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May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications

Road Less Marveled · 6.9M views · 2015-02-08 · 6:51

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Overview

Seven-minute footage of Fred Rogers testifying before a US Senate subcommittee in 1969 to defend federal funding for the new Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A skeptical Senator Pastore starts out abrasive and is won over during Rogers' brief, calm testimony.

On Hacker News

HN commenters hold it up as a model of persuasive public speaking and as the go-to reminder of why public broadcasting deserves funding.

Recommended by 9 HN people across 8 months · HN mentions 2015–2026

Topics

US politics & electionsMedia, journalism & propaganda
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fred rogerssenate testimonypbspublic speakingchildren's television

What people said

chimeracoder · 2024-01 · Strong recommendation

> Doesn't look like he recorded much (outside the show), but definitely will be looking into what he has recorded. For anyone who hasn't seen it, one must-see video outside the show is Fred Rogers testifying before the Senate in 1969, in order to defend funding for public television. He is able to win over an incredibly rude and hostile senator in just a few minutes. [VIDEO]

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kingbirdy · 2019-12 · Strong recommendation

If you haven't seen it before, Fred Rogers' 1969 testimony before the Senate in defense of PBS funding is very moving. He was able to prevent a $10M cut to their $20M funding. [VIDEO]

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selljamhere · 2018-06 · Strong recommendation

One of my favorite examples of public speaking is Mr. Rogers testifying before a Senate subcommittee in support of funding for national public television. He is calm, thoughtful and thorough through the entire process, speaking simply and without grandeur. It's a small wonder he found such success, and a great example of the importance of clear communication. [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by Road Less Marveled, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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