Good Luck and Good Night Essay

Good Night and Good Luck

“One of the most unique phenomena of the 20th century is the mass media revolution…”

Good Night and Good Luck: The Drama Movie

  Good Night and Good Luck deals with a dark period in modern American History, the destruction of civil liberties and freedom of the press and self-expression by “witch hunting”, the fascists in the American government. This film was based on a great "debate" between television news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, and the Senator Joseph McCarthy, an anti-communist and prominent source of hysteria.

Of the many pioneers who shaped broadcast journalism, Edward R. Murrow is called its founding father. It is even possible to say that Edward R. Murrow made TV journalism what it is today.

In the 1950s, Senator McCarthy had publicly called for the expulsion from governmental office, basically the American society, of all those citizens who had "ever been a member of the communist party" even if it was never illegal. Although the charges wasn’t ever proved against these American citizens, Senator McCarthy used the power of his office, before he was censured by the congress.. Edward R. Murrow, among other prominent citizens, fought against these blacklisting techniques and successfully challenged and eventually discredited the senator on his broadcasts, which is the subject of this film.

Today, there are many people in the government, the media, even in academia, who would like to silence all forms of opposition by considering their opponents as evil or reckless, and they use the power of their office to work against free speech, debate, and freedom of assembly. Like Senator McCarthy in the 1950s, these people would choke opposition and discussion of controversial ideas by calling it dangerous. Topics involving America's military and political role in world affairs, religion, gun control, stem cell research.

Good night and good luck deals with a 1954 televised confrontation...