Edward R. Murrow’s profound impact on the field of journalism defines much of what the modern news media industry is today. Edward R. Murrow’s career offers aspiring journalist a detailed set of standards and moral codes in how a journalist should receive and report the news. The development of CBS is largely attributed to Murrow, and derives from his ambitious attitude in utilizing the television and radio to deliver the news. Murrow gained a stellar reputation in the minds of American’s during WWII by placing himself in the heart of the war, and delivering information through radio in his famous This is London broadcasts. His battles with Senator Joseph McCarthy are largely referred to as his most prominent achievement in which Murrow exposed the unfair practices of Senator McCarthy in his wild accusations on those in the American public of being affiliated with communism. At the RTNDA conference Murrow arguably deliver his most famous speech, which included his hopes and fears of the news media industry in years to come. Although much of today’s news media industry would be held in disdain in the mind of Murrow his practices are still referred due and held in high regard by his contemporaries and fellow aspiring journalist. Edward R. Murrow set the standard of American journalism, and had the largest individual impact on the news media industry in history.
Loading the Gun
Following his tenure in Europe covering WWII, Murrow held a high level of credibility and trust among the American public. Divulging from the ethical standards set by CBS and operated upon by Murrow himself the stars would align during the Cold War period for a battle between truth and fear on the battlefield of broadcast television. The Red Scare period in A...
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The film, “Murrow vs. McCarthy” had introduced the development of news media and at the same time, in-depth telling the social political, economic and cultural changes in United States during the cold war. After World War II, the shadow of the war have not disappeared, the cold war atmosphere shrouded in the American’s minds. The United States was not only afraid of Soviet attack, but that dissidents will penetrate into the government to overthrow the current rule.
When discussing the media, we must search back to its primal state the News Paper. For it was the News paper and its writers that forged ahead and allowed freedoms for today’s journalism on all fronts, from the Twitter accounts to the daily gazettes all must mark a single event in the evolution of media in respects to politics and all things shaping. Moving on in media history, we began to see a rapid expansion around 1990. With more than 50% of all American homes having cable TV access, newspapers in every city and town with major newspaper centers reaching far more than ever before. Then the introduction of the Internet; nothing would ever be the same.
There are many ways the media influences society, but in the 1920’s the main source was newspapers. The New York Times was one of the most popular and prestigious papers of this time and also one of the most influential. Many people had fait in what they read and never second gu...
For this assignment, I deliberately searched for a vintage article during a time when journalism was in its heyday and not subject to so much popular ridicule in social media and elsewhere as it is so often today. The piece I chose is “For President Kennedy: An Epilogue” written by former American political journalist and historian Theodore H. White for LIFE magazine’s December 6, 1963 issue. The author’s personal interview of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy – conducted at her behest exactly one week following President Kennedy’s assassination -- forms the basis for the journalistic essay and is part of a series of pieces by White known historically as the “Camelot Documents.”
Murrow held on October 25, 1958 followed with a speech from him on the stage. The movie flashbacks to Murrow’s life as a journalist and the efforts made in his television program, See It Now. It provided insight into the issues that occurred inside the CBS News building such as the decisions that Murrow bypassed by his Chief, William S. Paley. In addition, the screen paused to provide information that read: “Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy made a public accusation that more than two hundred ‘card-carrying’ communists had infiltrated the United States government. Few in the press were willing to stand up against McCarthy for fear they would be targets (SITE MOVIE).” This showed background information how the fear of communism was a big issue in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In addition, the movie included many visual references to the issue of communism from previous recordings that show how McCarthy acts and what he says about
However, all was not lost for the young Paley. What he lost in stars he got back in news coverage. Don’t forget I’m still talking radio here. Paley hired Edward Klauber, a former New York Times editor and Paul White who was a former United Press reporter, they began to build a solid news division at CBS. “CBS News” really didn’t come together until Klauber hired some guy you probably never heard of by the name of Edward Murrow. Klauber assigned Murrow to London as director of the European talks. In March of 1937, before the start of the Great War, Murrow teamed with William Shirer to report on “Anschluss”. These reports formed the foundation for what would become “The CBS World News Roundup” which, during World War II Murrow assembled a great team of reporters commonly referred to as “Murrow’s Boys” who consisted of Eric Sevareid, Charles Collingwood, Howard Smith, Winston Burdett, Richard Hottelet and Larry LeSueur. Murrow would end up reporting on and airing one of the greatest accounts of his experiences and descriptions of touring the Nazi concentration camps, which we heard in class.
In order to begin broadcasting news on the television, NBC had to find the perfect format that could easily be understood by the audience. They started by experimenting with the combination of the method used by radio stations and the method used by theatrical newsreels. The news-anchor would recite the news while music played in the background, complimenting photos, filmed events, and headlines that were displayed on the screen. This program was first used by NBC in 1940 on a show called "The Esso Television Reporter" that was financed by Standard Oil.
Words came from readers in Cleveland that “‘the impression soon prevails in your mind that Ernie Pyle… is the President of the United State’” (Tobin 29). In the midst of World War II Ernie Pyle stood out from the crowd of journalists with a style that hadn’t been seen before but spoke to American readers all over both on the home front and abroad. One writer and historian, Jordan Braverman, puts it into perspective however the lack of truth of some reporting by saying, “Soldiers were known to have huddled in foxholes under heavy aerial bombardment, while their radios were telling them that U.S. forces had complete control of the skies in their battle sector” (Braverman 84). It wasn’t just radio that did this but also print media that both wasn’t always accurate and could be seen as having alternative motives in their writing. One reader summed it up as “you read Lippman for wisdom. Pegler for controversy, Winchell for gossip, but Pyle you read for sustenance in difficult times” (Tobin 28). Echoing this feeling, one deliveryman proclaimed “‘the trouble with these column guys is they want to organize the world… except Pyle. Throw the rest away, but gimme Pyle’” (Tobin 28). Ernie Pyle began his career as a columnist before World War II had begun, and so did his development of distinct aspects of journalism that he carried through his Word War II columns and brought with them a new light to journalism. Roy Howard himself the head of the Scripps-Howard Publishing company wired Pyle a message during the war. It read, “‘ YOUR STUFF IS NOT ONLY GREATEST YOUR CAREER… BUT MOST ILLUMINATING HUMAN AND APPEALING DESCRIPTIVE MATTER PRINTED AMERICA SINCE OUTBREAK BATTLE BRITAIN…YOUR STUFF TALK OF NEW YORK’” (Tobin 57-58). Pyle gathered inform...
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
McChesney, Robert W. Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communications Politics in Dubious Times and Telecommunications, Mass Media and Democracy: The Battle for Control of U.S. Broadcasting 1928-1935
During the early 1900’s and late 1800’s precipitated the first true form of American media. The daily newspapers have been a part of the United States for some time, but during 1880’s and 1890’s reports such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst began to transform the newspaper in order for it to become the first major stepping stone in mass media. These publishers, especially Hearst, took advantage of the American involvement in foreign affairs. Hearst convinced his audience that sinking of a U.S ship during the Spanish-American War obliged a military response. Although Hearst was not the initial cause of the war, there was proof that he had the power to distort information, images and options. By World War 1, the media involvement increase by a tremendous amount.
Woodward and Bernstein's undertaking constructed the cornerstone for the modern role of the media. The making of the movie about the Watergate Scandal and the ventures of the two journalists signify the importance of the media. The media’s role as intermediary is exemplified throughout the plot of the movie. The movie is the embodiment of journalism that guides future journalists to progress towards the truth, no matter what they are going up against. It was the endeavor of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that led them to the truth behind the president’s men. They showed that not even the president is able to deter the sanctity of journalism in its search of truth. The freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and people’s right to know account for the same truth that journalists pursue; the truth that democracy is alive and will persist to live on.
Firebrand politicians, such as Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, saw an opportunity to encourage nationwide vigilantism by demonising Communist infiltrators. McCarthy’s contribution to the era of ‘containment’ was examined in George Clooney’s 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck. Of the piece, Clooney reflected, “I didn’t want this to be a polarising piece, I wanted it to be a factual one,” justifying his choice of docudrama for its creative innovation. By choosing a grey-scale palette, he represents the ‘black and white’ nature of the historical facts, allowing audiences to interpret his message independently. In a powerful closing monologue, presenter Edward Murrow reasons, “If anyone who criticises or opposes Senator McCarthy’s methods is a Communist, there must be an awful lot of Communists in this country.” This reflects the juxtaposition inherent in Murrow’s initial axiom, and trivialises the effects of McCarthy’s campaign in the public sphere. However, the film contrasts the initial mockery of the containment campaign with the effects the tension of clashing political paradigms had on the private lives of individuals. McCarthy’s inspired vigilantism rendered many unable to distinguish adverse political and personal values, igniting a nationwide ‘witch-hunt’ that superseded his campaign’s anti-Communist intentions. The suicide of Don Hollenbeck, a newscaster accused of being a Communist sympathiser, is shown first from his perspective, using point-of-view shots to create ambiguity, and universalise his actions. The darker, almost non-existent lighting reinforces the scene’s macabre tone, contrasting the well-lit boardroom where CBS colleagues mocked McCarthy in the previous scene. Ultimately, the
Throughout history journalism has been very influential in shaping public opinion. On the contrary public opinion has also had a major effect on the tone in which journalists take when they are reporting on certain issues. The writers showed In order to get a better understanding of the public opinion the journalist writing styles I divided the fire up into three periods; two years leading up to the fire, the first few days following the fire, and post-fire reaction. Taking a closer look at the media in the Progressive Era, the journalists’ attitude and tone changed as the audiences emotions changed. Before the Triangle factory fire in 1911, journalists had a pro-strikers view, but the audience was indifferent until after the fire. As a result, the media began reporting with more passion and graphic detail to follow along with public opinion.
Encyclopedia of the New American Nation. Television – Tv news and the early cold war. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.