I
actually
went
to
high
school
out
on
Long
Island
and
it
was
great.
You
know
we
lived
a
1950
I
had
a
1950s
childhood,
where
kids
could
run
around
and
ride
bikes
and
build
carts,
and
that
sort
of
thing.
B
Yeah,
my
parents
were
amazing.
My
my
dad
was
a
Labor
Union
newspaper
writer.
So
that's
where
I
got
the
journalism
side
and
he
he
was
very
active
in
the
Civil
Rights
Movement.
He
was
on
stage
during
the
march
on
Washington.
He
claims
to
have
been
the
one
who
made
up
the
number
of
people
who
was
there
when
some
reporter
asked
and-
and
my
mother
was
a
you
know-
after
not
being
able
to
finish
school
and
staying
home
as
a
housewife
went
on,
got
her
PhD
and
became
a
professor
of
education.
B
B
B
Yeah
yeah,
he
was
a
new,
a
labor
newspaper
editor.
He
was
involved
in
organizing
the
hospital
workers
in
New,
York
City,
who
were
then
being
paid
sixty
dollars
a
week
and
how
dare
they
go
on
the
strike?
What
about
the
patients?
You
know
yeah?
Well,
what
about
somebody
else?
Pay
helping
pay
for
the
patient
care
right.
A
So
so
I
wanted
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
your
role
and
your
involvement
in
the
60s
intellectual
Revolution
that
transformed
our
social
democracy,
which
oftentimes
pundits
compared
to
what's
going
on
right
now
that
yeah
those
60s
people,
the
the
rebellious
ones,
the
you
know
all
this
stuff.
You
were
part
of
that,
as
was
I
talk
a
little
bit
about
being
in
New,
York,
City
and
being
part
of
that
60s
Revolution.
B
A
Well,
I
remember
the
demonstrations
at
Columbia,
University
I
had
a
professor
who
came
in
with
literally
broken
bones,
and
in
casts
and
I
mean
the
riots
in
in
New
York
after
Martin
Luther
King
was
murdered
and
that's
when
I
became
an
activist
was
it
and
and
would
you
say
that
that
that
that
the
60s
Revolution
really
did
bring
in
the
Consciousness
around
civil
rights?
Women's
rights,
disability
rights
Earth
day
was
founded
around
that
time
in
72.,
yeah.
B
A
A
A
B
In
that
book,
I
was
more
celebrating
the
image
than
than
mourning.
The
word
I
got
very.
It
started
in
a
bathtub
in
Spain
of
all
places.
I
got
you
know
an
idea.
People
don't
have
a
lot
of
ideas
that
was
mine,
and
the
idea
was
that
video
television,
we
mostly
called
it
in
those
days,
would
could
actually
be
an
important
intellectual
tool,
artistic
but
also
intellectual,
and
that
the
secret
was
not
slow,
serious
television
which
just
showed
people
talking
like
we're
doing
now,
not
that
that
doesn't
have
its
place.
B
Actually,
when
I
went
to
graduate
school
I
had
that
idea
in
my
head
and
I
was
trying
to
do
some
experiments
with
I
guess
it
was
film
in
those
days
not
video,
but
and
and
they
and
then,
when
I
wrote,
the
book
I
did
more
experiments
online
and
now
that
I've
sort
of
done
with
writing
books
and
done
with
teaching
I'm
trying
to
do
more
experiments
with
that
video,
and
there
are
a
lot
of
people
doing
it.
I
think
I
was
right.
B
There
are
a
lot
of
people
doing
videos
that
are
not
just
somebody
talking
but
are
trying
to
use
this
medium
use
all
the
incredible
potential
of
this
medium
to
say
things,
maybe
with
a
fluidity,
maybe
with
a
depth,
maybe
with
a
reach
that
that
may
that
prints
strains
for
and
that
in
our
conversations,
we've
strained
for
so
so
that
was
my.
That
was
my
my
my
idea.
My.
B
A
So,
what's
your
take
on
this
whole
tear
down
of
tick,
tock
and
social
media
with
our
kids
and
older
people,
our
age,
talking
about
how
it's
going
to
destroy
society
and
humanity?
And
then,
of
course,
we
have
the
AI,
which
is
a
whole
different
conversation,
but
maybe
not
what
what's
your
take
on
that
of
where
we
are
as
a
society
coming
down
hard
on
social
media
and
our
kids?
Well,.
B
I
think
you
know,
I
was
in
a
good
position
to
evaluate
that.
Because
I
was
you
know,
my
parents
got
their
first
TV
set
right
about
when
the
average
American
got
their
first
TV
set
about
1955
and
I
was
six
years
old
and
all
of
that
started.
Then
television
was
going
to
turn
my
brain
to
Mush.
It's
a
vast
Wasteland,
so
you
know
when
they
start
start
saying
it
about
the
internet
and
when
they
start
saying
it
about
Tick
Tock
I
I
have
a
very
large
grain
of
salt
I.
A
Am
so
with
you
on
that
and
I
can't
be
that
vocal,
but
my
grandkids
love
the
fact
that
I'm
like
come
on
I
mean
I,
remember
I,
wasn't
there
were
shows
that
I
wasn't
allowed
to
watch
when
I
was
a
kid,
but
I
mean
television
was
going
to
be
the
demise
of
humanity,
and
so
here
we
are
again
we're
the
older
generation.
The
boomers
are
talking
about
how
it's
destroying
our
children's
minds
and
so
I'm.
B
And
you
know,
and
the
same
mistakes
are
being
made,
one
of
the
mistakes
was
being
made
about,
television
is
in
the
1950s
and
60s
television
was
just
a
baby,
and
people
didn't
know
what
to
do
and
they
were
imitating
movies
and
theater.
I
once
went
and
looked
at
in
film
I
once
counted
how
many
times,
people
in
old
movies,
walk
through
doors
and
the
reason
they
walk
through
doors
is
because
this
was
imitation
theater
and
in
theater
to
get
somebody
into
a
scene.
You
have
to
go
through
a
door.
B
Well,
you
don't
have
to
do
that
in
film
and
and
now
we
don't
need
that
scene
of
walking
through
doors
and
I.
Think
a
lot
of
what's
going
on
in
the
internet
today
and
with
things
like
Tick,
Tock
and
and
video
was
still
in
the
walk
through
door
stage,
we're
still
in
the
imitation
stage,
we're
still
taking
baby
steps
and
it
takes
longer
than
we
think
for
a
new
form
of
communication
to
gain
its
strength.
A
But
I
do
think
that
we
need
to
to
relax
a
little
bit
on
this.
So
I
agree
with
you
on
that
Mitch
talk
to
my
viewers
about
your
book
on
atheism
without
God's
toward
a
history
of
disbelief,
so
I've
always
considered
myself
an
agnostic,
atheist
and
I.
Don't
know
if
I'm
allowed
to
be
one
or
the
other,
so
I
sort
of
merged
them
together,
because
I
consider
myself
a
spiritualist
but
I
really
don't
believe.
There's
some!
A
You
know
white
guy
in
the
sky,
looking
down
determining
whether
I'm
going
to
go
up
and
hang
out
with
him
or
go
down
and
hang
out
with
the
devil.
I,
just
don't
go
there,
so
I'm
I'm
so
curious,
because
I
think
you
and
I
again
are
lined
a
little
mentally
about
this
and
maybe
spiritually
about
this.
So
why
did
you
write
this
book.
B
B
B
Yeah
that
was
I,
think
I
think
it's
Mark
Twain
line
the
more
I
kept
improving,
trying
to
improve
things,
the
more
it
kept
disimproving,
but
there
was
that
you
know,
but
there
have
always
been.
America
is
a
very
religious
country,
as
we
know
an
unusually
religious
country,
and
there
have
been
periods
of
revive
of
religious
revival
and
we
did
experience.
B
One
of
them
happened
to
coincide
when
I
was
trying
to
sell
this
book,
but
but
things
are
changing
now
and
and
there's
been
a
real
increase
in
the
number
of
people
who
are
willing
to
call
them
admit
that
they
don't
have
a
belief
in
God
in
the
United
States,
so
I
think
it's
changing
among
young
people
and
I
think
I
think
that's
great
I.
Think
people
I
think
we
human
beings
have
a
responsibility
to
figure
out
how
to
make
the
most
of
our
our
lives
and
how
to
do
right
by
the
planet.
B
A
Point
well
thank
you
for
your
work
on
that.
So
most
recently,
I
think.
Most
recently
you
wrote
your
book
about
Lowell
Thomas,
Voice
of
America,
Lowell
Thomas
and
the
invention
of
the
20th
century
journalism
and
Mitch
you.
You
really
took
this
very
seriously
and
you
journeyed
and
traveled
the
footsteps
of
Lowell
Thomas
to
write.
This
book
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
quickly
about
Lowell
Thomas
and
about
the
journey
that
you
took
and
spent
those
those
years
putting
together
his
life
to
write.
B
He.
He
was
huge
in
ways
that
no
journalist
today,
he
was
probably
better
known.
The
United
States
than
Walter
Cronkite,
was
at
the
height
of
his
success,
and
book
came
out
after
the
age
when
everybody
knew
of
him
which
hurt
sales.
But
he
was
a
fascinating
man
and
he
was
a
traveler
and
I
love
to
travel
and
I,
followed
him
in
part
with
Rick
to
the
Himalayas
to
to
Tibet
and
followed
him
to
Arabia,
where
he
he
was
the
one
who
discovered
Lawrence
of
Arabia.
B
A
This
great
film
expose
on
what
was
happening
around
the
world.
Now
your
book
was
a
and
the
road
map
for
Rick's
film,
on
Lowell
Thomas.
Now
to
my
viewers
that
film
came
out
in
2019
and
it
received
critical
Acclaim,
it
was
broadcast
on
93
percent
of
PBS
stations
across
the
country.
Now
Mitch
you
collaborated
and
partnered
with
Rick
on
this
film
and
you
wrote
the
narration.
A
B
Yeah,
well,
he
kind
of
invented
broadcast
journalism.
He
was
the
first
you
know,
Cronkite
knew
that
he
was
cronkite's
hero,
Tom
Brokaw
knew,
who
was
interviewed
in
our
film,
knew
that
Dan
Rather
knew
that
he
was.
He
invented
it
on
the
radio.
He
was
the
biggest
name
in
radio
for
decades
and
certainly
in
radio
journalism,
and
he
also
was
the
biggest
name
in
in
newsreels,
which
people
would
see.
As
you
were
saying
in
the
theater
every
week
and
and
a
lot
of
the
journalism.
B
B
A
You
were
really
inspirational
and
so
important
in
making
that
happen.
So
how
do
you
feel
journalism
today?
I
mean
why
why
is
there
a
major
News
Network
allowed
to
spoo
the
the
the
you
know,
the
untruths
that
are
that
are
happening
across
the
country,
encouraging
people
to
believe
in
things
that
aren't
true
I,
don't
I'm,
not
I'm,
not
sure
Mitch.
If
that
would
have
been
allowed
to
happen
under
Eisenhower
or
you
know,
even
under
Clinton
I'm,
not
I,
I'm,
not
sure.
A
A
B
I
think
the
legal
framework
on
this
is
correct,
which
is
there's
no
law
against
not
telling
the
truth
in
a
newspaper
or
on
TV,
or
anything
like
that,
unless
you're
defaming
somebody
unless
you're
and
if
it's
a
public
figure,
it's
almost
impossible
to
defame
them.
I
think
that's
good,
because
you
know
I'm
old
enough
to
remember
when
it
was
those
of
us
on
the
left
who
were
getting
attacked
for
you
know
for
criticizing
the
United
States
and
Vietnam,
for
example.
B
So
I'm
I'm
pretty
much
a
free
speech
absolutist
on
that
front,
so
that
doesn't
really
bother
me
and
again:
I'm
I'm
used
to
attacks
journalists
are
always
being
attacked
for
something
or
other
and
I'm
and
they're,
always
bad
journalists,
as
you
know,
as
the
people
on
Fox
News
were
so
that
doesn't
bother
me
that
hugely
what
you
know.
What
does
bother
me
and
what
I
think
we
need
is.
We
need
better
journalism,
we
need
deeper
journalism,
we
need
more
intelligent
journalism
and
we
always
need
that
and.
B
You
know,
look
at
the
world
we
live
in.
You
know,
with
on
this
little
device.
I
can
find
out
anything
that's
happening
anywhere
in
the
world
and
I
can
get.
You
know
it
used
to
be
to
get
Lowell,
Thomas
or
Walter.
Cronkite
I'd
have
to
be
in
my
house
at
as
precise
hour
now.
I
can
I
can
always
find
the
news.
A
So
we're
so
I
would
say
that
we
are
a
more
educated,
populist
and
and
I'm
glad
that
you're
that
you,
that
you
shared
that
with
me
about
about
faith
about
untruths
and
and
that
that
comforts
me
and
especially
coming
from
you
now,
you
and
your
wife
Esther
are
World
Travelers
talk
to
us
a
little
bit
about
what
you
have
learned,
because
you
have
traveled
around
the
world.
38
countries
and
you
wrote
about
it
in
feed,
magazine,
Lonely,
Planet
and
other
media
Outlets.
B
Yeah
we
were,
we
were
driving
through
the
South.
There
were
some
states,
I'd
never
been
to
and
I
remember,
driving
along
these
ridiculously
long
drives.
Esther
has
a
great
capacity
for
sleeping
in
cars,
which
is
useful
and
I
could
drive
forever
and
I.
Just
I
love
watching
the
road
go
by
I
love,
I
love
sitting
in
a
bus
going
driving
through
turkey
somewhere
I
love.
You
know,
driving
through
Tibet
with
you
know,
I
love,
seeing
other
people,
I
love,
seeing
how
people
live.
I
have
a
tendency
to
sometimes
annoys
my
wife.
A
B
A
B
A
A
On
YouTube,
so
Mitch
we're
coming
it's
close
to
the
end
of
our
share
with
share
with
my
viewers,
your
opinion
about
the
state
of
our
country
today
and
as
a
world
traveler
internationally
acclaimed,
author
beloved
and
Brilliant
educator
where's
our
world
headed.
And
what
do
you
tell
our
children?
What
do
you
tell
your
grandchildren
who
writing
into
a
into
a
PL?
You
know
living
on
a
planet,
that's
heating
up
and
with
fascism
sort
of
roiling
around
the
world.
What
what
is
your
vision
and
your
your
wisdom.
B
I'm
an
optimist-
and
you
know
which
a
lot
of
my
friends
find
annoying
and
oh
Mitch.
You
always
think
it's
going
to
be
okay,
but
I
do,
and
you
know,
and
somebody
what
one
of
my
newer
friends
asked
me
how
come
you
know.
Where
did
this
come
from
and
I
realized?
It
came
from
the
first
real
trade
book,
I
wrote
a
history
of
news
and
I
know:
I
was
studying
news
and
all
sorts
of
various
times,
and
one
thing
just
about
any
time
has
in
common.
B
Is
the
journalism
thinks
the
world's
about
to
end
thinks
it's
the
worst
of
times.
People
always
think
it's
the
worst
of
time.
Back
in
the
60s,
we
were
having
all
our
fun.
Everybody
thought
it
was
the
worst
of
times
because-
and
there
was
a
lot
of
reason
for
that
assassinations-
riots
in
the
street
war
in
Vietnam-
and
you
know,
there's
certainly
reasons
for
thinking.
Things
aren't
great
now.
You
know
the
the
president
before
this
was
hardly
good
for
encouraging
optimism
and.
A
What
do
we
have
now,
but
what
we
have
now
is
a
planet
that
that
may
be
unlivable
for
our
grandchildren.
Our
great
grandchildren
I
mean
we.
We
didn't
have
that
back
then
we
had
political
strife
and
social
Strife,
but
this
planet
that
we're
living
on
you're
about
to
head
into
a
New
York
summer,
which
is
why
you
need
to
come
to
Vermont,
but
it's
a
it's
that
for
the
state
of
humanity.
A
A
Our
time
as
Humanity
to
move
on,
maybe
maybe
it's
the
Earth
saying,
okay,
we're
done
with
you
guys
you've
been
here
for
for
enough
enough
time
and
you've
basically
destroyed
everything,
and
so
you
need
to
leave
now.
Maybe
that's,
maybe
that's
where
we're
headed,
but
I
just
wanted
to
get
your
opinion
about
that,
because
it's
hard
to
be
an
optimist
when,
when
we're
seeing
that.
B
Well,
we're
also
seeing
this
incredibly
rapid
invention
of
electric
automobiles,
which
are
spreading
at
a
an
amazing
rate.
I
mean
the
technology
is
coming
faster
than
anybody
thought
for
helping
and
I
think
there
is
an
awareness
in
the
world,
obviously
not
enough,
but
I
think
there
is
that
something
has
to
be
done
and
and
I
think
it's
being
done.
I,
don't
think
we're
gonna
end
life
on
this
planet
or
human
life.
So.
A
Your
hope,
your
hope
is
like
mine,
it's
in
the
youth
and
I
think
we
have
a
youth
that
is
so
extraordinary,
and
so
your
hope
is
in
the
youth
and
that's
sort
of
where
I
live
well.
Mitch
we're
coming
to
the
end
of
my
show,
but
I
want
to
let
you
know
that
the
lightning
bugs
are
flittering
in
the
meadow
and
Mitch
I'll.
Never
forget
the
walk
when
you
first
came
up
to
my
home
and
it
we
walked
around
the
meadow
and
the
Whole.
A
Meadow
was
a
light
with
millions
of
lightning
bugs,
and
it
was
just
such
an
extraordinary
magical
night
that
I'll
never
forget,
and
so
I
I
just
wanted
to
share
that
with
my
viewers
that
the
lightning
bugs
are
coming
back.
So
you
need
to
all
get
to
to
that
magical
place,
to
watch
them
and
and
for
you,
Mitch.
That
was
a
special
day
for
Rick
and
I
and
and.
B
A
Yeah,
so
you'll
have
to
come
back,
but
I
did
want
to
let
you
know
that
the
lightning
bugs
are
on
the
meadow
again
and
so
Mitch,
thanks
for
being
on
my
show,
this
was
great
I'm,
so
glad
my
viewers
got
to
meet
you
and
to
learn
more
about
your
life
and
thanks
for
being
with
me
and
to
my
viewers.
I
want
to
thank
you
for
joining
me
and
Mitch
Stevens
for
this
half
hour
in
this
moment,
and
thanks
for
tuning
in
and
I'll
see
you
next
month
see
you
Mitch.