The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Episode Title: Americans Are More United Than We Think
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Scott Bertram
Guests: John J. Miller (Director, Dow Journalism Program, Hillsdale College), Jonathan Butcher (Will Skillman Fellow in Education, Heritage Foundation; Author of The Polarization Myth)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour explores the theme that Americans are much less divided on key cultural issues than the media suggests. Through in-depth conversations with journalism educator John J. Miller and education policy expert Jonathan Butcher, the episode challenges the prevailing narrative of extreme polarization and highlights surprising areas of broad consensus in American society—including matters of race, education, and social norms. The hosts discuss media coverage, journalistic blind spots, and new research indicating shared values among Americans, especially parents.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Subjectivity of News and Journalistic Blind Spots

Segment with John J. Miller
Timestamps: 01:17–10:16

• "The news is where you look" ([01:36], John J. Miller): Miller emphasizes that story selection in journalism is subjective and driven by where journalists 'look' for stories, which leads to both media bias and gaps in coverage.
  • Quote: “The news is where you look. ... It's what you think is news. ... And one of the implications, of course, is where are you not looking for news?” ([01:36])
• Journalists' personal curiosity and humility are the most critical traits for mitigating ignorance and bias.
  • Quote: “The most important quality in a journalist? ... Curiosity. ... And then humility, because you’ve got to recognize that you don’t know everything.” ([04:29])
• Miller recounts political reporters collaborating on a unified narrative after a Senate debate, demonstrating "herd mentality" among journalists.
  • Quote: “They clustered together and talked about what is the news, what is the story here? ... They all settled on the same thing.” ([06:38])
• Blind spots, especially regarding religion, are common in media due to demographic makeup of newsrooms.
  • Quote: “A lot of our so-called mainstream media organizations are just populated by people ... who never walk inside a church.” ([08:48])

2. Objectivity and the Role of Journalistic Judgment

Timestamps: 12:19–15:10

• Discussion of polling that shows a split between public and journalists: Americans want all sides of a story presented, while most journalists disagree, believing they've gained enough expertise to filter out certain perspectives (e.g., climate skepticism).
  • Quote: “Journalists have decided that they are experts. ... This is the opposite of humility. ... Rather than just saying, 'This is what the person said,' ... there’s a kind of sense among a lot of journalists that they are the experts and they can now tell us the truth and they're going to protect us from ... harmful ideas.” ([12:19], John J. Miller)
• The need for humility in journalism versus the trend toward advocacy and gatekeeping.

3. Shifts in Media Outlets and Coverage Post-Elections

Timestamps: 14:37–17:39

• Review of supposed post-election introspection by media after 2016 and 2024; ultimately, Miller sees little sustained change in perspective, except for potential changes at the Washington Post under Jeff Bezos.
  • Quote: “After the 2024 election, there was another round of ‘we need to do a better job of understanding the country’. ... but then quickly abandoned ... but they’ve essentially reverted to form.” ([15:10])
• The Washington Post's editorial changes—including dropping presidential endorsements) spark controversy within the newsroom.

4. Hillsdale’s Journalism Philosophy and Graduate Outcomes

Timestamps: 17:39–21:26

• Hillsdale trains journalists through hands-on work, emphasizing a minor, not a major, to ground future reporters in liberal arts.
  • Quote: “The way you learn journalism is by doing it. ... It’s like shooting free throws. ... You gotta go shoot a bunch of free throws.” ([18:00], John J. Miller)
• Alumni have found success across the journalistic spectrum—from the White House press pool to faith-based media.

5. The Real Consensus: Jonathan Butcher on The Polarization Myth

Segment with Jonathan Butcher
Timestamps: 24:28–45:54

Americans’ Surprising Consensus

• Despite narratives of division, Americans agree on many 'hot button' issues:
  • Racial preferences in admissions are widely opposed.
  • Most Americans oppose teaching young children about gender identity and sexual content in schools.
  • Overwhelming agreement on “character and virtue” as priorities for schools.
  • Quote: “Americans actually agree on quite a bit when it comes to the issues ... we actually really are speaking ... the same language culturally on a great many important issues.” ([24:53], Jonathan Butcher)

Mismatch Between “Experts” and Everyday Americans

• Butcher argues that polarization is amplified by so-called “experts,” politicians, and Hollywood, not reflected in day-to-day life.
  • Quote: “There’s evidence from voting that there’s some polarization still. But... in daily life ... we all actually agree on. And that matters.” ([26:12])
• Surveys find parents don’t want children taught that slavery was the most important thing about American history, or that schools should focus solely on identity politics.

The Reality and Impact of DEI Initiatives

• DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) remains entrenched in universities and the corporate world, despite public skepticism:
  • DEI often fosters division, not the promised climate of tolerance and safety.
  • Example: After October 7th, DEI offices proved ineffective in combating antisemitism on campus.
  • Quote: “What they've done is, they've made people highly insecure about who they are and very divisive over protecting turf when it comes to ethnicity and race.” ([30:34])

Education Reform: Reading, Civics, and Parental Control

• Mississippi’s “miracle” attributed to reintroducing phonics, showing that instruction changes matter.
• Action civics—encouraging student activism instead of actual government knowledge—has become dominant, but parents want virtue and civic responsibility taught, not mere activism.
  • Quote: “They sort of skip the part where we teach students about why there are differing views ... Let's just tell them how to become lobbyists.” ([36:03])

Sex, Gender, and Who Decides What’s in Schools

• Stark divide between school board members and parents over explicit content; parents overwhelmingly want a say.
  • Quote: “I think the reality is that it is the responsibility of adults to determine age appropriate material.” ([39:21])

Teachers’ Unions and Restorative Justice

• Restorative justice, often favored by unions, focuses on dialogue over discipline, with negative outcomes for school climate.
  • Quote: “If you leave out the whole discipline part ... restorative justice ... is simply a talk therapy that removes the discipline part. I think that's been very, very harmful for young people.” ([43:19])

The “Success Sequence” and Policy Recommendations

• Success Sequence: If young people finish high school, start work/college, and marry before having children, they are far less likely to be in poverty.
  • Quote: “If you do these three things ... you are far less likely to find yourself in poverty. It's a way to set yourself up for success in your adult life. And we should be teaching young people these things.” ([43:48])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On journalistic humility and bias:
  "We all have our blind spots ... there are some common blind spots, I think. ... Religion is one of them." — John J. Miller ([08:48])

• On the myth of polarization:
  "America is polarized ... but in reality, Americans actually agree on quite a bit when it comes to the issues." — Jonathan Butcher ([24:53])

• On DEI and campus climate:
  "When it really mattered ... these [DEI] offices were nowhere to be seen." — Jonathan Butcher ([31:37])

• On education reform:
  “Mississippi helped introduce ... the science of reading. ... It's not phonics only, but it does reintroduce the teaching of phonics into the classroom. And that's what had been missing.” — Jonathan Butcher ([33:52])

Key Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:17 | John J. Miller on subjectivity in news coverage | | 04:29 | Miller discusses curiosity and humility in journalism | | 06:38 | "Herd mentality" in media narratives after political debates | | 12:19 | Polling: Public vs. journalists on equal sides in reporting | | 15:10 | Post-election (2016, 2024) shifts in media coverage | | 18:00 | Hillsdale’s hands-on journalism education philosophy | | 24:53 | Jonathan Butcher: Americans’ surprising consensus | | 30:34 | DEI’s impact: Safety, division, and campus unrest | | 33:52 | The “Mississippi Miracle” in reading reform | | 36:03 | Action civics vs. traditional civics | | 39:21 | Who decides what’s in school libraries | | 43:48 | The “Success Sequence” as a policy prescription |

Tone and Language

The conversation is collegial, reflective, and driven by both concern for American civic health and the desire to cut through media-driven pessimism. Both guests emphasize personal experience, research, and broad-minded inquiry, advocating humility, curiosity, and service as guiding principles for journalism and public policy.

Conclusion

This episode robustly challenges the polarization narrative. Both the journalism and education segments show that Americans—particularly parents—share more values and priorities than mainstream media and political rhetoric admit. The show encourages greater willingness to “look in unexpected places,” listen to the broader public, and focus on unifying policy solutions rather than ideological division.