''This I Believe'' was originally a five-minute

program Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Progra ...

, originally hosted by journalist

Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe fo ...

from 1951 to 1955 on

CBS Radio Network CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...

. The show encouraged both famous and everyday people to write short

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

s about their own personal motivation in life and then read them on the air. ''This I Believe'' became a cultural phenomenon that stressed individual belief rather than religious dogma. Its popularity both developed and waned within the era of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. Since then, a variety of revivals have been hosted on different networks. A half-hour European version of ''This I Believe'' ran from 1956 to 1958 over

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

. It has since been revived numerous times in recent years, first by Dan Gediman and

Jay Allison Jay Allison is an American independent public radio producer and broadcast journalist. His work has been featured on radio programs such as ''This American Life'', as well as National Public Radio's ''All Things Considered'', and ''Morning Editi ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

from 2005 to 2009, and subsequently by

Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

in 2007. Essays that appear on the show are available free of charge at its website. Since 2009, the original ''This I Believe'' programs have been syndicated as part of PRI's '' Bob Edwards Weekend''.

History

Background

The idea for ''This I Believe'' flowed from both the WWII broadcasting experiences of

, who had spent the latter 1930s and most of the 1940s in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and continental

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and the emerging Cold War hostility with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. During Murrow's stay in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

he had become a friend of the World War II

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, who had an American mother and British father, and this enabled him to introduce Churchill to

William S. Paley William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into o ...

, who was his boss at CBS. During the war Paley spent much of his time in London working in the Psychological Warfare Branch of the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

(OWI), which included redirecting the transmitters of

following the liberation of the

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a sovereign state, country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was oft ...

, for use as a

black propaganda Black propaganda is a form of propaganda intended to create the impression that it was created by those it is supposed to discredit. Black propaganda contrasts with gray propaganda, which does not identify its source, as well as white propaganda ...

station (Radio 1212). Meanwhile, Murrow had "covered the London air raids from the streets and rooftops ...went on 25 bombing missions over Germany and broadcast from a British minesweeper in World War II." This close relationship between Murrow, Paley, CBS and the British Establishment led to an offer after the war for Murrow to become part of the editorial diarchy at the

British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

, an offer that was not endorsed by the BBC Board of Directors. Murrow returned to the US which was in a growing

with its former WWII partner, the Soviet Union. During these years of the late 1940s and early 1950s, political paranoia involving a

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

conspiracy was flowing from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and it eventually came to be led by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. Paley, with his CBS/OWI background, also became a firm supporter of the new

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

after the war and allowed some of his part-time CBS newsmen to serve as CIA agents. His own Paley Foundation also became engaged in laundering money for the CIA and Paley allowed the creation of a CBS

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

and Murrow was among the first to sign a CBS loyalty affirmation. At the same time the

Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...

was being repackaged amid

controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

as a general test of American loyalty at large, and it was into this climate of fear and agitation that Murrow introduced his new radio program: ''This I Believe''. Murrow's style of presentation had been influenced by a teacher of speech named Ida Lou Anderson. She suggested that he should become more concise in his opening presentations on radio. Cesar Saerchinger, his predecessor at CBS Europe had introduced his broadcasts with: "''Hello America. This is London calling.''" Murrow abbreviated his own opening remarks to "''This''...is London" and he soon began adapting the prefix "''this''" to many titles including "''This''... I Believe".

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

became one of many to adopt the Murrow style when he later announced: "''This''...is CNN". Murrow was not without his critics at CBS, and some of his colleagues had formed their own "''Murrow-Ain't-God Club''"

Development

According to Ward Wheelock who wrote a preface to the 1952 book, ''This I Believe'' was launched in 1949 at a business luncheon of four men, Murrow being one, with the other three left unnamed. He related that the reasons for the project "were obvious":

...the uncertainty of the economic future, the shadow of war, the atom bomb, army service for one's self or loved ones, the frustration of young people facing the future.

CBS series (1951–1955)

The original five-minute series began at

WCAU WCAU (channel 10) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Mount Laurel, New Jerse ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and was aired over the

and 196 affiliated stations between 1951 and 1955. The Program Director was

Edward P. Morgan Edward Paddock Morgan (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 1993) was an American journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including ABC, CBS networks, and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). A native o ...

who told potential contributors that ''This I Believe'' was a "non-religious" program and that it was not a forum for one contributor to attack the beliefs of another contributor. The actual time allotted to each contributor in order to allow for the introduction, closing and sponsorship of the program, was three and a half minutes. Novelist

Kathleen Norris Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 – January 18, 1966) was an American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. N ...

refused to participate on the grounds that "It's either a mawkish sermon, or it's indecent exposure." ''Time'' Magazine, Monday, December 1, 1952. ''This I Believe'' was also relayed by U.S. government funding over the

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

and the U.S. Armed Forces Network to listeners in 97 foreign countries. The

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

, funded by the

British Foreign Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreign ...

, relayed the program to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. A print version of the show appeared in 85 U.S. newspapers where contributors were asked to submit essays containing no more than 600 words. The

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

offered these editions to foreign newspapers in 97 nations with which the USA had diplomatic relations. In 1952

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

published ''This I Believe: Written for, and with a foreword by Edward R. Murrow'' and edited by Edward P. Morgan. Its cover stated that it contained: ...''the personal philosophies of one hundred thoughtful men and women.'' A cover description of its contents stated that:

"...this book is the further extension of an idea that has already exploded into the most widely listened to radio program in the world. That idea is simple. It is that men and women will live happier and richer lives if they deliberately decide what they want from life — what they want in material things and the relative importance of moral and spiritual things. You, like most people, undoubtedly have certain rules by which you run your life. But, again like most people, you've probably never tried to formulate them, even to yourself. That's where the men and women in this book differ from you. They have at least tried to do so. They have "looked in their hearts and written," humbly and hesitantly, upon the invitation of the distinguished radio and television news analyst, Edward R. Murrow. "After all," says he, "the only way of discovering what people believe is to ask them." What these thoughtful people, in all walks of life, have written is here for you to read and ponder, and perhaps to emulate — in this collection of the 100 of the best of the personal philosophies of life which Mr. Murrow has discovered among the many hundreds contributed to ''This I Believe'' - on the air and in newspapers."

In this period, the submission from author

Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

proved not only among the most noteworthy at the time, but of lasting impact. The organization says that it remains the most popular.Robert Heinlein: Our Noble, Essential Decency
/ref> Called '' Our Noble, Essential Decency'', it broke from standard tropes to talk glowingly about the inherent goodness of Heinlein's friends, local community, country, and humanity of all races and creeds.

Radio Luxembourg series (1956–1958)

When the original American series ended, ''This I Believe'' was broadcast by

as a half-hour show over its famous "208" wavelength. It was described in programme listings as "the human drama programme telling of faith in times of trouble and adversity", and "the programme that brings you human drama and tells the story of people where courage and belief form an integral part of their life." While the 208 wavelength schedule of Radio Luxembourg was aimed at serving the British Isles with a commercial radio station format of American shows that were not provided by the monopoly of the non-commercial

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, its actual audience covered much of

and beyond via its simultaneous transmissions over 49.26 meters in the Shortwave Band. The first English language European series of ''This I Believe'' began on September 16, 1956 at 9:30 PM on Sundays under the sponsorship of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Ltd. It was hosted by Sir Basil Bartlett who had a part in British WWII propaganda films. The script was written by James Carhatt and Nicholas Winter. A second series began on October 6, 1957 and presented by host

James McKechnie James McKechnie VC (June 1826 – 5 July 1886) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details H ...

with research by Susan Franks and script written by James Eastwood. The third series was hosted by

Richard Hurndall Richard Gibbon Hurndall (3 November 1910 – 13 April 1984) was an English actor. He is best remembered for replacing William Hartnell in the role of the First Doctor for '' Doctor Who's'' 20th anniversary special ''The Five Doctors''. Career ...

and began on October 5, 1958 with a script written by Paul Tabori. This last series concentrated upon the lives of celebrities such as

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...

Vanessa Lee Vanessa Lee (18 June 1920 - 15 March 1992), born Winifred Ruby Moule, was a British actress and singer. She was known for her appearances in Ivor Novello's musicals, especially after the Second World War. Life Winifred Moule was born in Strea ...

and

T. E. B. Clarke Thomas Ernest Bennett "Tibby" Clarke, OBE (7 June 1907 – 11 February 1989) was a film screenwriter who wrote several of the Ealing Studios comedies. Clarke's scripts always feature careful logical development from a slightly absurd premise ...

. The series was produced by Monty Bailey-Watson in

where it was recorded by a unique process on to the audio tracks of film strips for later transmission from the

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

. The final series ended when American originated talk shows that had been heard on

, began to give way to the increasing demand for sponsored record programmes (which could be produced at a lower cost for higher revenue), in order to satisfy the British demand for recorded music that was not available on the BBC.

NPR series (2005–2009)

''This I Believe'' is a weekly radio series that began airing April 2005 in the United States on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

produced by

Dan Gediman Dan Gediman is an American radio producer and performing songwriter. He is the executive producer of the public radio series This I Believe and co-editor, with Jay Allison, of the books ''This I Believe'' and ''This I Believe II: The Personal Phil ...

and

. It was independently produced by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison from 2005-2009 for the non-profit organizatio
This I Believe, Inc
The series invites individuals to write short essays about the core beliefs that guide their daily life. NPR aired these personal statements each week on their newsmagazine programs ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ...

'', ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', ''Weekend Edition Sunday'' and ''

Tell Me More ''Tell Me More'' was a National Public Radio interview show that was hosted by journalist Michel Martin. ''Tell Me More'' was first introduced online in December 2006 through an "open piloting" program called "Rough Cuts." Martin and the show's ...

''. On the February 16 episode, Allison announced that "our series will be finishing its four-year run in April." True to his word, the NPR series concluded on Sunday, April 26, 2009. However, the series continues with weekly segments on PRI's ''Bob Edwards Weekend'' and Sirius XM's ''The Bob Edwards Show''.

CBC series (2007)

began airing its own version of the show on May 14, 2007. The first forty essays were commissioned from prominent Canadians, including

Julie Payette Julie Payette (; born October 20, 1963) is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the 29th since Canadian Confederation. Payette holds engineering degrees from McGill ...

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. Following a pickup truck crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord ...

and

Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...

, although subsequent essays are invited from the public. The show is hosted by former politician

PRI series (2009–present)

In May 2009, This I Believe, Inc. moved its broadcast operations to the Public Radio International (PRI) program ''Bob Edwards Weekend'' and the related Sirius XM program ''The Bob Edwards Show''. These programs feature a weekly This I Believe segment which airs first on Fridays on Sirius XM then on the following weekend on PRI's ''Bob Edwards Weekend''. From May 2009 until August 2010, Edwards each week interviewed This I Believe, Inc.'s Executive Director Dan Gediman about a different episode of Murrow's 1950s radio series, which was then heard in its entirety. Beginning in September 2010, Edwards has each week been airing a new contemporary This I Believe essay, written by one of the tens of thousands of listeners who have submitted essays to This I Believe, Inc. since the beginning of their public radio series in 2005.

Merchandise

Compilations of ''This I Believe'' essays were published from 1953 until 1996. The books were translated into several different languages and distributed internationally. Edward P. Morgan and John Marsden acted as editors for the original book series. A record titled ''This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Ten Living Americans'', with commentary by Edward R. Murrow, was released along with the original books. In 2006, a new book called ''This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women'' was published. It was a collection of sixty essays from the NPR series, plus twenty essays from Murrow's original series. The audio version won the 2007

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

for Short Stories/Collection. Another book, ''This I Believe: On Love'' was published in 2010. It collects sixty new essays from public radio listeners on the subject of love. ''This I Believe: Life Lessons'' was published in October 2011. It is a collection of essays on the personal beliefs and guiding principles in American life.

References

External links

This I Believe, Inc."This I Believe" NPR homepage"This I Believe" CBC homepageHistorical archive of the showDiscussion of the NPR revival

Interview with Jay Allison
on the podcast and public radio interview progra
ThoughtCast.
* ttp://www.globalyouthfund.org/essay.html Global Youth Fund's This I Believe- Democratic youth charity launched its own This I Believe essay project targeting youth around the world. Essays are posted on Global Youth Fund's website and distributed via podcast.
''This I Believe'' (book) reading guides
{{Edward R. Murrow American talk radio programs CBS Radio programs Canadian talk radio programs CBC Radio One programs NPR programs 1951 radio programme debuts 2009 radio programme endings