Good Night, and Good Luck

“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
Edward Murrows, RTNDA Convention Speech (1958)

Good Night, and Good Luck is the story of Edward Murrows and his historic challenge of McCartheism in the 1950's. Best known for his radio broadcasts during WWII, Murrows was an eloquent and thought-provoking journalist who had genuine concern for the state of the American media. This film is highly relevant to the content of this class and an absolute necessity for serious media students.
Murrows personal struggle with the structural bias embeddeded in the professional code of journalism happens early in the movie. Realizing that relying on official sources or the occurrence of an event will not allow him an opportunity to expose an obvious injustice, he decides that "stating the obvious" is necessary, despite the fear of being labeled as unprofessional or partisan. His direct and factual reporting of communist hearings ultimately changes the course of America, ending the witch-hunt simply by informing viewers about a topic most journalists were afraid to cover. This movie is a reminder of the amazing potential broadcast journalism has when it does it's job correctly. Here it is easy to see the importance of the news media's role in a true democracy; public education.
Underlying the battle between common sense (Murrows) and finger pointing hysteria (McCarthy) is another struggle: big business versus hard news. The sponsors drop Murrow's program during the controversy and his show is moved off of prime time. The CBS representative tells him that Americans are not looking for a "civics lesson," his dry and serious style clashes with the station's profit motives. This scene feels like an ultimate showdown between commercialism and integrity. Commercialism wins, giving Murrows nightly sign-off a particularly chilling effect. "Good Night, and Good Luck."