The world just said goodbye to talk show host Phil Donahue. Most of the tributes state that he revolutionized the entertainment industry. He made his audience a part of his show and gave a voice to the ordinary person.
Oprah Winfrey commented, “There wouldn’t have been an Oprah Show without Phil Donahue being the first to prove that daytime talk and women watching should be taken seriously. He was a pioneer. I’m glad I got to thank him for it. Rest in peace, Phil,”
What is rarely mentioned is that Donahue used his popular medium to challenge mainstream narratives of current events. He brought people into our living rooms whom we needed to hear from, discussed uncomfortable topics, and ultimately got himself cancelled.
The best example of this is Lebanese-American activist Ralph Nader. Donahue first reached out to him in 1967 to appear on his Dayton, Ohio, talk show and discuss his battles with the automobile industry to make our cars safer. As the years passed, Nader became Donahue’s most frequent guest.
Donahue seemed to have an affinity for Lebanese-Americans. Feminist and actor Marlo Thomas appeared on his show in 1977, and they became arguably the happiest power couple in America. Their marriage lasted from 1980 until Donahue’s recent passing.
It should be noted that Donahue regularly interviewed people he vehemently disagreed with, like evangelist Jerry Falwell. He wanted his audience to hear for themselves what these people stood for.
For a time, Donahue could also get away with interviewing people who were not only shunned by the mainstream media but were highly critical of it. After the release of the National Film Board of Canada documentary Manufacturing Consent, Donahue gave scholar and activist Noam Chomsky a platform to espouse his views to the mainstream. In their 1993 interview on MSNBC, Donahue and Chomsky agreed on almost every issue.
Despite his high ratings, MSNBC cancelled Donahue on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. He had brought people on his show, like UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, who questioned the existence of weapons of mass destruction. General Electric owned MSNBC, and Donahue said he would not play along as they used their network to beat the war drum.
People like Chomsky and Nader are still absent from the mainstream media, which does not want to hear accusations about their complicity in crimes against humanity. Still, these networks are quite frankly becoming a laughing stock among people who use alternative media sources to understand what is happening in the world. Nader, now 90, has become his own version of Donahue, hosting the weekly Ralph Nader Radio Hour. Chomsky, now 95, has only recently stepped out of the alternative media limelight after suffering a massive stroke in 2023.
While Donahue remained a popular voice even after he was fired, I wonder what would have happened if there had been a strong alternative media in 2003. Today, being cancelled by powerful media moguls for espousing views that they consider taboo is seen as a badge of courage. Are we finally beginning to achieve the quality of public discourse that is so necessary to an effective democracy?
We all owe a great deal to Donahue. In the words of Nader, “I’ve called Phil Donahue the greatest DEFENDER and ENABLER of the First Amendment’s protection of free speech, petition and assembly in the 20th century. Hands down. There has been no one remotely close then or since, given the frequency of his shows and his audience size. He helped citizens put forces in motion for a more just America and world that continue to this day.”
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
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