More about EDWARD R. MURROW
Before exposing the deceit underlying McCarthyism, Edward R. Murrow earned his credentials reporting pre-WWII conditions in Europe, the bombing of London and Allied air-strikes against Berlin. He was one of the first reporters to enter Buchenwald Concentration Camp at the close of the war and his observations brought the horrors of the Holocaust to an apalled American public.
As the Cold War developed after WWII, Murrow was unceasing in his belief that Americans should know about domestic and world affairs. He reported on the Korean War, the situation in the Middle East and affairs in Europe. On the domestic front, his documentary "Harvest of Shame" acquainted Americans with the plight of immigrant workers. He spoke out directly about the pending failure of television to inform and educate, citing programming that favored escapism and isolation. In the 1960s, President Kennedy appointed Murrow as the head of the US Information Agency.
<> Visit these links to learn more:
Bob Edwards commentary and book about Murrow, plus audio excerpts of Murrow's famous broadcasts, including his condemnation of Senator Joseph McCarthy, NPR.
Murrow viewed in current context. comprehensive biography and timeline, plus assorted concepts and topics in journalism: Wikipedia.
"I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I reported what I saw and heard, but only part of it. For most of it, I have no words.
If I have offended you by this rather mild account of Buchenwald, I'm not in the least sorry...." from
Murrow's Report on Buchenwald.
Murrow's forceful 1958 speech to Radio-TV News Directors on the demise of television content:
RTNDA.
<> Video / DVD Resources:
<> Some Murrow quotes:
"To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful."
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices."
"Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar."
"When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained."
"Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices - just recognize them."
Murrow in CBS Studio 52, early 1950s.