Finished Joseph Persico's Edward R. Murrow. A man who saw the greatness of radio and was its voice from his time reporting the Blitz from the rooftops of London to the Liberation of Buchenwald he was the voice of the war to many as Ernie Pyle was its author. The voice of his own program "Hear It Now."

He represented both the golden age of radio and television and was a bridge between the two. He saw radio as the superior medium believing the picture conveyed less than the spoken word. He abhorred commercialism in both mediums and saw the game show Era and the subsequent game show

He saw that both as a way to bring understanding and world events to the common man.

Not the greatest writer or spoken voice but the composite of both. He attempted to recruit Walter Cronkite as a Murrow Boy while in London and had a ongoing rivalry with him when he declined. He was the voice of morality to many.

I previously read Murrow: His Life and Times by A. M. Sperber and both are excellent although I believe this does a superior job on his early pre-radio life.

A solid 4 star rating and I strongly endorse the reading of this book fine biography. ( )

Note: I wrote this review in 1991 just as the first invasion of Iraq got underway.

There has been much discussion on the tube regarding what the proper role of the journalist should be in a major conflict such as we now have in the Persian Gulf. Several years ago I read a terrific book by Phillip Knightley [b:The First Casualty From the Crimea to Vietnam The War Correspondent As Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker|1170698|The First Casualty From the Crimea to Vietnam The War Correspondent As Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker|Phillip Knightley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181610669s/1170698.jpg|5338405] Knightley's premise, as evidenced through much documentation, dispatches and anecdotes, is that the true journalist has an obligation to be anti-war if not anti-government. Be that as it may, Knightley displays how the military have become quite adept at manipulating public opinion through the control of journalists' reporting.

Censorship is used not so much to protect the soldiers but rather the reputations of the generals and diplomats; to hide the bungling. Knightley does not discuss the impact of technology on delivery of information and the speed with which it can be delivered, surely an increasingly important factor in the equation; he speaks of it only in the context of television's greed for more and more footage of the battlefield which has increased the pressure on those in charge to release more.
If Knightley's book lacks in objectivity then a good alternative might be Persico's or Alexander Kendrick's [b:Prime Time the Life of Edward R. Murrow|2164272|Prime Time the Life of Edward R. Murrow|Alexander Kendrick|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|2169799]
Murrow's name has become synonymous with quality, courage and integrity in broadcast journalism. One of Murrow's greatest assets was that he realized that sometimes one needed to think before filing a story.

A classic example was his story on Buchenwald. Rather than file immediately he tarried and his report lagged three days behind his fellow reporters, but Murrow's report was carried by all the major newspapers, many on the front page. The New York Times Book Review called it a classic: "one concrete image after another...living testimony not only to a stern and heroic time...taut with restrained rage." Murrow's goal was to increase the public understanding of an event, to burrow beneath the surface, question the rules, and not accept unchallenged the hypotheses delivered to reporters by the powers in charge.

Speaking of The Powers That Be, David Halberstam's book by that title ([b:The Powers That Be|75414|The Powers That Be|David Halberstam|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170875088s/75414.jpg|436816]) can also provide valuable insights into the machinations of the newspaper business. Basically it's a very readable history of the Los Angeles Times in all its sordid and grubby detail, although despite all the paper manages to achieve a remarkable level of praise from Halberstam whether intended or not. ( )

I have great admiration of the movie "Good Night and Good Luck", and it made me curious about Edward R. Murrow (he started out with the moniker "Egbert", and I blame him not for dumping that one.) Joseph Persico's biography of Murrow gave me a lot more understanding not only of the man who was so instrumental in creating radio and television news, but of the period in which he lived and the influence he has still on how we perceive and receive information via broadcast media.

It has the feel of good research -- copious quotes from others who knew the man, historical background on events of the period (but not so much as to divert attention from the subject), and authorial insight and opinion that is carefully marked out as such, which gave the feel of good conversation. Far from a dry recitation of facts, Persico gives details that bring scenes to life and calls on enough people who witnessed what Murrow did and had opinions about him to give a very well rounded picture of this complex human being. The book was really enjoyable as much as informative. While Persico repeated certain items about Murrow -- his pride, his private nature, his pessimism, his conflicting drives -- each time it seemed those essential features were described interacting with a new situation and resulted in a new facet being revealed.

Although most people remember Murrow (if they recall him at all) because of the movie and the McCarthy exposing episode of "See It Now" which it featured, that particular important episode did not dominate or overshadow the book. Murrow did far more than that, and had more pivotal career moments and crucial events in his life. His work during WWII and Korea, his almost one man effort to create a true news service for CBS, his own activities to help European intellectuals excape fascism -- all of these form the bulk of the book and are equally if not more important. If not for them, the McCarthy episode would not have happened.

I can recommend this book as solid, engaging reading to those interested in either broadcast history, media history, or Murrow himself, as well as to those who'd like to round out their knowledge of the US in the first half of the 20th century. ( )