Eleanor S. Fischer was a foreign correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the founder of National Public Radio’s New York office. She passed away on August 7, 2008, at the age of 73.
Fischer attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City, where she became an accomplished classical pianist. She received a degree in political science from Cornell University before graduating from Columbia Law School in 1959. Fischer began her career as a lawyer practicing civil rights law, poverty law, and criminal law but in the early 1960s, she changed course and left the law to produce radio documentaries for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for whom she also covered the Israeli Six-Day War. In the early 1970s, she opened the New York City office of NPR, where she continued to produce radio features.
Eleanor S. Fischer appears in the following:
First Protests at the Miss America Pageant
Thursday, March 16, 2017
It was the first of many protests as the women's movement became organized and mobilized.
Remembering Malcolm X: Rare Interviews and Audio
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
WNYC presents a rare interview with Malcolm X conducted by reporter Eleanor Fischer in 1961 when Malcolm X was still an active spokesman for Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam.
Coretta Scott King Reflects on Martin Luther King Jr., His Philosophy and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Monday, January 19, 2015
In 1961, reporter Eleanor Fischer went to Atlanta to interview Dr. King and his family. In this interview, Mrs. King discusses her husband's commitment to nonviolence.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. Reflects on His Son, Atlanta and the Movement for Civil Rights
Monday, January 12, 2015
A father speaks of the son, his city and the movement for freedom.
Jimmy Hoffa Speaks Out on His Way to Jail
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Nearly 40 years later the bones have disappeared but the voice is still defiant.
Losing a Husband to the Freedom Summer
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Rita Schwerner's husband Michael was one of three civil rights workers murdered by the KKK during Freedom Summer. Hear her talk about staying the course after his death.
Congresswoman Bella Abzug Won't Be Marginalized
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
You don't mess with Bella.
Ms. Bella Abzug
Monday, March 18, 2013
A March 1972 interview with the political dynamo on feminism and redistricting.
Previously Unreleased Interviews with The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
In 1961, radio reporter Eleanor Fischer spoke to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for CBC Project 62. As far as we know, these interviews have never been presented in their entirety until now.
Eleanor Fischer Reports on the Gay Liberation Movement
Thursday, June 01, 1972
Gay rights activists speak with Eleanor Fischer about the growing gay liberation movement, the importance of political activism for gay rights groups, and other issues during Gay Pride Week in June of 1972.
Interview with Pat Carbine: Co-founder of Ms. Magazine
Friday, April 28, 1972
Eleanor Fischer and Pat Carbine, co-founder of Ms. Magazine discuss the new publication, and what it will mean for women and the women's liberation movement at the time.
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Saturday, January 01, 1972
Interviews and dialogue with American supporters of the Irish and those that were in Northern Ireland on the day of the Bloody Sunday attack in 1972.
Women's Liberation Panel Discussion
Thursday, January 01, 1970
Eleanor Fischer hosts a panel of women active in the women's liberation movement in 1970. They discuss their thoughts about the movement and the movement's objectors.
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee on Paul Robeson
Thursday, January 01, 1970
Eleanor Fischer speaks with Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee about Paul Robeson, his cultural contributions and impact on society.
From Watts to Newark
Monday, July 17, 1967
Eleanor Fischer reports on the racial tension and inequality that caused unrest in the later half of the 1960s just a few days after the riots in Newark, New Jersey.
Vietnam War Peace March
Saturday, April 15, 1967
Eleanor Fischer ventures into groups of Vietnam War protesters at a peace march in New York City in April of 1967.
Interview with Helen Vlachos
Sunday, January 01, 1967
Eleanor Fischer interviews Helen Vlachos, conservative Greek newspaper editor, after Vlachos decided to stop publishing her two newspapers due to the threat of censorship by the Greek government in 1967.
Interview with Melina Mercouri
Sunday, January 01, 1967
Melina Mercouri, Greek actress and activist, was interviewed right after the military coup in Greece. Eleanor Fischer asks her about her citizenship and Mercouri's opinions of the new government.
Interview with Dora Stratou
Sunday, January 01, 1967
Eleanor Fischer interviews Greek choreographer, Dora Stratou in 1967 after she was recognized for her lifetime devotion to the theater.
