May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters hold it up as a model of persuasive public speaking and as the go-to reminder of why public broadcasting deserves funding.
What it is
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.
Recommended by 9 HN commenters across 8 different months, 2015 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec selljamhere · 2018-06 · on “Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children”
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. [this video]
Strong rec kingbirdy · 2019-12 · on “Caroll Spinney has died”
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. [this video]
Strong rec chimeracoder · 2024-01 · on “Mr. Rogers' music was intricate (2020) [video]”
> 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. [this video]
Recommends hitekker · 2015-12 · on “How Elmo Ruined Sesame Street”
> Mister Rogers For those who didn't grow up with Mister Rogers, I encourage you to watch this, [this video] , to get a sense of how effective he was as a speaker.
Recommends disqard · 2018-07 · on “The Fred Rogers We Know”
That's very well articulated. He had no pretense and never came across as patronizing, at least in my (admittedly limited) sampling of old episodes via YouTube. The "take others for exactly who they are" mentality captures his earnestness and utter lack of guile in his interactions. I'm sure you've seen him testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications to maintain funding for PBS [0], but I'll leave this link here anyway, for others who might not have seen this. [0] [this video]
Recommends extralego · 2018-07 · on “Mr. Rogers was my actual neighbor”
Incase anyone hasn’t seen this video of him presenting before the senate committee in 1969, in support of national public television. [this video]
Recommends yoshamano · 2018-09 · on “Mr. Rogers vs. the Superheroes”
There was a documentary about him released this year I highly recommend called Won't You Be My Neighbor. [LINK] As far as examples, here's an episode about divorce that I remember helping me deal with my parents' divorce when I was little. [LINK] Or here's his speech to Congress fighting for funding for public television (it's more complicated than just funding for public television, but that's the basic idea). [this video] Or one of my favorites, his acceptance speech for his lifetime achievement Emmy Award. [LINK]
Recommends alickz · 2021-09 · on “Mister Rogers had a simple set of rules for talking to children (2018)”
As a European I never grew up with Mister Rogers, but his testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Communications is very impressive to me. [this video]