I’m not planning on movie reviews here, but the other night I watched “Good Night, and Good Luck” which stars David Strthairn as the TV newsman Edward R. Murrow as he takes on Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early 1950’s. While watching and listening to the scenes of Murrow’s broadcasts on the CBS “See it Now” show (which ran from 1951 to 1958) I was struck by several things. Keep in mind that I’ve not seen many of the original Morrow broadcasts so I’m assuming that as a historical drama the movie depictions were based upon actual broadcasts.
The sense of integrity – Each word and each phrase of all broadcast was carefully chosen to convey only what was known and what was true. Any addition information was separate and clearly labeled. There were no subjective conclusions reached, only the known facts followed by opinions clearly stated as such. When speaking of McCarthy they used McCarthy’s own words not hear say.
The responsibility of journalism – Journalism was viewed not only as a job but also as a high calling or duty. In the early 1950’s, taking on McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee was a dangerous move. There was a great chance that Morrow would be fired, disgraced, and under investigation by the Committee as a communist supporter. As a journalist, his sense of duty at reporting the injustice of McCarthy actions was paramount to his own concerns. He was angry that the truth was not being heard.
The level of literacy and the keen use of language – Morrow used the full capability of the English language to explain both the story and his opinion. His commentaries were not dummied down to the sixth grade level as most are today.
As I stated before this was a movie and the reality of the times may have been different, but it represents a time when journalism was of a greater substance then it appears today. Edward R. Murrow wasn’t super human, he simply worked hard at his craft. The points above would serve well for anyone hoping to convey information to others without personal slant. Good Work and Good story.
Technorati Tags: Movies, Journalism, Language Skills