Edward Murrow

 

Edward R. Murrow was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during WWII, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada. He was considered by his fellow journalists to be one of journalism's greatest figures, noting his honesty and integrity in delivering the news. A pioneer of television news broadcasting, Murrow produced a series of TV news reports that helped lead to the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was born in North Carolina but his family moved to Blanchard, Washington, thirty miles from the Canadian border. He excelled in debate in high school and was active in sports. He enrolled in Washington State College, eventually majoring in speech. He was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and was elected president of the National Student Federation of America. After graduation he moved to New York where he worked as assistant director of the Institute of International Education. He married Janet Brewster and they had a son, Charles Casey. Murrow joined CBS as director of talks in 1935 and remained at the network for his entire career. Ed went to London in 1937 to serve as director of CBS' European operations but the position did not involve on air reporting. Murrow's job was persuading European figures to broadcast over the CBS network which was in direct competition with NBC's two radio networks. Murrow recruited journalist William L. Shirer to take a similiar post on the continent. The two men would become the forefathers of broadcast journalism. The first on-the-scene news report of his career was delivered from Vienna and he reported on current conditions of the war and whereabouts of Hilter. The broadcast was considered revolutionary at the time, featuring multi-point, live reports in the days before modern technology and it came off flawlessly. The special became the basis for the World News Roundup - broadcasting's oldest news series, which still runs each weekday morning and evening on the CBS Radio Network. After the war, Murrow's status was solid and he hosted and narrated a number of radio programs. In the 50's he began his television career by appearing on editorial "tailpieces" on the CBS Evening News and in coverage of special events. In 1953 Murrow launched a second weekly TV show, a series of celebrity interviews entitled Person to Person and it set the standards for celebrity interviews, producing a format that is still followed today. He hosted See It Now which focused on a number of controversial issues and is best-remembered as the show that criticized McCarthyism and the Red Scare, contributing to the downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Murrow also appeared with Around the World in 80 Minutes and in spite of good ratings was in repeated conflicts with CBS and its chairman, Bill Paley. Murrow's last major TV milestone was reporting and narrating the CBS Reports installment "Harvest of Shame: a report on the plight of migrant farm workers in the United States. In 1961 he resigned from CBS and accepted a position as head of the United States Information Agency, parent of the Voice of America. In 1962, Murrow introduced educational television to New York City via the maiden broadcast of WNDT, which became WNET. Murrow's high profile helped to earn funds for the agency and may have led to his transfer to a governmetnal position shortly after taking the job. Near the end of his life, health problems forced him to resign from USIA. During his career Ed received many awards and honors and after his death the Edward R. Murrow Center for Public Diplomacy was established at Tufts University School of Law and Diplomacy. Fellowships are awarded to mid-career professionals who engage in research at Tufts.