Conjure me up a guy who talks science winningly, who shows you that everything is transparent, and does it in a self-help-y spirit,” [Gitlin] said. “In our age, a guy who looks cute and wonky is better positioned to get away with this than others.

Todd Gitlin, a professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia, said in an interview that not only had Mr. Lehrer carved out a career in the popular niche of brain science, but he had created a persona that is perfectly suited to a 21st-century media environment. (The New York Times)