In what decade did the events in this film occur?
1950's
At the beginning of the film, Sig Mickelson introduced Edward to the guests at a testimonial banquet. What were some of the important news topics that Mickelson credits Murrow with covering?
criticizing the media for being too scared to report real news, fear of being locked up after saying the things he's talking about
What were some of the criticisms that Murrow leveled at how telvision was being used?
TV is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us. It isn't being used for the right reasons
When Shirley Wershba and Joe Wershba meet by the file cabinets, what kind of oath did Joe whisper about?
To CBS swearing that they are not communists
Who was Mil oRadulovich and why did Murrow take an interest in him?
An irish american in the airforce who was discharged because his dad was signed up for a serbian newspaper and didn't renounce him. Murrow was interested to see if this was related to McCarthy
What sponsor was the CBS network fearful of losing?
Alcoa-sponsors CBS and has military contracts
How do the workplace smoking habits of the films characters differ from what we see today?
People are allowed to smoke in the work place
In the advertistment for Kent cigarettes, what connection did the product spokesman make between Kent cigarettes and Murrows viewers?
the viewers are smart and not swayed easily by advertising, but they'll still agree that Kent cigarettes are better
Who was the celebrity taht Murrow interviewed? What indications did Murrow give as to how he felt about doing celebrity interviews?
Lee. He doesn't seem to care about them much--he has cue cards for all the questions, he doesn't feel like they're real news stories.
At the end of the interview he rolls his eyes
What was Bill Paley's job at CBS?
chief executive of CBS, built CBS from a small radio company
What did the term "pinko" mean?
Used to describe a person who was sympathetic to communism
Why did Shirley Wershba tell Joe Wershba to remove his wedding band?
because they are secretly married (Which is not allowed by the network)
Why was Don Hollenbeck trouble by Jack O'Brians column? What newspaper employed O'Brian? Who owned the newspaper that employed O'Brian?
O'Brian had accussed him of being a "pinko" that deliberatley biased his news reports. O'Brian worked at the New York American, a journal owned by Hearst
What was the significance of Senator Joseph McCarthy's contention that Murrow had been a member of certain organizations?
He said he was a prominent member of communist causes as the acting director. McCarthy did this to make Murrow out to be supporting communists and giving comfort to "Americas enemis" It makes it seem like Murrow is going against McCarthy to help the communists not the rights of the American people. Conversely, it helped Murrow show that if you criticize McCarthy, then you are a communist
What misstatement did McCarthy make about the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)?
He regarded the ACLU as communist sympathizers; McCarthy singled out aboard member in particular.
When she retaliated and called him a coward for hiding behind congressional immunity, he denied every being interested in pursuing a case against her
In a conversation that Bill Paley had with Fred Friendly on the elevator, Paley told Friendly taht McCarthy wanted someone to offer a rebuttal to Murrow. Who was mcCarthy choice for that job?
william buckley
Bill Paley accused Murrow of engaging in his own form of censorship and criticized Murrow for not correcting a statement regarding the criminal conviction of Alger Hiss. Who was Alger Hiss? What crime was he convicted for?
Alger Hiss was an american government official who was accused of being a soviet spy and convicted of perjury. Paley said that Murrow censored himself bynot correcting McCarthy when he said Hiss was convicted of treason and not perjury because Murrow didn't want to be seen defending a known communist
Why was Annie Lee Moss being questioned by a Congressional committee?
She had been reported to be on a list of communists for paying dues, and was being accused of paying money to the communist party
What was the daily worker?
a newspaper published in NYC by the communist party USA
Who was Roy Cohn and what was his relationship with Senator Joseph McCarthy?
Cohn was an american attorney, McCarthy used him as chief counsel during McCarthy's investigations
In one of the film's final scenes a tuxedoed gentleman was speaking on the TV monitor in the CBS lobby? Who was he?
Dwight D.
Eisenhower, he is the president
What did Murrow suggest were the most important functions that television could perform?
TV was a communications medium whose best uses were informing and educating the public
