Edward R. Murrow And The Birth Of Broadcast Journalism

By Evan K.

Have you ever wanted to see the birth of an journalism art form?

Then look no further with this informative title as it takes you through the career of broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. It brings you the facts and information as they were broadcast. His story against the communist witch hunt, his battles with senator McCarthy, and the basic forms of right and wrong. All of this is contained within 165 pages of a small book anyone can pick up and put in their hands. Now you can learn about the hard truths and the noble goals of broadcast journalism.

This book is great as it gives you the full story of Edward R. Murrow from his life in childhood all the way to the forefront of his journalism career. It makes you feel like he's really there with the reader through this book. Through his good moments and his worst. It does not paint him as some grand figure that everyone should look up to. This man smoked 65 cigarettes a day, was outraged when plans failed and was one of the toughest guys you'll ever meet. With a silver tongue he used the facts presented to him in broadcast journalism to sway the American people like no one else could.

What this book does very well is how it uses pacing. Whenever the reader turns a page the book's narrative seems to naturally flow through his life. It allows the reader to feel comfortable when reading its pages instead of making it a chore for them to read. This technique is used to make sure that the reader never wants to put the book down. It wants the reader to finish taking in all of it's history and use it in our daily lives.

It also really gives you a look into how broadcast journalism was done. What kind of technology was used and what inhibited or enhanced the experience for the watcher. It really was amazing what these people could do with what resources they back then. It's so primitive compared to today's technology that it was very eye opening to see how it was all done back then. From getting the footage to getting the right people and the amount of unpredictability there was back then? This was really an ordeal for broadcast journalists.

Now I'm not a person who likes these kinds of books. I read fiction, not cold hard fact stories like this one. However I did find myself enjoying this more than I thought I would. I loved the people this book talked about and how detailed it all was. Old habits, little facial expressions, it was like this book was broadcasting this man's life right into my brain. I will recommend this book to anyone that likes journalism or has interest in the subject.

Edward R. Murrow And The Birth Of Broadcast Journalism by Bob Edwards, Navta Associates Inc, April 1st 2004, 165 pages.