Back in his day, there was no journalism school, explained Russell Baker. He spent time with the police and that's how he often got his stories about the underclass or the superfluous. Baker pointed out when a paper didn't want to print one of his stories, Baker was told the subject matter was in poor taste.

The journalist, writer, and editor discusses her book, First Person America, which documents over 80 oral histories from the time of the Federal Writers' Project, which was part of the Works Progress Administration.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Program includes an excerpt from Hard Times (T3452B).

John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and diplomat, discusses his book, "The Age of Uncertainty," which was being made into a PBS documentary. Galbraith talks about some of the most well-known economists and explains their writings. He explains how many of their ideas have long lasting effects on capitalism the US has today.