Ralph talks to legendary TV talk show host, Phil Donahue about his documentary “Body of War,” the moving story of the late Iraq war veteran Tomas Young. We also welcome the editor of the “Progressive Populist,” James Cullen.
Phil Donahue literally invented the modern daytime talk show. “The Phil Donahue Show” had a nearly thirty year run on American television that along the way garnered him twenty Emmy Awards. The show touched on the serious social and political issues of the day and was the first to include audience participation. In the early 2000s, Mr. Donahue hosted a similar show on MSNBC and was abruptly terminated shortly before the launch of the Iraq War. An internal MSNBC memo was leaked to the press stating that Donahue should be fired because he opposed the imminent invasion and that he would be a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war.” His documentary film on Iraq war veteran, Tomas Young, is entitled “Body of War.”
Jim Cullen, along with his brother Art, is the editor of The Progressive Populist, which reports from the heartland of America on issues of interest to workers, small-business owners and family farmers and ranchers. It serves as “The People’s Voice in a Corporate World.” The magazine publishes original and syndicated columns of progressive journalists and pundits and comes out twice a month.
Phil Donahue; James Cullen