From 1968 to Today, Heather Hendershot and Michael Zeldin on Media and Democracy
Welcome to That Said with Michael Zeldin. In this episode, Michael revisits a pivotal moment in American history with historian Heather Hendershot, author of When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America. Together, they delve into the TV coverage of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago—a moment when the notion of a liberal-biased media became mainstreamed and nationalized.
As we begin the Democratic National Convention and the 2024 presidential election, this conversation takes on new relevance. Michael and Heather explore the differences and similarities between the 1968 conventions and today’s, shedding light on how media coverage has evolved. They discuss the strategies political parties use to control the narrative, the significant role of social media and echo chambers in shaping public perception, and the ever-critical importance of fact-checking in a media landscape rife with misinformation.
Join us for this insightful discussion on the role of media in democracy, the challenges of maintaining objectivity, and how humor and positive messaging can engage and energize voters.
About Our Guest
Heather Hendershot is a professor of film and media in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing program. Her most recent book is When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarization of America. She is also the author of Open to Debate: How William F. Buckley Put Liberal America on the Firing Line; What’s Fair on the Air? Cold War Right-Wing Broadcasting and the Public Interest; Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture; and Saturday Morning Censors: Television Regulation before the V-Chip. Heather also edited the anthology Nickelodeon Nation: The History, Politics, and Economics of America’s Only Channel for Kids, and she is a former editor of Cinema Journal, the official publication of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies.
Heather received her BA from Yale University and her MA and PhD from the University of Rochester. She has held fellowships at Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vassar College, and she has also been a Guggenheim Fellow.
