Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History)

Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History)
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Marvelously evocative

A Little Murrow

Lovely short history

Don't just watch the movie!

Everything You Wanted to Know About Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History)
Bob Edwards
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Book Description

“Get it, read it, and pass it on.”—Bill Moyers

“Most Americans living today never heard Ed Murrow in a live broadcast. This book is for them I want them to know that broadcast journalism was established by someone with the highest standards. Tabloid crime stories, so much a part of the lust for ratings by today’s news broadcasters, held no interest for Murrow. He did like Hollywood celebrities, but interviewed them for his entertainment programs; they had no place on his news programs. My book is focused on this life in journalism. I offer it in the hope that more people in and out of the news business will get to know Ed Murrow. Perhaps in time the descent from Murrow’s principles can be reversed.”—Bob Edwards

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The host of NPR's Morning Edition chronicles

the rise of radio and television news

In this brisk and incisive account, Bob Edwards shows us how Edward R. Murrow helped establish broadcast journalism—and, in the process, reminds us how far most broadcast news has fallen from the reportorial standards set by Murrow and the people he hired at CBS. Sent to Europe in the late 1930s by CBS, Murrow pioneered the concept of radio reports by foreign correspondents, nightly roundups of European news, and, later, "you are there" reports from London during the blitz. After the war, Murrow launched See It Now, the first in-depth television news program—and helped make CBS the gold standard for television news. Edwards brings to life the great stories Murrow covered—the blitz, bombing raids over Berlin, the liberation of Buchenwald, red-baiting by Senator Joe McCarthy—as well as the ups and downs of his career at CBS. Complete with an afterword that analyzes the decline of broadcast news since the 1980s, this book will be required reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century history and the media.

"It's amazing to me that Bob Edwards, who didn't know Murrow, knows him so well. . . I found in this book the Murrow I knew."—Daniel Schorr, Senior News Analyst, NPR

"Get it, read it, and pass it on. Every aspiring broadcast

journalist should have it."—Bill Moyers

Bob Edwards (Arlington, VA) has been the host since 1979 of NPR's Morning Edition, the most popular program on public radio, with 13 million listeners each week. He and his program won the prestigious Peabody Award in 1999 for "two hours of daily in-depth news and entertainment expertly helmed by a man who embodies the essence of excellence in radio"; he also won the Edward R. Murrow Award in 1984. He is the author of Fridays with Red.

Customer Reviews:

Marvelously evocative.......2007-10-02

I listened to this in the car and found myself sitting in the garage waiting for a passage to conclude. It was riveting and I was amazed at what I learned about Murrow in his own words. A wonderful audiobook.

A Little Murrow.......2006-12-03

Edward R. Murrow was a giant of a man and more than just the liberal hero of felling Sen. Joseph McCarthy (who went overboard on a very real problem of Communism in the US - see books on Venona), which takes up much of this small book.

In actuality, Murrow was a rare quality of a man that shined for a bright moment amidst much darkness. His notion of fairness and character is better addressed in A.M. Sperber's "Murrow: His Life and Times" (read p. xi and following). Although, the best contemporary view of those times - to be neutral - is now found wanting, as no one is neutral - although he was exemplar regarding fairness, even when he went to defend his associate Laurence Duggan (p. 99), who was not only a KGB informer, but in fact, a KGB agent (this wasn't known to the public until after Murrow's death). Nevertheless, Murrow was a man who stuck to his guns and his character and redefined journalism (earlier journalism had a "yellow" reputation since the 19th century). My father had worked with him in the 1950s at CBS and told us that he was down to earth and a solid person. He was the ultimate gravitas statesman of journalism. He was not so easy to categorize, which journalism since the Watergate era has done in political terms (when the media was redefined by the Bernstein / Woodward team at the Washington Post - decidedly with a left bent).

Bob Edwards, who has hosted "Morning Edition" on NPR, writes briefly on Murrow and tends to mold him in the image of a contemporary liberal media hagiography, but never really shows the depth of his character and the times that were (again, see Sperber).

In his afterward, Edwards comments on the devolution of broadcast journalism. His most telling paragraph is when he writes:
"If there's a Murrow now among young journalists, he or she will probably leave the business before arriving at a position that gets our attention. If that person shares Murrow's background and training, he or she likely will end up as the president of a small college, enjoy the work, and know the names of every freshman's parents. That would be a very good thing and we should not necessarily mourn the loss of such an individual on a bigger stage" (p. 165).

Another outstanding journalist of that era to research was the Chicago-based Clifton Utley.

I still remember those great weekend days when my father would listen with memory to "Edward R. Murrow - A Reporter Remembers, Vol. 1: The War Years, 1939-1946", those London broadcast recordings of Murrow starting with the memorable line, "This is London". He would start his later broadcasts with a similar focused-styled phrasing that captured the imagination and hearts of people everywhere.

Lovely short history.......2006-11-03

This was a very well written short volume which covered the major aspects of Murrow's career. While I found it very lucid and enjoyable, my only small complaint was its brevity. An excellent overview.

Don't just watch the movie!.......2006-08-06

My husband and I listened to the audio version of this book during a road trip to Colorado. I'd already seen Good Night and Good Luck, so I felt like I had an idea of what we'd be learning about Murrow in this book. I was wrong. This man led a full, rich, and amazing life. He achieved so many wonderful things, not the least of which was setting our expectations about what journalism could (and should) be. I think the one thing I took away from the book is that if I see good journalism, I should let the station know. Too often, I just send emails when I get all huffy about something and not when I see good, balanced reporting on issues important to the community and the country.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Edward R. Murrow.......2006-03-03

Bob Edwards has written two books. His first, "Mornings with Red," is way superior to the second. Now, "Mornings with Red" is terrific, so let's not condemn "Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism." But let's just say it did what it set out to do -- and nothing more. Edwards admits as much in the first couple of pages, when he recommends previous books devoted to Murrow and his boys.

Average customer rating:

J'ai accuse
A true American hero done homage by an unputdownable book.
The Very Best Biography On Edward R. Murrow
Courage, Camels, and Corporate Controversy
An Icon For The Advent Of Electronic Media Journalism

Murrow: His Life and Times
A. M. Sperber
Manufacturer: Smithmark Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

J'ai accuse.......2006-06-30

Edward R. Murrow was elusive. He was a pioneer radio and television broadcaster. His career arc did not include print journalism. His success was modern. Murrow, b. 1908, had a golden natured man for a father and a shrewd and enterprising woman for a mother. He ws the youngest of three sons. Black moods dogged his whole life. In the 1930's Murrow worked for a committee placing European scholars in American academic posts. He had contacts at CBS. At college, Washington State, he had been a speech major. At CBS, 1935, he became the Director of Talks. Murrow was also responsible for education and religion.

Radio was changing the world of politics. Overseas radio was primarily a novelty act. NBC had Alistair Cooke and so its coverage of the abdication crisis was better. Murrow was asked to take a job in London as the European director for CBS. William Shirer was offered the job of continental representative of CBS. When Germans invaded Austria, Murrow traveled to Vienna. His immensely successful career as a radio reporter, commentator, had begun. Murrow and Shirer used stamina and imagination to cover the developing crisis in Prague and elsewhere on the continent. Listeners were taken to Nuremburg to hear Hitler. At the end of September NBC and CBS radio braodcasts reported on Munich. Murrow sat with Jan Masaryk.

War finally came over Poland. CBS staff positions in the European capitals were filled. Murrow put in time everywhere. In the spring, blitzkrieg tactics caused the occupation of Belgium, the Netherlands. Norway fell. The Dunkirk evacuation took place. Churchill assumed office as Prime Minister. Commentators crowded into London. As neutrals CBS staff faced endless delays and red tape. A stringer, Vincent Sheean, became Murrow's boon companion. The reader is immersed with Murrow and company in rather delightful fashion in the events leading up to America's entry into World War II. A reader is able to sense in the author's careful descriptions the immediacy of war as brought to the radio listeners. Broadcasting brought facts and analysis to the audience in real time.

London was under air attack. Janet Murrow busied herself with the evacuation of children to America. The BBC moved broadcasting underground. Murrow inhabited freely both the upper class and the London ghetto. Eventually daytime operations ceased. It was not known at the time, but it was an RAF victory. Night bombings continued. With the approval of the censors American audiences were permitted to hear the sounds of a raid. Murrow conveyed the impersonal nature of the new technology of killing. Home news editor at the BBC, R.T. Clark, became a mentor to Murrow. He was versed in the classics and military history. In the fall of 1940 Shirer left for home from Portugal. He and Murrow had built up radio news from nothing. Home leave, 1941, proved to be a case of culture shock for the Murrows. In America there were no shortages. Murrow was effective because he did more than his job. Through happenstance he met with FDR Pearl Harbor night. He sat on the scoop that the President was determined to go to war. In the spring of 1942 the Murrows returned to London.

Murrow, disappointingly, had to coordinate CBS staff reports at headquarters during the operation of Overlord, the Normandy Invasion. In the end he was cut up with rage seeing the camps, Buchenwald and others. The Nazis had done a more thorough job of brutalizing the people than he had deemed possible. After an eighteen months' stint as an executive, Murrow returned to broadcasting. He was bitter over the death of George Polk in Greece in 1948. Polk had modeled himself on Murrow. In 1950 he took an unequivocal stand against Joe McCarthy and lost his sponsor. Regional sponsorship was arranged. Owen Lattimore commended Murrow for keeping the record straight on his case.

Fred Friendly and Murrow were ready, in 1951, to convert I CAN HEAR IT NOW to television. ALCOA sponsored SEE IT NOW. It needed to brighten its image. At the beginning of 1953, after doing an historic piece, 'Christmas in Korea,' he was exhausted. His view of the US was changing. Murrow's attack on McCarthy on SEE IT NOW was considered an act of courage by most people. It resulted in FBI scrutiny, he became a watched man. After McCarthy's demise, employers and news broadcasters were still treading gently. By 1957 Murrow was a celebrity, but SEE IT NOW was cut and he and Friendly were given SMALL WORLD. After speaking in Chicago to an association of journalists about the need for independence in television news, Murrow lost clout at CBS. Informally he was demoted. Fred Friendly became the sole executive producer of CBS Reports. One of the programs in which Murrow participated notably was 'The Harvest of Shame.' Murrow was appointed to head USIA under Kennedy. He resigned in 1964 and died in 1965.

A true American hero done homage by an unputdownable book. .......2006-04-30

Thank Heaven that this book - long out of print, I had my copy nailed down - has now been re-issued, and thank Heaven for the current renaissance in interest in this magnificent journalist and iconic human being. Murrow's speech to camera at the end of the McCarthy expose ought, if there is any justice, to be committed to memory by every American in the same way that the Gettysburg address is now.

As for the book itself - well, I bought my first copy in the early 1980s, Murrow having been a childhood hero. It's bit, it's beautifully written, and is it enough to say that my original copy is falling apart? And that all my Christmas present problems are now solved?

There are other good biographies (I'm a Murrow fanatic, if this isn't clear already)and I wouldn't fault any of them; and the newly-reissued DVD set of the Murrow Years is also essential and full of the most wonderful surprises. I guess that Sperber wrote the ur-text, and so this is probably the place to start. But thank you to everyone who remembered that he should not be forgotten. Meet a true American hero.

The Very Best Biography On Edward R. Murrow.......2005-10-21

Since its publication in 1986, no other biography on Edward R. Murrow has been written that can depose A.M. Sperber's magnificent work. "Murrow: His Life and Times" is, by far, the best biography written to date on America's first, and possibly last, great broadcasting journalist.

Sperber's book captures the essence of Murrow's life from a young intellectual to his rise from college campuses to directorship of the "Institute of International Education" and to Murrow's début at CBS where he broadcasted the bombing of London during World War II. It was during this period that Murrow demonstrated, so clearly, his finesse with the American audience as they listened to his broadcast of the traumatic events as they unfolded in World War II Europe.

Sperber's methodical research, numerous interviews, attention to detail, and her writing give the reader a close and personal look at the extraordinary triumphs and tragedies that made up Murrow's life. Readers are able to follow Murrow's footsteps and virtually see into his world, as he became the voice of World War II and the voice for America. Murrow's denunciation of Senator Joseph McCarthy's treatment of Americans during the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) hearings set into motion the senator's decline and closed a dark chapter in American politics -- all with his rational, yet forceful manner of speaking.

Sperber writes of Murrow's journalistic integrity and his struggles for openness and frankness in the media -- ideals that brought Murrow into constant conflict with CBS. The author also illustrates Murrow's battle with tobacco addiction - an addiction that would have devastating affects on Murrow's health. An entire life flawlessly researched and written in 705 captivating pages that will embrace readers today as it did when the book was first published 1986. After reading Sperber's book the reader will understand why CBS headquarters in New York City still displays a plaque in their lobby which contains the image of Murrow and the inscription: "He set standards of excellence that remain unsurpassed."

"Murrow: His Life and Times" should be required reading for students of communications and those working in media. There is no better chronicle of America's greatest broadcasting journalist. Readers will find this book hard to put down once they begin reading it. It is superb in every respect and the very best biography on Edward R. Murrow.

Courage, Camels, and Corporate Controversy.......2002-12-07

By the time most of us baby boomers were old enough to watch more substantive television fare than Felix the Cat, Edward R. Murrow was an aging icon without portfolio. He did not have the regular exposure of a Douglas Edwards, Chet Huntley, or David Brinkley. He would on occasion do spectacular work-as elementary school students we would discuss his "Harvest of Shame" documentary on the sufferings of migrant farm workers. But it was from our parents and older relatives that we inherited something of a sense of his importance in an earlier time, in the same fashion that they might speak of a Bob Taft or an Adlai Stevenson.

What we could not know in 1959, what biographer A.M. Sperber makes abundantly clear, is that we were watching the shell of a driven man who had exhausted his incredible stores of emotional energy to international cooperation, then to radio coverage of the horrors of World War II, and on to shape the formation of the CBS new department during the explosion of the television era and the age of McCarthy. Sperber traces the rise and decline of this charismatic, almost manic, entrepreneur from the most unlikely of origins, that of a lumberjack named Egbert who quickly realized the liabilities of his given name in the male work camps of Washington State.

Egbert, now Edward, chopped wood only long enough to scratch and claw his way into Washington State College. A student with fingers in many campus pies, he joined an organization called the International Institute of Education in 1931. The IIE in the early 1930's was a form of college student exchange program, one of its sponsors being the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time Columbia Broadcast System. When Murrow spoke at a West Coast gathering of IIE representatives, he earned himself election to the national office of the IIE in New York, a paid position there, and free air time on CBS radio. Murrow produced Sunday afternoon radio lectures and round table discussions, demonstrating a flair for attracting international speakers. As Murrow learned more about the plight of Jews in Germany from reporter [and later close friend] William Shirer, he used the machinery of the IIE in the United States to rescue as many Jewish intellectuals as possible and place them in American colleges. It was a tactic not universally appreciated, nor would his close cooperation with the Russians be forgotten by J. Edgar Hoover.

By the beginning of the Battle of Britain, Murrow was assigned full time by CBS to provide radio coverage of Hitler's assaults and to coordinate the company's European reporting network. It is impossible to capsulize here the horrors of those eighteen months for Murrow and for England generally, when every night brought a terror at least as awful as the World Trade Center bombing. Murrow created a network of European radio correspondents-many of whom would become household names in their own rights. He overcame industry biases against putting reporters on the air and using taped reports from the fields. But most of all, he revolutionized the very style of radio news into "factual storytelling" by his nightly accounts of German bombings that by happenstance occurred during the East Coast's prime time 7 P.M. radio news hour. Later, as the theater of war shifted east, Murrow was among the first western reporters to see first hand an operating extermination camp. He could not bring himself to talk about it over the air for several days.

Murrow returned to CBS in New York a conquering hero of sorts, the network's hottest property. Sperber does a good job in explaining why the postwar Murrow-CBS marriage was a stormy one. For one thing, the war years had reshaped Murrow into a cross between an Old Testament prophet and a posttraumatic stress sufferer. He would never be quite at home in an industry moving toward television, increased advertising dependence, and escapism. Secondly, Murrow was too much the prophet to claim objectivity. He would never be confused with, say, Bob Trout. Long before Woodward and Bernstein, Murrow crafted the art of investigative reporting for a presumably concerned nation, particularly through the medium of his weekly "See It Now" series, a rough and tumble forerunner of "60 Minutes." His most controversial television piece, his hour-long exposure of Joe McCarthy, was out and out editorializing, albeit accurate. In Murrow's mind, he was serving the common good. Others were not so sure. Thirdly, Murrow himself had a past that made him a potential network liability. When he produced his "Harvest of Shame" documentary, for example, hardly a paean for capitalism, those with long memories would recall his enthusiastic embrace of Russian intellectuals in the late 1930's with the IIE.

The great irony in the breakup of Murrow and CBS is that the deciding infidelity may possibly have been unintentional. In 1960, with quiz show scandals threatening the credibility of the television industry, CBS President Frank Stanton announced a policy to eliminate the appearance of deceit in any of his network's programming, not just quiz shows. When pressed as to the extent of this policy, the network cited other programming, including rather surprisingly Murrow's own "Person to Person" prime time home visits to celebrities. In one reading of this event, Stanton may have simply been protesting the pre-scripting of interview questions and the staged walk-through of the homes. Or, there may have been a subtler message. A young Harry Reasoner inquired of Murrow on air, in so many words, "why are you, the Jeremiah of the industry, wasting precious prime time with the innocuous drivel of fighters and starlets?"

Unlike Reasoner and Howard K. Smith, who felt no compunction about switching networks, Murrow lived and died CBS. Illness and ultimately death interrupted his stint as window dressing for the Kennedy administration in 1965. Perhaps his prodigious cigarette smoking had finally claimed him. More likely, it was the pressure of living so many lives in one frail human shell.

An Icon For The Advent Of Electronic Media Journalism.......2002-01-28

Few figures stand so prominantly in 20th century folklore as does Edward R. Murrow, who spoke with such force and gravity over the radio and televison airwaves as did his colleague Walter Lippmann in the medium of print. His is a singular and absorbing story, cutting such a swath through the annals of the last century's history as to guarantee himself a place in the patheon of journalistic greats. That said, this is a wonderful biography of a man so uniquely gifted as to stand alone as an icon. This is indeed a work of prodigious scope and historical proportions, one covering the rise of this man in the streets and towers of London during the dark days of the war in Europe, who with his colleague William Shirer (later author of the best selling book, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"), pioneered the use of trans-Atlantic radio broadcasts as a method of communicating real-time coverage of current events. In so doing, he brought home the poignant message of how close the war was drawing to Americans. In this sense, then, his biography closely parallels the historical epoch of both war-time and post-war America.

He was the virtual prototype of the international newsman, urbane, well-spoken, and yet brutally honest and beyond reproach. He conveyed a sense of integrity that became a model for eeryone who followed, from the early days of colleagues like Eric Sevareid, Harry Reasoner, David Brinkley, and Walter Cronkite to the well-polished and quite cosmopolitan Peter Jennings. He beacame a power unto himself, gaining unrivaled credibility and relevance with the American people, with a somewhat dour and hyper-serious demeanor, almost a paradoy of himself as he related the latest in the world news. This work concentrates on his incredible gifts as well as on his initial work during the second world war exposing the truth and horrors underlying fascism. In the process, he gained widespread credibility not only for himself, but also for the so-called fourth estate and privilege for journalists at large. later he founded a team incorporating the best of the wartime correspondents , including Willaim Shirer, Charles Collingwood, Howard K. Smith, as well as many others.

Yet after the war he received both greater fame as well as a kind of denouement, in the sense that in order to rise and maintain his poosition at the top of the new world of television-based journalism, he had to deal with moral cretins and the contamination of corporate money politics. Eventually this led to a break between Murrow and CBS, although in the process he forged bonds with such new notables as Fred Friendly that led to the famous series "See It Now". Even in the midst of all this very public history, Murrow was at the same time a very private, shy, and melancholy man, who was given a very rich personal life he managed to keep far from the foibles of the cameras. This work by Ms. Sperber is a seminal work, one that takes a loving and fascinating look at a complex, memorable, and highly moral man who managed to make his way through the temptations of the 20th century while keeping his dignity and integrity along his rather remarkable way. Enjoy!

Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War
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The Story of a Unique Man in a Unique Time

For any who would understand early broadcast journalism's effect on war and peace

Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War
Philip Seib
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

With the words “This is London,” Edward R. Murrow’s groundbreaking radio broadcasts from 1939 to 1941 brought the blitz into America’s living rooms. Countering the tide of U.S. isolationism, Murrow told his huge audience that the United States could not avoid a confrontation with Hitler and that the bombs it heard falling during his reports would eventually be targeted at American cities. But although often cited as the paragon of journalistic objectivity, Murrow had a clear agenda—to bring America into the war—and he slanted his broadcasts accordingly. And behind the scenes, he helped the British court U.S. public opinion and secure American funds for a British intelligence operation.

Broadcasts from the Blitz examines Murrow’s work and life during this crucial time. It also profiles unsung heroes of those days, such as U.S. ambassador John Winant and Winston Churchill’s confidant Brendan Bracken, and villains as well—such defeatists as Joseph Kennedy and Charles Lindbergh, who believed England was doomed. Other compelling characters include Eric Sevareid, Mollie Painter-Downs, and Nancy Astor, whose “Cliveden set” was accused of being too cozy with the Germans. They and many others mixed in a London that remained vibrant even as it was being battered. Broadcasts from the Blitz is a story of courage—of a journalist broadcasting live from London rooftops as bombs fell around him—and of intrigue, as the machinery of two governments pulled America and Britain together in a common cause. Finally there is the drama of December 7, 1941, when Murrow was the sole journalist to meet with Roosevelt. Broadcasts from the Blitz is for all those interested in the influential career of an extraordinary man and in the relationship between journalism and politics.

Customer Reviews:

The Story of a Unique Man in a Unique Time.......2006-08-06

The difference between reporting the news and leading the country has never been clear, and Edward R. Murrow was a master at both.

While reading this book on his broadcasting from London during the early days of the war, don't forget his broadcast that ended the career of Joseph McCarthy. Murrow understood that his reporting influenced American public opinion.

There are those who rail against his sense of ethics in combining reporting the news with what you might call propaganda. Perahps he should be judged instead by the result. He helped prepare the US for a war that we could probably not avoid.

This is the story of a strange time, and what one key player did.

For any who would understand early broadcast journalism's effect on war and peace.......2006-07-22

BROADCASTS FROM THE BLITZ: HOW EDWARD R MURROW HELPED LEAD AMERICA INTO WAR is for any who would understand early broadcast journalism's effect on war and peace. Murrow's 'This is London' opening brought the blitz home to Americans who would've otherwise been distanced by war events: he told why Americans wouldn't be able to avoid involvement, and he prepared the country with his moment-by-moment broadcasts of events. His agenda was to bring America into the war - and more than any politician, he alone helped prepare the American public for such involvement. This far-reaching story will interest a wide audience, from students of broadcast journalism to those interested in military history and social issues alike. Highly recommended indeed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of One Hundred Thoughtful Men and Women

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This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of One Hundred Thoughtful Men and Women
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In search of light;: The broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow, 1938-1961

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In search of light;: The broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow, 1938-1961
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World War II on the Air: Edward R. Murrow and the Broadcasts That Riveted a Nation

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It was okay, good but not great
Great history
More than 50 actual broadcasts, and an audio CD
Edward R. Murrow Reports From WWII London

World War II on the Air: Edward R. Murrow and the Broadcasts That Riveted a Nation
Mark Bernstein , Alex Lubertozzi , and Dan Rather
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Book Description

The story of World War II was told first not by historians, but by reporters. And no one told that story with more impact than Edward R. Murrow and the remarkable band of reporters he assembled.

World War II on the Air recounts the dramatic stories behind these extraordinary correspondents. And it lets you hear their actual broadcasts, culled from the archives and collected here—many for the first time—on audio CD, narrated by Dan Rather.

When war broke out, there was no TV, no satellites, no Internet to spread the news. There was radio. Murrow and his fellow CBS radio correspondents reported directly to listeners as news unfolded. They invented a new kind of reporting while bringing the events of the war into America's living rooms from capitals and battlefields all over the world.

Hear the history of the war through more than 50 broadcasts, including reports from:
--a rooftop looking out over London as German bombers buzzed the skies, to…
--a clearing in a forest where Hitler was laying down the terms of France's surrender…
--a Normandy beach on D-Day…
--soldiers parachuting from a C-47 into Holland…
--a street battle in a crumbling German city before the Battle of the Bulge…

Experience World War II as it happened—with the reporters who lived it and the broadcasts that defined the war for a nation.

Customer Reviews:

It was okay, good but not great.......2007-09-23

I bought this as a gift for my stepdad who is interested in all things World War II, and I could tell by his reaction as he read it that it wasn't the most engrossing material he'd ever read.

Great history.......2003-12-28

I read the Rise and Fall on the 3rd Reich in high school, and I had always thought of Wm Shirer as a historian - I had no idea that he was a reporter during the war, and had a unique seat and understanding watching the Nazi drama unfold.

Great book. You can really appreciate the difficulty of getting a live broadcast from Europe done in 1938, and how hard Murrow and company worked at it. There was no "press freedom" then, and the deference the press is shown today didn't exist then. They were a courageous bunch, Morrow's boys. And look at the roster! Murrow and Shirer, Eric Sevareid, Howard K. Smith, Charles Collingwood, and back in New York, William Paley was calling the shots and rooting Murrow on. What a collection of talent. Amazing.

The only irritating thing about it concerns the CD - why did Rather narrate it and not Walt Cronkite? Cronkite had front line reporting experience in WWII (was on the beach at D-day and made a jump with the 101st) and ended up working for Morrow after the war. Every time I hear Rather narrate, I have the feeling he doesn't deserve to be talking.

Otherwise the radio clips are superb.

More than 50 actual broadcasts, and an audio CD.......2003-06-19

Collaboratively compiled and written by Mark Bernstein and Alex Lubertozzi, World War II On The Air: Edward R. Murrow And The Broadcasts That Riveted A Nation presents the stories behind the implacable and courageous radio correspondents who brought the reality of war itself into living rooms across the nation for the first time in history. More than 50 actual broadcasts, and an audio CD narrated by Dan Rather, enhance this unique and very highly recommended look at World War II events and personalities as the home front experienced it through the medium of radio broadcasting.

Edward R. Murrow Reports From WWII London.......2003-06-11

This is a unique and intriguing book which creatively captures the history of Edward R. Murrow and "Murrow's Boys." The book includes a CD containing 51 broadcasts just as they were heard live during World War II, with narration by Dan Rather. The text has symbols throughout, keying the reader to the CD track which compliments the written words with the voices of these brave men as they broadcasted from all over the world. The text includes concise profiles of the various members of Murrow's team: William Shirer (author of RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH), Eric Sevareid, Howard K. Smith, Larry LaSueur, Charles Collingwood, Winston Burdett and Richard Hottelet, among others. To those who remember WWII these names will be very familiar, and for those who do not, they tell the war's story with passion, intensity and professionalism. The authors have painstakingly researched the intricate details of how William Paley took the embryonic Columbia Broadcast System from a largely soft entertainment network to the premier news gathering and reporting organization which eclipsed all others during the war. The role Murrow plays in this evolution reveals a man of tremendous commitment to his craft, despite almost no previous experience in radio, with a great capacity for judging and selecting the others who became the critical reporters on his team. The travails of Murrow and the others as they faced death in flights over enemy territory, beach assaults and other combat assignments and suffered the tyranny of technological challenges with equipment strained to the breaking point make for great reading. The authors weave the complexities of personalities, politics, warfare and technology into a comprehensive and coherent book. The CD is haunting and chilling as these now dead voices bring back to the present momentous events which told America about the fighting of the war and the slow and painful process of winning peace just as they were happening. This book will be a superb addition to the library of any student of WWII and is also recommended for any reader who enjoys fast paced history in the making.

Good Night, and Good Luck.: The Screenplay and History Behind the Landmark Movie

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More than pages in a book...

Good Night, and Good Luck.: The Screenplay and History Behind the Landmark Movie
George Clooney , and Grant Heslov
Manufacturer: Newmarket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Good Night, And Good Luck
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Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History)

ASIN: 1557047146

Book Description

The only official companion book to the award-winning new film, complete with the original shooting script, extensive historical material and commentaries.

Good Night, and Good Luck. takes place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950s America. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Senator Joseph McCarthy. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow and his dedicated staff—headed by his producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) and Joe Wershba (Robert Downey Jr.) in the CBS newsroom—defy corporate and sponsorship pressures and examine the lies and scare-mongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist "witch hunts." A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. Despite the climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on, and their tenacity eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the Senate and his lies and bullying tactics are finally uncovered.

In a format similar to the Newmarket Press books on Hotel Rwanda and Kinsey, this in-depth companion delves into the history behind the acclaimed film. In addition to the complete screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, this informative volume features historical materials and articles, original contributions from the actual figures featured in the film (Joe and Shirley Wershba, Milo Radulovich and others), and an exclusive Q&A with the screenwriters Clooney and Heslov. 40 b/w photos.

Customer Reviews:

More than pages in a book..........2006-03-24

Edward R. Murrow, trailblazing journalist, produced a series of groundbreaking television shows in the 1950's, daring... just daring to suggest that a rampaging Congressman from Wisconsin was wrong. His courage, in the face of a not always supportive supervisors, in the face of politicians who would rage war against his characters, is tenable. This book is a salute, both to the award winning film, "Good Night, and Good Luck", and to the comparable Murrow and his re-visioning of news in America.

The book is a perfect companion piece to the film. Offering several retrospective articles, they are brief and illuminate the life and times during this paranoid period in history. An extensive question and answer session from George Clooney and Grant Heslov share their experiences with making this film.

The true work of art is the script. Spare, sparse, and wonderfully vibrant, the script glistens with the actual words of Murrow, and a taut drama to bring them on to television. My favorite scene in the movie translates to my favorite scene in the script, when Murrow, so eloquently, so precisely proclaims, "We're gonna go on with the story because the terror is right in this room." Bingo.

Some proclaim "Good Night, and Good Luck" to be a fluff propaganda piece designed to promulgate the liberal politicial fascinations of George Clooney, et. al. It seems no matter what the subject matter is, as long as Clooney is involved, that labeled is quickly slapped on it. However, this film resonates with a clear message, what's past is prolgue. Those who don't heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.

The fact of the matter is, Murrow's words, spoken 50 years ago, are equally as true today. Fact is, we need the Murrows of the world, to stand, speak the truth, and fight for what is right. This film, this book, is a celebration of that.

This I Believe, 2: The Personal Philosophies of One-hundred Thoughtful Men and Women

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This I Believe, 2: The Personal Philosophies of One-hundred Thoughtful Men and Women

Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women

ASIN: B000BH5HJQ

Product Description

Second series of 80 modern and 20 immortal "This I believe" Edward R. Murrow pieces.

With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow

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DON'T WORRY IT'S READABLE
A Review from an Edward R. Murrow High School Student
Heroic Truth Of Edward R. Murrow

With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow
Norman Finkelstein
Manufacturer: Clarion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395678919

Book Description

Hired by the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1935 and promoted to director of CBS's European bureau on the eve of World War II, Murrow's innovative radio programming and straight forward, on-the-scene reporting style completely reshaped American coverage of European political events.

Customer Reviews:

DON'T WORRY IT'S READABLE.......2000-11-09

If you are tired of eye straining, time consuming, tongue twisting biographies that leave you confused after the first 2 chapters then With Heroic Truths by Norman H. Finkelstein is perfect for you. This book chronicles the life and time of Edward R. Murrow. It starts out with his brave attacks on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. Then the book moves to Murrow's humble beginnings at Polecat Creek, North Carolina. Murrow had numerous leadership opportunities before he made it to his famed role on CBS television. With Heroic Truths is packed full of helpful information about Mr. Murrow. If you need to know about Murrow for a project or to assign to a class or just for leisurely reading this book is ideal. The book is easy to read and has clear pictures so satisfy and "eye-candy" Guru. The book tells an informative, inspiring story of one of the pioneers of television news casting. The book also contains interviews with Murrow and many of the people who affected his life and that he affected. So say good-bye to those boring, run-of-the-mill biographies and say hello to With Heroic Truths, by Norman H. Finkelstein. "Good night and good luck"- Edward R. Murrow

A Review from an Edward R. Murrow High School Student.......2000-11-07

From Katie Couric to Barbra Walters, these newscasters influence public opinion and participate in broadcasts that keep the fast-paced world informed of current events. Many people have left a great impact on the world of television and radio. One person who remembered and respected is Edward R. Murrow. In the book, With Heroic Truth by Norman H. Finkelstein, the reader gets captivated and swept into a time of war and politics that has changed our world. The book is a great choice for people doing research and who want to know more about the history of television and radio broadcasting. The book gives great insight into who Murrow was, with a reading level that is understandable to people in the 6th grade or above. Murrow lead an interesting life which the author displays this in his writing of this novel. It is important to know how he broadcasted events from a time that will influence generations of the future, and this is a great book to read for that reason.

Heroic Truth Of Edward R. Murrow.......2000-11-07

The biography With Heroic Truth, explains in detail the life of Edward R. Murrow formerly known as Egbert Roscoe Murrow. This biography by Norman H. Finkelstein is good for children who are trying to achieve their goals in life. When Murrow attended college his grade were not good at all. Murrow only received B's and C's in college which we not such good grades. Murrow's speech teacher Ida Lou Anderson had a huge impact on Murrow's life. Ida knew the Murrow could succeed in life. She made him work on his speech and reach for his goals. Ida knew that even though Murrow did not do well in school, he could still succeed in life. Murrow's mother Ethel always pushed Murrow to work as hard as he could also. Ethel wanted the best for her son. Murrow became a famous broadcaster who was known around the world. His famous quote came "This.......... is London", came from Murrow's opening of his broadcasts. This book is good for Junior High School students who need to read a book for school or for entertainment. By putting your mind to something and striving for your goals you could reach them by working hard.

Prime Time: The Life of Edward R. Murrow

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Prime Time: The Life of Edward R. Murrow
Alexander Kendrick
Manufacturer: Little, Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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