Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism

BY BOB EDWARDS JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. 2004, 166 PAGES, $19.95

In writing this book, Bob Edwards has contributed the most recent edition to the "Turning Points" series, in which "preeminent writers" offer fresh, personal perspectives about individuals who have markedly changed society. Edwards tells the story of Egbert Roscoe Murrow, born on April 24, 1908, in a Polecat Creek, N.C., log cabin that had neither electricity nor plumbing and only fireplace heat. Murrow went from his working-class boyhood to become an internationally acclaimed and respected individual on radio and television. With the help of outstanding colleagues termed "Murrow's Boys," he essentially created broadcast journalism.

Murrow began with William S. Paley's CBS in 1935, not as an announcer, but as Director of Talks, arranging speakers for a radio network that entertained--radio had little concern for news in those days. CBS sent Murrow to England as its European director, again to provide entertainment programming. Murrow soon realized that Adolf Hitler was going to annex Austria for Germany. An innovator unafraid to take chances, Murrow, in a mere six hours, organized reporters from multiple points and, for the first time, broadcast breaking news.

When Great Britain suffered heavy bombing in August, 1940, Murrow began his "This is London" broadcasts, which, for the first time on radio, provided the actual sounds of war. When Murrow returned to the U.S. in November of 1941, he joined the lecture circuit and directed the proceeds to the British War Relief Fund. Following his return to London in late 1943, Murrow flew as a passenger on British aircraft in 25 combat missions. His vivid description of the bombing of Berlin earned him his first Peabody Award. With Gen. George Patton's Third Army in Germany when the troops liberated Buchenwald, Murrow was so overwhelmed by what he saw that he had to ask a subordinate to break the news.

After the war, Murrow headed CBS's news operation, a position which allowed him not only to shape policy at the network, but maintain the correspondents he had hired during World War II. When Paley assumed the chairmanship of CBS, Murrow moved up to vice president and director of public affairs. He established a documentary unit and introduced several new programs, including "You Are There," a review of foreign press coverage of the U.S., and "CBS Views the Press," which examined the performance of print journalism. Murrow resigned from management on July 19, 1947, and, two months later, launched "Edward R. Murrow with the News," ultimately the most authoritative news broadcast on radio. The 15-minute program ran for 12 years. In 1948, Murrow reported from the floor of the national political conventions--the first to be televised. In 1949, CBS appointed him to its board of directors.

These were his golden years. He originated "This I Believe" on radio; he began "Years of Crisis," the CBS year-end tradition of having international correspondents gather in New York to discuss the world situation. In 1948, Murrow's meeting with Fred Friendly marked the beginning of one of the most important relationships in the history of broadcast journalism. Friendly joined CBS in 1950 to produce Murrow's weekly radio newsmagazine series, "Hear It Now." On Nov. 18, 1951, Murrow and Friendly premiered "See It Now," the first TV program dealing with important controversial topics--including communist witchhunter Joe McCarthy. Critics and the public loved it. On Oct. 2, 1953, Murrow launched "Person to Person," another instant hit in which Murrow visited the homes of celebrities.

Physically and emotionally drained by the close of 1958, Murrow took a one-year leave of absence. Upon returning, he refused to yield to the new philosophy of profit before quality. On June 26, 1959, he made his last nightly radio broadcast and hosted "Person to Person" for the final time. He then accepted Pres. John Kennedy's offer to direct the U.S. Information Agency, a post he held for three years. During this time, he spearheaded a new network, now the Public Broadcasting Service.

Murrow's last years brought two prestigious awards: in September, 1964, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest peacetime civilian honor, and in March, 1965, Queen Elizabeth made him a Knight Commander of the British Empire. On April 24, 1965, he turned 57 and died two days later.

RAYMOND L. FISCHER Mass Media Editor

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group