Soundbites with Dr. Stan Deaton
“Hear it now; see it tonight; read about it tomorrow.”
A resource for the 2024-2025 Georgia History Festival, “The Reality of Our Liberty”: The First Amendment and Freedom of the Press.
Read the questions below and click the sound files to hear the responses.
Teachers:
View the Soundbites with Dr. Stan Deaton Discussion Guide.
Soundbite 1 –
The context for the phrase “the reality of our liberty.”
Welcome to our conversation with Dr. Stan Deaton, Senior Historian and Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian, at the Georgia Historical Society. The Festival title was inspired by a quote by President Thomas Jefferson.
Dr. Deaton, would you give some background for this statement?
Soundbite 2 –
Why was freedom of the press important to the Founders?
As Americans, we often take freedom of the press for granted. Would you give us some context around why the Founders considered this so vital for the new nation?
Soundbite 3 –
The context for “Hear it now; see it tonight; read about it tomorrow.”
We’re discussing the phrase, “Hear it now, see it tonight, read about it tomorrow.” Would you provide context around this statement?
Soundbite 4 –
The impact of radio news.
In the age of radio, what are some significant stories, to Georgians and Americans?
Soundbite 5 –
Hearing news in the 21st century.
How has consuming our information through hearing changed over time?
Soundbite 6 –
The impact of television news.
What is the context of “see it tonight”?
Soundbite 7 –
From 30 minutes to 24 hours.
How has the evolution from three basic television stations to several 24-hour networks affected the news?
Soundbite 8 –
Georgia stories on television.
What are some Georgia stories that have impacted us through television?
Soundbite 9 –
The impact of newspapers across the centuries.
Currently, we can read all day long about the events of the day on the internet. However, “read about it tomorrow” refers to an earlier time. What has the role of newspapers been in our history?
Soundbite 10 –
Editorializing vs. Newsgathering
When did our newspapers start to shift from partisan toward the neutrality of “just the facts”?
Soundbite 11 –
Investigative journalism and the safeguarding of liberty.
Joseph Pulitzer, owner of The New York World, and founder of The Pulitzer Prize for journalism, said:
“[I]t’s my duty to see that they get the truth; but that’s not enough, I’ve got to put it before them briefly so that they will read it, clearly so that they will understand it, forcibly so that they will appreciate it, picturesquely so that they will remember it, and, above all, accurately so that they may be wisely guided by its light.”
Under Pulitzer’s leadership investigative journalism, and the career of Nellie Bly was launched. This brings us back to the Founders and their idea that a press free from government control has the responsibility to inform and educate the public about the actions of elected officials and business leaders so they can be held accountable to the American people.
For further investigation:
Select a news story from the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s and find the coverage across the newspaper, radio, and television. Make sure to find the same date or within a couple of days of each other. Compare and contrast how each outlet presented the story.
Pictured: Family watching television. Photo by Evert F. Baumgardner, ca. 1958. National Archives and Records Administration.