In Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture (2003), Thomas Patrick Doherty calls Murrow’s final commentary in McCarthy episode “the most dramatic, eloquent, and influential oration ever delivered by a television journalist” (174). Do you agree? In your opinion, what makes Murrow’s closing commentary so effective?
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While I wouldn’t agree that Murrow’s final commentary was necessarily the most dramatic oration ever, his eloquence and ability to articulate his message concisely was no doubt influential in the demise of McCarthy. Murrow showing the 3:1 ratio of “leftist” papers that disapproved of McCarthy showed his audience that there was already a large population of people already speaking out against McCarthy, and therefore it was okay for the general public watching Murrow’s broadcast to agree with respected newspapers such as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Evening Star. Synthesizing other sources critical of McCarthy’s hearings and literally showing the two stacks of papers on television enhanced Murrow’s direct criticism of McCarthy. Murrow was quick to point out McCarthy’s shortcomings regarding the accusations following the Mont Tremblant conference for the Institute of Pacific Relations. Murrow highlighted that McCarthy does not read the whole document and, as a result, falsely implied that Mr. Stevenson was at fault in some way for being recommended to the conference by previously convicted “traitors.” Murrow then continued by reading the full document “in defense of truth” and “not in defense of Mr. Stevenson,” making an influential statement that McCarthy’s exclusion of detail was not only hurting one person, but truth in American society in general. This short and eloquent discreditation of McCarthy makes Murrow’s oration impactful because he shows that McCarthy’s inability to properly contextualize his accusations created unnecessary fear and falsehood that should not have been tolerated.