Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow was a very influential man in broadcast journalism. From the start of World War 2 untill his death in 1965, he was a pioneer in his field, first with radio broadcasts, then paving the way with television newscasts. Known as a fearless truth seeker, David Halberstam once stated that Murrow was "...one of those rare legendary figures who was as good as his myth." 

Murrow got his start in 1937 when he and a team of correspondents covered World War 2, particularly the Battle of Britain. Here is one of his reports, live from Trafalgar Square. The video here is modern, showing the locations he was broadcasting from in our time, but the audio recording is E. Murrow.

 When Murrow returned to the United States he had made quite a name for himself, in his daring coverage of the war. In fact, he was a bit of a celebrity, to the point where he eventually appeared on the game show Whats my Line?.






While he was a bit of a celebrity, he still very much believed in the spread of Truth. In an effort to continue his goal, he teamed up with Fred Friendly to produce a radio show “Hear it now”.




He eventually began a television show entitled “See it now”.  As Murrow began to tread the uncharted territory of television journalism, he started with unfolding stories of ordinary people, and giving insight into society. However, he always dreamed that television had a much higher purpose than to simply entertain, and it is at this point that the movie Good Night and Good Luck  begins, with a  See It Now piece on Milo Radulovich, which will be covered later on in this blog.

After parting ways with CBS, Murrow became the head of the United States Information Agency under President Kennedy. In 1964, Murrow received the Presidential Honor of Freedom, a year before his death due to lung cancer.  In his life, he instilled the trust of journalism in many Americans by his honor and courage.