Road Less Marveled
9 HN recommenders · recommended in 11 months, 2015–2026
6:51 · 6.9M views · Feb 8, 2015
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.
HN commenters hold it up as a model of persuasive public speaking and as the go-to reminder of why public broadcasting deserves funding.
14 comments from Hacker News
> 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
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
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
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]
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