Scrupulous Journalism in "Good Night and Goodluck"

Edward R. Murro, in "Good Night and Good Luck" treats his audience with respect and expectation of competent understanding of what he reports. He uses eloquent, sophisticated language combined with carefully aggregated information and makes a strong case and argument with patient and polite presentation. His very actions to report the story directly oppose the poorly based accusations of Senator Mccarthy, hence giving them more power against Mccarthy. He does not back down in fear when he bears the conviction of the truth and he welcomes opposition. He presents the facts in a manner that his audience can take and make a judgement for themselves. By these standards Murro preserves the two main foci of Journalism: The pursuit of truth and the loyalty to the citizen.

Provided below are two videos to compare the actual broadcast with the film portrayal.

Good Night, and Good Luck...Staying Awake

Though this was the most painfully boring movie we have watched in this class, I was still able to glean a couple things from it. First, I adored the cinematography, especially Clooney's choice to set it in black and white. Basically, he wanted to use the real footage of McCarthy, and in order to do that, had to set the entire film in black and white to match the footage. I think it worked out, considering the darkness and sobriety of the film. I also liked the use of slow, dramatic zoom-ins and zoom-outs. The whole film had a steady pace that matched the boring-ness of the film, so at least it was cohesive. The other thing I was able to appreciate was the overall message about freedom of speech and the citizens' duty to use it. This is a great example of how the media plays the role of the watchdog and keeps those in power accountable. I loved Murrow's final monologue, as I think it sums up not only the motif of the film, but of journalism as a whole.

Edward R. Murrow

The advent of the television changed the way Americans gathered their news. The newspaper could be supplemented by a trusted news anchor every night. One of the most trusted names in news and a significant influence on all in the broadcast industry was Edward R. Murrow. The George Clooney directed Good Night and Good Luck details the most important moment of Murrow's career. Murrow ran a TV show called See It Now, a documentary series that influences shows like 60 Minutes today. In the aftermath of WWII America had communist fever and a senator from Wyoming, Senator Joseph McCarthy, was running all over accusing people of communism. Murrow and his crew decided to stand up to him by producing a broadcast that showed McCarthy often contradicted himself. This resulted in a huge controversy and a feud between McCarthy and Murrow broke out. But the truth won out and Murrow's efforts are considered a turning point in television history. The film is a wonderful docudrama that is well-acted, superbly paced and brilliant in its construction. I believe it is a great learning tool for citizens that want to know about a difficult time in our history, as well as teaching them about the dangers of fear mongering and the ability of the press to protect the innocent.