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Press And The People, The: An Inquiry Into The Work Of The American Press In Informing The American People; Bomb And The Press, The

Part of Press and the People.

12/20/1958

Louis Lyons interviews Professor Stanley Livingston, director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Electron Accelerator [also known as the Cambridge electron accelerator (CEA)] and Earl Ubell, science editor, New York Herald Tribune about the effect of the atomic bomb and the perception of the American public as to what is going on and what the effects of the atomic bomb really are. _-_ _-_ Earl Ubell is quoted as saying “the public does not know enough about fallout to make intelligent decisions. The press has not the manpower or space to cover the story. The public isn’t educated to understand it. The scientists themselves have fallen down on the job of explaining.” _-_ _-_ Stanley Livingston is quoted as saying “the debate over bomb tests and fallout is one of the most crucial of our generation, yet the press have not dug out the important facts and presented them so that the American people can understand the issues.” _-_ _-_ Stanley Livingston thinks the press has missed the main point of the fallout controversy, while Earl Ubell states that 1/3rd of the nation have never heard of radioactive fallout from an atomic bomb and are in no position to make intelligent decisions about the issue. _-_ _-_ Livingston explains what exactly radioactive fallout is and that, following all the bomb tests, there is a now a steady rain of radioactive material falling from the stratosphere leading to biological damage throughout the world. _-_ _-_ He believes the press have tended to take government handouts of news as authoritative and are not particularly aware of the background facts that the other scientists have reported leading to the general impression that radioactive fallout is a scare story. _-_ _-_ Contrary to Livingston, Ubell believes non-governmental scientists are being given a fair deal and that their findings are being published. _-_ _-_ Louis Lyons talks about the different ways newspapers are handling the same stories concerning radioactive material. Ubell talks about the total impact of the stories on the public, rather than the way they are individually reported.


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Series
Press And The People, The: An Inquiry Into The Work Of The American Press In Informing The American People
Program
Bomb And The Press, The
Program Number

3

Series Description

Louis Lyons hosts this series of programs that discuss the problems and performance of the American Press in reporting leading questions of the day. Series release date: 1958

Program Description

Louis Lyons interviews Professor Stanley Livingston, director, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Electron Accelerator [also known as the Cambridge electron accelerator (CEA)] and Earl Ubell, science editor, New York Herald Tribune about the effect of the atomic bomb and the perception of the American public as to what is going on and what the effects of the atomic bomb really are. Produced by Joseph Lyford, Directed by Lloyd Bydon.

Earl Ubell is quoted as saying “the public does not know enough abut fallout to make intelligent decisions. The press does not have enough manpower or space to cover the story. The public isn’t educated to understand it. Scientists themselves have fallen down on the job of explaining.”

Stanley Livingston is quoted as saying “the debate over bomb tests and fallout is one of the most crucial of our generation, yet the press have not dug out the important facts and presented them so that the American people can understand the issues.”

Stanley Livingston thinks the press has missed the main point of the fallout controversy, while Earl Ubell states that 1/3rd of the nation have never heard of radioactive fallout from an atomic bomb and are in no position to make intelligent decisions about the issue.

Livingston explains what exactly radioactive fallout is and that, following all the bomb tests, there is a now a steady rain of radioactive material falling from the stratosphere leading to biological damage throughout the world.

He believes the press have tended to take government handouts of news as authoritative and are not particularly aware of the background facts that the other scientists have reported leading to the general impression that radioactive fallout is a scare story.

Contrary to Livingston, Ubell believes non-governmental scientists are being given a fair deal and that their findings are being published.

Louis Lyons talks about the different ways newspapers are handling the same stories concerning radioactive material. Ubell talks about the total impact of the stories on the public, rather than the way they are individually reported.

Keywords: Media History Journalism Atomic bomb Radioactive fallout Nuclear weapons Mass media and public opinion

Subject headings: Historical television programs Atomic bomb testing

Proper names: Lyons, Louis Martin, 1897- Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley) Ubell, Earl Lyford, Joseph Brydon, Loyd

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Subjects
Mass media criticism--United States
Mass Media--History--United States
Nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons information, American
Radioactive fallout
Newspaper publishing--United States--History--20th century
Science news--United States--History--20th century
Media and politics
Mass media--Social aspects--United States
Atomic bomb
Mass media and public opinion
Locations
Boston, MA
Genres
Talk Show
Topics
Public Affairs
Contributors
Brydon, Loyd (Director)
Lyons, Louis Martin, 1897- (Presenter)
Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley) (Guest)
Lyford, Joseph (Producer)
Ubell, Earl (Guest)
Citation
Chicago: “Press And The People, The: An Inquiry Into The Work Of The American Press In Informing The American People; Bomb And The Press, The,” 12/20/1958, GBH Archives, accessed March 29, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_C6A31063100F427C94D54B6ECF41BBBB.
MLA: “Press And The People, The: An Inquiry Into The Work Of The American Press In Informing The American People; Bomb And The Press, The.” 12/20/1958. GBH Archives. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_C6A31063100F427C94D54B6ECF41BBBB>.
APA: Press And The People, The: An Inquiry Into The Work Of The American Press In Informing The American People; Bomb And The Press, The. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_C6A31063100F427C94D54B6ECF41BBBB
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