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Good Luck and Good Night




 

Good Night and Good Luck was a perfect film for my Never Stay Silent Journalism class to watch. In class, we have been diving deep into the early stages of Journalism. Good Night and Good Luck takes place in the late 1850s of America. During this time propaganda and paranoia of the communist party were huge in the United States. This was known as the Red Scare. The leader of the parade of fear was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. Senator McCarthy claimed acts of communism were happening throughout the Government of the United States and in the entertainment industry. He had a huge focus on Hollywood accusing actors, journalists, comedians, and musicians of being in the communist party. He conducted hearings and investigations on government officials. The act of this was called McCarthyism. This is a time when personal civil liberties were watched by the government. The movie starts off with Edward R. Murrow one of the main characters accepting an award. This sets the tone for the movie because Murrow's speech isn't celebratory, but is educational. He was reciting that during this time broadcast television wasn't just a form of entertainment. This speech sets up the movie perfectly because it flashes forward to show you how impactful broadcast television was in a time of need. Once that scene ends we go back in time to the beginning of McCarthyism. The main character Murrow and his team start a show that provides a lot of controversies. They soon start to jab at Senator McCarthy himself. This was a huge success, but McCarthy accused Murrow of being a communist. Throughout the film, we are seeing how Murrow and his team aren't afraid to stick up for McCarthy and use the media as a way to show his accusations are ludicrous. The impact of this film shows just how media can change for better or for worse. They were able to help educate the people of the United States and help take away the fake fear that the Red Scare caused. I really enjoyed this film and was glad to learn even more about McCarthyism and the impact it had on Journalism.



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