Submitted by Fred on

Edward R. Murrow

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Lifestyle

When I was young Edward R. Murrow was at the crest of his fame as a CBS broadcast Ed Murrow journalist which started with his “This is London calling” reports during the Nazi Blitz in early World War II.  

During the late 1940s and early 1950s our democracy was plagued by a “Red Scare”, based on the alleged growing influence of Communism. Senator Joseph McCarthy was a chief Red Baiting proponent and tormentor wielding such scare tactics and ruining many lives in his wake.  

I remember as an innocent youth watching Murrow’s See It Now television show.  A series of these shows led to Senator McCarthy’s eventual downfall.  

The series culminated on March 9th, 1954 when Murrow broadcast “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy” which contributed to a nationwide backlash against McCarthy.  

Soon after the March 9th airing McCarthy continued his Red Scare tactics in hearings against the U.S. Army with Roy Cohn as his chief counsel.  

In a key exchange with Army counsel Joseph Welch, McCarthy, true to form, raised the fact that one of Welch’s young law firm associates had once been a member of an alleged communist lawyers group.  

Welch responded “Until this moment, senator I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.”  He later added “Have you no sense of decency, sir?  At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

Later that year the Senate voted 67-22 to censure McCarthy who was subsequently defeated in the court of public opinion. 

The more things change the more they stay the same!

Comments

Shelley Simpson

Humans don't change which is what makes me hopeful. Over the course of history, there have been the McCarthys and the (in y mind worse) Roy Cohns of the world. There have also been the ones who report, the ones who push back and ultimately the ones who come to their senses. Let's hope that doesn't change. Thanks for posting this reminder.
Tom Gallin

Yesterday , in 1953, was his censure vote but i figure you knew that. The difference between then & now is the "public opinion".

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Thu, 01/02/2020 - 21:32

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Vincent Petraro

When will a newsperson ask Comey, McCabe, Brennan, Clapper, etc., have you no decency?

Submitted by Fred on Thu, 01/02/2020 - 21:55

In reply to by VincentPetraro

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Fred Klein

Some day we will look back upon this...
Dana Charlton

Thank you for this blog. It certainly rings true for recent, and I'm sure, upcoming events.

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Thu, 01/02/2020 - 22:24

In reply to by Fred

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Vincent Petraro

...and wonder why the media didn't fairly report the coup attempt!
Daniel Schwartz

Difference today is the technology to broadcast and capture every move, word or thought of the moment. Imagine if that technology existed back then?

Submitted by Judy_Mauer on Thu, 01/02/2020 - 22:43

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Judy Mauer

Unfortunately - we have a very different senate today....... and the repugnicans have no decency :(
Rona Gura

Interesting reference to the McCarthy era in The Amazing Mrs. Maisel.

Submitted by MarilynGenoa on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 00:40

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Marilyn Genoa

I remain hopeful that decency will win out---although I just had a meltdown listening to the words of someone I still cannot believe wields such tremendous power and who is without empathy, humanity, or decency.
ODEY RAVIV

Oh for the days of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite on TV
and Howard Baker in the Senate.
We are in a bad place. Not where you want to be as we start the new year and a new decade.
Paul Napolitano

Schiff is the new McCarthy. For over two years he boasted of having seen evidence of collusion with Russia. The Mueller report proved beyond a doubt he was just flat out lying. Where is the Murrow to call him on it? Journalism is dead. It’s all about getting clicks on a website.
Fred Klein

My father always said “You’re entitled to your opinion”.
Paul Napolitano

Schiff didn’t lie? Even WaPo gave him 4 Pinocchios, and that’s about the most left a news organization gets.

Submitted by Steven_Lichtenstein on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 03:48

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Steven Lichtenstein

Interesting premise and quite timely and topical as we sift through the latest hoax being perpetrated on the American people. You see as Walter Cronkite, another great thinker and real journalist famously opined, "In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story".

Cronkite knew, as did Morrow, that "a journalist covering politics, most of us are aware of the necessity to try to be sure we're unbiased in our reporting. That's one of the fundamentals of good journalism." Where do we even begin to see this today ? Today, the very fake news opinion-aters claim to be journalists but lambaste anyone whose response doesn't fit neatly within their narrative.

Today's "free press" is dead. Journalism is mostly dead. You see as Cronkite once said, "there is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free or you are not free". The pundits on many so called news programs are given an agenda to promote. You can hear it clearly as it meshes with the talking points of the day as I like to call them. Its as if they're both on the same side.

As Mark Levin writes in his recently released tome, Unfreedom of The Press, "The media constitute a profession whose members form a class or aristocracy of strident, pretentious, arrogant and self-righteously superior individuals, rarely capable of circumspection or improvement".

How right he is. The media is dead to me. I don't trust anything I see at face value. I do my own research, ask my own questions and compare different sources. That does not include "anonymous sources" or any spurious claims no matter their veracity.

As my old friend and former politician claimed on my Facebook page last week: "Steve, I think we live in two alternative universes" ! Yes, we'll agree to disagree but until we discover the truth and everyone accepts it, we are condemned to repeat the sins that our framers sentiently predicted and suspected, could be cause precedent of the undoing of the Great Republic they strove so hard to erect.
Paul Napolitano

Brilliantly said Steve. I may have to start reading you on Facebook! :)

Submitted by NeilHollander on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 03:55

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Neil Hollander

The differences of opinion on this is what makes it so paradoxical . So polarized when the obvious is so clear to different individuals . This transcends anything in history . Joe McCarthy ( a Democrat turned Republican BTW ) was a saint compared to Nadler and Schiff . His downfall was accusing The Army of being infiltrated by communists . Murrow was a chain smoking quintessential journalist and war correspondent who helped bring McCarthy down . Who can we compare him to today ? A big fat NOBODY . And that’s the rub . Where do you go to find the truth ? NOWHERE ! By the time it gets to you it has undergone extreme liberal and left leaning metamorphosis to the point of being unrecognizable from the original source . The aim of which is to misinform or disinform the low information voter . In the direction they choose . Sounds Stalinesque to me . Tass and Pravda . Does that ring a bell ? So the liberal trolls jump on the disinformation bandwagon. You know for example , the liberal Jews that turn their back on Israel, their heritage and their homeland because they don’t like POTUS . Critical of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem where it belongs . Why ? Because they hate Trump . Give me an effen break . And Gothamites you know who you are . Yesterday’s events in the Middle East prove to me that “Don’t Tread on Me “ is back . With a vengeance . Get your collective heads out of your arses . Get smart. See you in November .

Hollander Sends

Submitted by NeilHollander on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 04:04

In reply to by Steven_Lichtenstein

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Neil Hollander

Bravo Steve . Fuck yes !!

Submitted by Steven_Lichtenstein on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 04:29

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Steven Lichtenstein

For the life of me I can't understand why or how 78% of Jews don't understand how the policies of the prior administration have forced our POTUS to take action and not draw phony red lines in the sand.

Submitted by NeilHollander on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 04:44

In reply to by Steven_Lichtenstein

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Neil Hollander

As you know this has bothered me for awhile

Submitted by Fred on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 04:50

In reply to by NeilHollander

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Fred Klein

I love caution and restraint here which raises my blog to the level I aspired to!

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 06:46

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Vincent Petraro

So true Paul - still waiting for Schiff's evidence!!!

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 06:47

In reply to by Steven_Lichtenstein

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Vincent Petraro

Sad but true

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Fri, 01/03/2020 - 06:47

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Vincent Petraro

Well said!

Submitted by Steven_Lichtenstein on Sat, 01/04/2020 - 22:00

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Steven Lichtenstein

The original blog was about the media. The point is that the media used to be neutral and today they are not. The media itself has inextricably imparted their values and partisanship into their reporting and has this made the reporting political.

Gone are the days of Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Bob Schieffer and Tim Russert.

Today we have clowns and partisans like Don Lemon, Joe Scarborough, Rachel Maddow, Brian Stelter and John Berman.

They provide political commentary and present it as fact. They have corrupted the process and have become the fourth estate.

So what’s the big deal that the blog ended up discussing politics ? A blog is meant to stimulate thought, provide an arena for contrast and illicit opinions across the spectrum.

Why minimize it by saying “it belongs on a political thread” and instead serve to end the conversation once you determine the conversation is not going your way?

Submitted by VincentPetraro on Sun, 01/05/2020 - 09:39

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Vincent Petraro

Agreed!

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