A great idea for a movie, BUT ....

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2005)

Before I begin, I must admit to all of you that I have yet to see this movie.
But as a student of history, especially of the period depicted in this film, one cannot avoid mentioning its potential influence, as well as the protagonists depicted.
Every era has its Murrow and McCarthy.
In our history, we have experienced threats to our civil liberties and there would be those who would come to their defense, and it is good to be reminded of the importance of this struggle.
It would not take a real genius to do a halfway decent job of telling this story, especially if director/producer George Clooney simply sticks to the basics, and I am sure that is exactly what he will accomplish, in spite of the fact that other films ("MURROW" and "TAIL GUNNER JOE") have already dealt with this subject.
Of course, Clooney and Company can't be blamed for allowing their generation to make a statement, and while I hope they will be successful, it would be good that in the telling of this story, THIS TIME, they should delve towards who may be the true villain of the piece--and that is, THE MEDIA !!!!!
This is especially important today with the unprecedented power the 24/7 cable outlets now wield, and the clear potential for idealogical distortion of the news, which in itself is even more dangerous than Communism ever could be.
The fear of Communism existed long before McCarthy, dating back to the 1920's, when some obscure laws and a technicality about WWI not ending until 1921, allowed a Justice Department clerk named J. Edgar Hoover to advise the Attorney General to legally round up and deport a group of anarchists to Soviet Russia, after a series of bombings, including a 9/11 style attack in NYC in 1920.
Newspapers went out of their way to sensationalize crime and scandal, as well as create mythic folk-heroes that to this day evoke fond memories, as well as villains.
In the late 1940's, the hysterical response to spies and Communist sympathizers seeming to infest all walks of American life was once again picked up by those in the media, this time unwittingly helping to create a climate of fear that would start a unstoppable "feeding frenzy".
The Alger Hiss case and the Rosenbergs were well covered in the press, mostly in sensational headlines that sold newspapers, making the Communist threat highly profitable as well as being newsworthy.
And with the Russians having the A-bomb and the ensuing threat of WWIII, an unprecedented period of anxiety swept the nation, just waiting for some event to touch off a reaction.
In February, 1950, an obscure U.S. senator named Joseph R. McCarthy made a speech in Wheeling, WV, charging that 205 members of the State Department were 'card-carrying Communists' and a treat to our national security.
Almost immediately, a new media star was born, as the press repeated McCarthy's charges without bothering to investigate their validity, even though his numbers kept changing and McCarthy's own reputation was highly questionable.
With the start of the Korean War, the media seemed to be swept along with all the rest of society, reporting the threat as well as the 'sideshow' behind it.
As it turned out, McCarthy never found any Communists, though he did create the climate that forced people out of their jobs, mostly by superiors fearing for their own situation, not want to appear to be Communist sympathizers themselves.
While some brave souls spoke against this insanity, they would do so to at great risk, losing their livelihoods or even worse.
In short, it was an atmosphere that forced the majority to be silent and not rock the boat.
Meanwhile, McCarthy and his ilk soldered on, which would include vicious, right-wing vigilantes who would force liberals out of all walks of life; as well as some strange allies.
Joseph P. Kennedy was an early McCarthy supporter; and Bobby Kennedy actually served on McCarthy's Senate investigating committee as one of the minority counsels !!!!
Then came Edward R. Murrow, a journalist who worked with the BBC during the war, free from commercial influences and with the support of CBS, would broadcast a series of reports that finally responded to the McCarthy threat in 1954.
While it is true that Murrow got in some good licks at McCarthy's expense, the Senator's eventual downfall later that year during the Army-McCarthy hearings was really his own doing.
It was his performance on TV, as well as his heavy-handed tactics and bullying that finally damned him for what he was; and while Murrow deserves much creditfor this, the names of Army counsel Joseph Welch, and Missouri Senator Stuart Symington need to be mentioned also for allowing McCarthy to hang himself.
It is important then that we understand that things like McCarthyism cannot flourish without the unwitting cooperation of others, especially those who are supposed to be the guardians of our freedom, such as the media.
After all, the press is the only organization granted special protection under the First Amendment, other than religion, and those in the media should remember that they should wise use their power, and use it responsibly.
And as the evidence shows quite clearly, IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN !!!!
Therefore, we need to remember Murrow, and I am certain that this movie will do him justice, in spite of the potential flaws.
BRAVO !!!