I’m launching a new weekly series each Monday to highlight what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and experiencing in public history. Stay tuned on Mondays for these “Monday Dispatches.”
Recently, I sat down for a viewing of Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney’s compelling 2005 depiction of legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow’s courageous stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare hysteria in the 1950s.
It’s a film I first watched during my undergraduate history studies at Hood College, where I wrote my undergraduate honors thesis, in part, about Murrow’s remarkable coverage of the Battle of Britain for CBS Radio.
Revisiting the movie now, nearly a decade after first watching it, and 20 years since it debuted amid the turbulence of the Iraq War, feels timely, unsettling, and deeply necessary.
These are the same reasons that Clooney brought the film to life on Broadway, earning himself a Tony nomination. He also brought the first ever live broadcast of a Broadway show to CNN last Saturday night.
In our current political climate, we’re witnessing existential conversations about the First Amendment and freedom of the press. Today’s attacks on the press don’t originate in fiery Senate hearings; in 2025 they come directly from the White House.
Lawsuits filed by President Donald Trump against major media companies like CBS and ABC are part of a disturbing trend aimed at silencing criticism and eroding trust in an independent press. These actions echo the intimidation tactics used during the McCarthy era – tactics Murrow risked his career to challenge.
They also resemble, but are much worse than, efforts by President Richard Nixon to threaten organizations like The Washington Post, then under Katherine Graham, by threatening Federal investigations and leading efforts to attack their television stations that came under the eye of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The current chairman of the FCC, Brenden Carr, has already initiated investigations into numerous news organizations.
Murrow and his colleagues demonstrated extraordinary bravery by confronting McCarthy’s lies head-on, even as advertisers and executives urged caution. Their courage feels all too rare today, as media executives and billionaire media owners too often bow to political and financial pressures.
The examples are numerous: the Washington Post (Jeff Bezos), ABC News (Disney), and CBS News (Shari Redstone) have all seen decisions in independent newsrooms influenced by political and economic pressure from corporate overseers and ownership.
When we look at recent controversies involving influential news organizations and the reluctance of media bosses to robustly defend their journalists, the contrast to Murrow’s firm principles and moral clarity becomes stark.
Yet, hope remains in journalists who still embody Murrow’s legacy.
Teams like those at 60 Minutes continue to practice meticulous, ethical reporting – asking tough questions, holding powerful figures accountable, and exposing corruption despite threats and backlash. Accusations against them – like those are at the center of the lawsuit that Redstone’s CBS sought unsuccessfully to settle (at least so far) – are groundless and would have been easily defensible had corporate leaders wanted to defend their integrity.
The journalists that have continued their efforts to report in spite of threats and challenges show that, though leadership may falter, dedicated reporters still carry Murrow’s torch forward.
Too many Americans remain unaware of the real dangers posed when we allow vindictive politicians to run rampant, labeling “the media” as the enemy. When journalists become targets, corruption flourishes, truth becomes negotiable, and ultimately our democracy itself suffers.
Edward R. Murrow understood that an independent press is the foundation upon which our freedoms rest.
History offers clear lessons: without courageous journalism, democratic institutions erode.
Murrow battled against one dangerous senator – helping to create an environment where McCarthy’s power ebbed and his influenced receded. His fight was also for the preservation of American values enshrined in the Bill of Rights. That fight continues today.
Recognizing and confronting the threat against the media is among the most urgent challenges our republic faces in 2025.
Good night, and good luck indeed.
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You’re a good historian but sad that you’ve made your site political
History is political and politics are about history. Everything has a context.
I utilize the work of journalists from the past every day to help tell the story of our past. I want future historians to have the ability to look back and have the same opportunity to understand our present and not just the “party line.”
If you don’t enjoy my historical research and perspectives, plenty of other places to go. – Jake
Sadly we learned how journalists made so many mistakes after all this information is coming out about Biden’s term as president and much was covered up. Now the media is admitting its errors in reporting. True unbiased reporting is so important.