When should we lower the flag?

16/10/2025 51 min

Listen "When should we lower the flag?"

Episode Synopsis


When is the last time you saw American flags at half-staff? In the last 15 years, flags in New York State have been lowered on what equates to about one day a week. That's according to research conducted by Rochester-based journalist and author Justin Murphy. In his debut piece for the Atlantic, "Stop Lowering the Flag," he writes that the frequency at which the flag is lowered has detracted from what was once a "relatively rare symbol of public mourning and respect." When do you think the flag should be lowered? Are there other ways to publicly honor people whose lives have been lost? We discuss it with our guests:
Justin Murphy, local freelance journalist 
Brandon Rottinghaus, Ph.D., professor at the University of Houston 
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