Alexander Heffner, host of Bloomberg TV’s Breaking Bread and PBS’s The Open Mind, visited the school to present the lecture “Civil Discourse in an Uncivil Age” on the evening of Tuesday, October 22.
Drawing upon his experience as a public affairs broadcaster, civic educator, and journalist covering U.S. politics, Mr. Heffner discussed the future of democracy, civil discourse, and civic engagement. He reflected on the increased divisiveness in political discourse, campaigns, and governance, as well as the influence of new media, misinformation, and ideological frames that polarize society.
Mr. Heffner spoke in the context of the then-upcoming presidential election. Mr. Phil Hodosy, head of the Humanities & Social Sciences department, said, “We wanted students to think about effective engagement with their peers in a way that emphasizes the importance of disagreeing productively and welcoming new perspectives. Mr. Heffner interviews senators and governors throughout the country, focusing on finding a place where we can be civil, polite, and effectively engage in productive dialogue.”
Hotchkiss Political Union Co-Head Caroline Block ’25 and Demz Club Co-Head Libby Abelow ’25 introduced Mr. Heffner in Walker Auditorium before his lecture. Block said, “We are in a deeply divided state as a country. Making assumptions and not listening to each other contributes to this intense division. This fact makes Mr. Heffner’s speech especially relevant.”
Jet Chusacultanachai ’28, who attended the lecture and asked Mr. Heffner a question during the post-lecture Q&A, said, “Mr. Heffner’s story about John McCain [Republican Party’s nominee in the 2008 presidential election] going against his own followers to preserve the truth and provide a civil landscape for discourse particularly stood out to me. This example points to a fundamental respect for his opponent, which goes deeper than the desire to garner more funds and support, a situation not seen much in modern politics.”
After the lecture, students were invited to continue the conversation with Mr. Heffner in the Faculty Room. Oleh Shtunder ’25 said, “Mr. Heffner focused on American isolationism and its consequences. He embodies a positive view on the future of American democracy, which is inspiring in times of great uncertainty.”
In the Faculty Room, Mr. Heffner answered students’ questions about his experiences bringing senators from different political parties together to find common ground. Annabelle Chu ’28 said, “We discussed how lack of bipartisanship has made it nearly impossible to have civil discourse in the 21st century. It was interesting to see Mr. Heffner expressing hope about this situation changing in the future. It is easy to have a pessimistic mindset, seeing the state of the world, but hearing a positive take coming from someone with much more experience in political history was reassuring.”
Mr. Heffner’s book A Documentary History of the United States is available in the school store.
