Edward R Murrow, Army-McCarthy Hearings - Research Paper Example

Edward R. Murrow, Army-McCarthy Hearings Army McCarthy hearings gained prominence in 1954. Primarily, these hearings were the result of the conflicts between the renowned senator Joseph McCarthy and the US army. McCarthy stated that the US army favored the communists and it was risky for the country. Indirectly, he criticized the policy agenda of President Truman. From here began a series of raging arguments, inquiries and hearings, now remembered as the Army-McCarthy hearings. At the end, only shouts and incidents of misbehaviors were seen, but not before McCarthy was censured of ill doings. Joseph McCarthy was a RepublicanSenator andwas thus against the Communists. He constantly accused the federal government of being involved with the Communists. This is what initiated the army-McCarthy hearings in the first place. But in the end, his accusations and remarks were decreed as groundless. McCarthy blamed the army and the army blamed him and said that he was stating those remarks to please his senior David Schine and his friend, Roy Cohn (Caute). Many people in the government were intimidated by Senator McCarthy because of his popularity and his gift of gab. Despite his blames and accusations, people listened to him because he was an excellent orator. But it is unfortunate that he used his skills for the wrong purposes. This is why his sudden decline was his own fault, as was later proved by Edward Murrow. Another reason for McCarthy’s growing popularity was his relation with the Kennedy family. He was in their good books and while the Kennedy family was at its prime, McCarthy took unfair advantage of it. Moreover, the Kennedy’s were Catholics and so was McCarthy and this forged a stronger bond between the Kennedys and McCarthy. This is also why McCarthy gained infinite support when it came to targeting the Communist tribes. Many journalists and critics also claim that for McCarthy, being Communist was more of a personal issue and it was his fault that he amalgamated it with his profession(Caute). After these remarks began to surface, the Senate took the matter in its own hands. The Senate set up a committee to find the root of the problem. Normally, McCarthy was the one who governed these meetings but as this time he himself was being charged, Karl Mundt was elected as the leader of the committee. He was also a renowned Republican senator. At first the Senate was a little hesitant to make Mundt the head of committee because McCarthy was a lot stronger opponent and he made a rude opponent, but many members of the committee voted in favor of Mundt. He along with John Welsh did an applaud-able job which is still remembered by many. Welsh was hired as a consultant by the army, to make their case strong against McCarthy(United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs 60). Edward R. Murrow was one of the most eminent journalists during the 50s and 60s. One of his plus points was that he didn’t only talk about senators, US officials and government servants but also paid much attention to the everyday problems of the common man. He hosted a radio show know as Hear It Now. This show was already quite popular among the officials as well as with the laymen but it was Army-McCarthy hearings that seared the ratings of the show. Later, when this show began to telecast its episodes, it was named as See It Now. Inthe article, “The Heroic Ed Murrow: The Myth Endures”, it is written, “Few media-driven myths are as tenacious as the notion that Edward R. Murrow abruptly ended the communists-in-government witch-hunt of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy.” It further talks about 1954 when E. R. Murrow and J. Welsh, the former a journalist and the latter, attorney for the US defeated McCarthy at his barrage of allegations and intimidation (Campbell ). In a government document, “Have you no sense of Decency?” was written the whole background and what went on during the hearings. In this document it was written that McCarthy even blamed Welsh of being biased towards the communists. At that particular moment, Welsh replied that he had not evaluated the degree of McCarthy’s deviousness until then. When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?" These hearings were more highlighted in Murrow’s program, but Joseph Campbell, in another articlestates that Murrow succeeded in foiling McCarthy’s propaganda in a television show, See It Now that lasted thirty minutes. Murrow employed McCarthy’s “words, actions and sometimes bizarre conduct” on camera. However, his rebuttal came a little too late. Other journalists had already gone that road(“How late was Murrow in taking on Joe McCarthy?”). But he also goes on to say that there were many substantial points which were never made clear before Murrow. He brought in limelight the senator’s taxes and a contract he signed with a government for a seven thousand word article.(“How late was Murrow in taking on Joe McCarthy?”) He was always well researched and his arguments had a solid ground unlike McCarthy’s arguments. This is why he is considered to be the pioneer of journalism in America. He was strictly against yellow journalism because it not only soils the profession but also the name of the country (Buckley ). Murrow’s show on these hearings gained more recognition because he didn’t sugarcoat any statement and represented the facts as they were. This also throws light on the media of that time. There was no falsification of facts, no plagiarism and no exaggeration. In the article “Murrow vs. McCarthy”it was written that Murrow’s show on McCarthy was perhaps his most significant show. It applauded Murrow’s courage to disparage McCarthy who was a senator which further corroborated the fact that the people of the country were brave enough to stand for the right. Everybody who was anybody criticized McCarthy. It was “Everybody’s moral.” And while everyone was attacking McCarthy, Murrow was “the most moral man” on TV because he was able to show the real face of the senator (Buckley ). Murrow began to collect material and reports about McCarthy long before he did a program on him. That is why he had many proofs to substantiate his arguments and the newspapers also published many photographs of McCarthy in conversation with other officials and agents. This is one of the reasons that Murrow’s show gained so much popularity. This was true journalism and Murrow didn’t step back, even for a moment, till he narrated the truth to the American citizens. In his conclusion to the show, he said that McCarthy was successful in playing with the minds of the public. He confounded them with the non-existent yet looming threats of the onset of Communism. However, disagreeing with him did not mean that you were siding with the communists and betraying your country. One should keep in mind that when one is accused, it does not mean that there is proof against him. The due course of law must take place in order to decide what is right and what is wrong. There should be no fear of people. Fear should never be the driving force because if the history is unveiled, Americans are a brave people who have descended from brave men. What the junior senator from the state of Wisconsin did is despicable because it has produced unsettling results abroad concerning allies while the enemies sleep peacefully satisfied. However, he is not to be blamed for the repercussions because he only successfully exploited the situation already created by people themselves(“Report on Senator McCarthy”). This speech of Murrow is still remembered today. It is an eye opener for the media today, who for their benefit and channels benefit exploit the news, falsify the quotes of the officials and say goodbye to their integrity on the first sign of alarm. Morrow’s courageousness is an unprecedented example, not only for the media but also for the humanity. He also blamed McCarthy for his wrong doings out rightly without and didn’t mix words. He also had to face the Kennedy family because McCarthy was their close friend but he still didn’t back up(“Report on Senator McCarthy”). Michael Straight in his book, Trial by Television, also confirmed that Murrow’s’ show was the most authentic and significant show in history. Undoubtedly, this show was in a league of its own and left a mark in the field of journalism. He also wrote about the hearings that the Army-McCarthy trials were a television milestone because of the intrinsic significance of the event covered but because television coverage itself was crucial to the meaning, and unfolding, of events (Straight 10). Therefore Murrow’s courageousness and valor should be adopted by the journalists worldwide. The journalists of today’s era should learn to work for the welfare of the country, not for their own welfare. He was not only cornered by McCarthy many times but also bore the brunt of other Catholic officials many times. He also never stretched a matter endlessly, like it is done today. He took a topic, talked about it in depth and that was the end of it because there were other issues to be discussed as well. But still he didn’t break his duty to journalism nor did he ever forget about professionalism. Works Cited Buckley, William. "Murrow vs. McCarthy." national review. N.P., 06 December. 2005. Web. 6 Nov 2012. http://old.nationalreview.com/buckley/wfb200512061505.asp Campbell, Joseph. "How late was Murrow in taking on Joe McCarthy?" Media Myth Alert. N.P., 28 May 2010. Web. 6 Nov 2012.  Campbell, Joseph. "That heroic Ed Murrow: The myth endures." Media Myth Alert. N.P., 29 March 2010. Web. 6 Nov 2012.  Caute, David. The Great Fear: The Anti-Communist Purge Under Truman and Eisenhower. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978. Print. "Report on Senator McCarthy." See It Now. CBS-TV: 09 1954. Television. . Straight, Michael. Trial by Television. Boston: Beacon, 1954. Print. United States. United States Senate. Have you no sense of decency? 1954. Web. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Have_you_no_sense_of_decency.htm United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs, . United States Congressional Serial Set, No. 14689, Senate Reports No. 1-15. Government Printing Office, 2003. 60. Web. . Widner, James. "Murrow on the McCarthy Hearings."Edward Roscow Murrow. N.P., 11 October 2012. Web. 6 Nov 2012. . Read More