Scandals, Secrets & Influence: Unmasking Walter Winchell's Media Empire | History Ignited Ep 6

Can powerful words really sway public opinion? Discover the fascinating life of Join us in this episode of History Ignited as we dive into the captivating life of Walter Winchell, one of the most influential journalists and broadcasters of the 20th century. From his vaudeville roots to becoming a media mogul, Winchell mastered the art of mixing news, gossip, and entertainment. But with great power came controversy—his voice swayed public opinion, even contributing to fear surrounding the polio vaccine in the 1950s. Explore Winchell's patriotic efforts during World War II, his iconic catchphrases, and his responsibility for spreading misinformation. How does his story relate to the modern media landscape? Tune in and discover!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi everyone, welcome back to History, ignited the
podcast where we explore storiesbehind the original song.
We Didn't Start to Fire.
I'm Caroline and I'm Andrew.
Today we're talking aboutWalter Winchell.
He was a famous journalist andradio broadcaster.
But before we do, we have somevery special birthday shoutouts

(00:26):
Hooray, yes, we are so happy towish happy birthday to Caroline,
who has been friend with mesince my first day of
kindergarten.
Happy birthday TP.
And also my friend Annacelebrated her birthday recently
.
We have been friends sincefirst grade.
You're a great friend, anna,and I hope you have a wonderful

(00:48):
year.
Happy birthday, and it'sSavannah's birthday too.
Savannah, we hope you had avery happy birthday and enjoy
your new hometown.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Happy birthday.
Cp.
Anna and Savannah Keep sendingus birthday shout out requests,
but also know that we record ourepisodes several weeks in
advance so we may not be able toannounce them right on your
birthday.
Even if we are a few weeks late, know that we are thinking of
you and sending you happybirthday thoughts on your actual
birthday and beyond.
And now back to our regularlyscheduled programming.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
That sounds like something Walter Winchell would
say.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Absolutely.
Hi everyone, I'm Amy.
Walter Winchell was one of themost well-known journalists in
the United States during the1930s, 40s and 50s.
He started as a newspaperreporter but became really
famous for his radio broadcasts.
He was known for hisfast-talking style and his
catchphrases.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Winchell had a unique way of reporting the news.
He used a lot of slang and wasvery dramatic.
His broadcasts were like a mixof news, gossip and
entertainment.
People loved listening to himbecause he made the news
exciting.
But, as you'll see, hisapproach created some problems
too.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Did you know Winchell started his career in show
business?
Problems too.
Did you know Winchell startedhis career in show business?
He was a vaudeville performerbefore he became a journalist.
Vaudeville was like a varietyshow with different acts like
singers, dancers and comedians.
That's so cool, so he knew howto entertain people before he

(02:25):
started reporting the news.
I guess that's why hisbroadcast was so popular.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
Exactly.
Caroline Winchell had a knackfor making the news interesting.
He would start his broadcastswith the phrase Good evening Mr
and Mrs.
America and all the ships atsea which became very famous.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Winchell covered all kinds of stories from politics
to Hollywood gossip.
He had a lot of connections andoften got the inside scoop on
big stories.
He wasn't afraid to speak hismind and sometimes that got him
into trouble.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Winchell was also known for his columns in
newspapers.
He wrote a daily column thatappeared in newspapers all over
the country.
People would read his column tofind out his latest news and
gossip.
But not everyone liked Winchellright.

(03:18):
Some people thought he was toopowerful and could ruin people's
lives with his gossip.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
That's true.
Andrew Winchell had a lot ofinfluence and sometimes he used
it in ways that weren't alwaysfair.
He could be very critical ofpeople and his words had a lot
of impact.
Some people felt he was tooharsh and that he invaded
people's privacy.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Winchell's career had its ups and downs During World
War II.
He was very patriotic andsupported the war effort.
He used his broadcast toencourage Americans to support
the troops and buy war bonds.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
But there was a time when Wintrill's influence had
some negative effects.
In the 50s, when the poliovaccine was being developed, he
created fear around it.
Because people trusted him,some were scared to take the
vaccine.
Wow, that sounds very serious.
Why did he do that?

Speaker 3 (04:08):
It's believed that Winchell was influenced by
rumors and misinformation.
He reported that the poliovaccine could be dangerous,
which caused a lot of fear.
This shows how powerful hiswords were and how they could
affect people's decisions.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
This is a good example of how history sometimes
repeats itself.
Today, we see similarsituations where people are
afraid to take vaccines becauseof misinformation.
It's a reminder that those whohave power and influence have a
big responsibility to shareaccurate information and not
spread fear.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
So Wintrow's story teaches us about that.
Having power means you have tobe careful with what you say and
do.
You need to think about how itaffects other people, and it is
important to learn from the pastso we don't make the same
mistakes again.
We should always check thefacts and trust experts when it

(04:59):
comes to important things likehealth.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Exactly, Andrew Winchell's legacy is a reminder
of the power of the media andthe responsibility that comes
with it.
It's important to use thatpower wisely and to respect the
truth.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Remember history isn't just about learning facts.
It's about understanding thestories of people and their
choices and thinking about whatwe can learn from them.
Our promise is to help youlearn and think along the way.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
And now it's time for a jump Ready.
Why did the reporter sit on theclock?
I don't know why.
Because they want to be on time.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
That's a great one.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
Caroline, thank you for joining us on this journey
through history.
We hope you found it asenlightening as we did.
Until next time, keep learningand exploring.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
So is that like your new podcast voice?
That's my Walter.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Winchell voice.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
Oh, I see.
Thank you for joining us onthis journey through history.