WFYI FM 90.1 invites you to participate in a local This I Believe initiative. As part of a national project that presents America’s core beliefs and values through the voices of its most famous citizens and everyday Americans, WFYI hopes to stimulate local conversation with essays by its listeners. In April 2007, WFYI began featuring a three-minute essay read by its author on Wednesday editions of Morning Edition, one of the most listened-to programs on WFYI FM 90.1. Until that time, these essays had only been collected nationally by NPR.

I believe that our greatest strength in dealing with the world is the openness of our society and the welcoming nature of our people. A good stay in our country is the best public diplomacy tool we have. – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell

This I Believe is based on the popular 1950s radio show of the same name, hosted by iconic journalist Edward R. Murrow. The original series featured well-known essayists, including Presidents Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson and Albert Einstein, as well as poets, cab drivers, corporate leaders, and hundreds of people willing to share the guiding principles by which they lived. Their words brought comfort and inspiration to a country worried about the Cold War, McCarthyism and racial division. The program had an estimated audience of 39 million listeners and spawned a weekly column in 85 leading newspapers and four internationally best-selling books.

A key goal for This I Believe is to engage as many Americans as possible in a process of public dialogue around values that is constructive and free of political rhetoric or religious dogma. In Central Indiana, WFYI hopes to feature the unique perspectives of those who wish to articulate their beliefs and values in a thoughtful manner.