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Good News, Bad News

Program 05-04-10-A

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Mountain climber Warren MacDonald was 32 when his doctors told him he’d spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. It’s not that he didn’t believe them. After all, he’d just lost both his legs. But Warren MacDonald refused to be defeated by the worst news he could ever hear. He found a way to go on climbing. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we explore good news and bad news, and the ways we talk about them. Also, who gets to decide what’s news?

SEGMENT 1:

Bill Siemering, President of Developing Radio Partners, tells Steve Paulson how communities in third world countries are using radio as a community development tool, and offers an alternative to American TV weather reporting. Bill Siemering was NPR's first Director of Programming and wrote its Mission Statement. We also hear excerpts from the Press Mongolia series, "My Life."

SEGMENT 2:

Sociologist Doug Maynard is the author of "Good News, Bad News: Conversational Order in Everyday Talk and Clinical Settings." He talks with Anne Strainchamps about the different styles of sharing bad news and how sometimes the speaker's style can undermine the content of the message. Also, Warren MacDonald lost both of his legs above the knee in a climbing accident. He refused to be defeated by the news and devoted himself to designing new prosthetic devices. He tells Jim Fleming all about it. His book is "A Test of Will: One Man's Extraordinary Story of Survival."

SEGMENT 3:

Princeton historian Robert Darnton is the author of many books, including "George Washington's False Teeth: An Unconventional Guide to the Eighteenth Century." Darnton tells Steve Paulson that people in 18th century Paris spread the news by making up topical songs to familiar melodies, and that the police kept records on everybody.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 05-04-10-A.

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Books:

• Warren MacDonald, a Test of Will: One Man’s Extraordinary Story of Survival (Greystone Books)
  
• Robert Darnton, George Washington’s False Teeth: An Unconventional Guide to the Eighteenth Century (W. W. Norton)
  
• Douglas Maynard, Bad News, Good News: Conversational Order in Everyday Talk and Clinical Settings (University of Chicago Press)

Music:

• Button/option after Siemering: “I’ll Remember April” John Lewis,piano; Marc Johnson, bass; Howard Collins, guitar;
  from The Garden of Delight EMARCY 834 478 2
  
• Button after Maynard: “Fog Scene” from Brother’s Keeper Soundtrack; Angel CDC 0777 7 54828 2 9; Jay Unger and Molly Mason
  
• Button/Option after MacDonald: Joseph Curiale Gates of Gold, first Movement, Arrival: A View from the Sea Royal Philharmonic Orch./Curiale Orchard Road Music 7155-2

• Close Music:
  Jean Philippe Rameau: Tambourins 1 & 2 from “Dardanus” Orchestral Suite; English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner ERATO 3984-27002-2
  

Distribution dates:

week of 05/21/2006 - hour 2 week of 04/10/2005 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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