Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow

“This is London.” Edward Murrow’s radio reports started with this opening line just before WWII. Murrow, starting from humble beginning in a North Carolinian farm with no electricity, soon became the face of broadcast journalism. After college, his life advanced into working with CBS, radio, broadcasting, and the many more things that make Edward Murrow the legacy he is today. Edward R. Murrow was a man who changed the delivery of journalism during WWII, his broadcasting, and his political involvements. 

Attending college an Washington State University gave him the skills to speak and express himself, but CBS taught him how to express himself through the radio to the public. When World War II hit, Murrow was the voice of the war giving frequent reports. He made several missions into Berlin and has documented many of the death camps (“Edward R. Murrow”). His reports were critical to America, and his information kept the public informed on the war as well as the horrors that were taking place in primarily in Germany. Along with his career in radio, came his growth in the television and broadcasting industries. 

Murrow’s first appearance on television was on a CBS European round up in which he reported from Vienna with information about Germany and Hitler (“Radio News Broadcasting and CBS in the Twenties and Thirties”). He did so with several other reporters, but this was a pivotal point in Murrow’s life that led him to bigger news and opportunities. This revolutionary broadcast took Murrow on a path leading him to eventually starting his own television series providing political documentaries, and a new way to experience news. 

When communism was running rampant, A leader, Joseph R. McCarthy, was born blaming many as being supporters of communism during the 50s. When Murrow began creating his television series called “See it Now,” he addressed the news, as well as What McCarthy’s accusations came to be known as: McCarythism (Edward R. Murrow, Broadcaster And Ex-Chief of U.S.I.A., Dies). The series brought in money, and viewers enjoyed the specials.

Murrow’s life was full of growth, and how he produced and delivered his news never ceased to change. Through his radio and video broadcasts, he delivered critical information to many. He attained fame, and his work left a legacy that has changed journalism and led it to the path it is on today. While news is much different now, it was Murrow that changed the media and overall coverage of the news, and with this I would like to leave with one final note, “Good night, and good luck.”

Works Cited

"Edward R. Murrow, Broadcaster And Ex-Chief of U.S.I.A., Dies." New York Times. On This Day, 28 Apr. 1965. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/ learning/general/onthisday/bday/0425.html>.

"Edward R. Murrow." PBS. PBS, 2 Feb. 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/ wnet/americanmasters/episodes/edward-r-murrow/this-reporter/513/>.

"Murrow at CBS, Europe." Murrow at CBS, Europe. The Life and Work of Edward R. Murrow, 2008. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://dca.lib.tufts.edu/features/murrow/ exhibit/cbseurope.html>.