March 16, 2004 > Edward R. Murrow vs. Joe McCarthy

by Andy Macrae

Today is the 50th anniversary of Murrow's television program, See It Now, where he spoke out against Senator Joe McCarthy. CBS and the sponsor refused to run any advertising on the air or in print for the show that week because of the subject matter. Here is (one of) his famous lines from the program...

"The line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep into our own history and our doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular. This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthty's methods to keep silent. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result." This is a time to remember Murrow's words and repeat that message, long and loud and clear.