A role model for integrity and truth

 "The speed of communications is wondrous to behold.  It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue."  -- Edward R. Murrow

Born in North Carolina on April 25, 1908 Murrow was a leading light in the news business for 35 years before his life was cut short by lung cancer on April 27, 1965.    Murrow received numerous honors for his journalistic excellence and integrity, including the Medal of Freedom and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II just weeks before his death.

A radio war correspondent in World War II, he founded the CBS television news program See It Now, and his work behind the CBS news desk and as an interviewer influenced two generations of news anchors, beginning with Walter Cronkite.  Today, his name graces the Excellence in Reporting awards given annually in both the print and broadcast worlds.

The 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, focused on Murrow's efforts to "tell the truth" about Senator Joseph McCarthy's reign of intimidation in the early 1950s, inspiring yet another generation of those seeking to “do journalism right.” 

 

"To be persuasive we must be believable," Murrow said.  "To be believable, we must be credible; and to be credible we must tell the truth."