Good Night And Good Luck Film Essay

The 2005 black and white film Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, discusses several topics such as the media’s rights and responsibilities, freedom of the press, the essential role of watchdog journalism and, to a lesser extent, political freedom and democracy. The film, set in the 1950s, follows the conflict between anti-communist Senator Joseph McCarthy and pioneer broadcast journalist Ed Murrow. In the midst of the Cold War, Senator McCarthy launched his political campaign against alleged communists within the government and the entertainment industry, which resulted in thousands of Americans losing their jobs and, paradoxically, being the subject of anti-democratic investigations by the government. As a response, and without the financial support of CBS, Murrow made use of his TV program See It Now to broadcast a controversial exposé of McCarthy’s unethical political persecution and machinations on a par with anything in The Prince by Machiavelli. As a consequence, McCarthy started

The SPJ Code of ethics states that journalists should “diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing.” Murrow, once again, adhered to the journalistic ethics and gave the senator the opportunity to defend himself and broadcast his rebuttal. This invitation demonstrated that his reporting was fair, balanced and objective.
When Murrow had a meeting with his boss, Mr. Paley, and accused him of censoring his coverage, Paley responded “you should teach journalism.” What Paley meant suggesting Murrow’s change in career path, according to my interpretation, is that censoring is a common procedure in the media, and that Murrow is an idealist to think otherwise. Because that’s how the business