Red Channels: The Struggle Between Mccarthy And Communism

his skepticism towards McCarthy. He saw through McCarthy’s tactics and knew he was an opportunist using this petty form of bullying for his own social gains. Around 1950, McCarthy had formed accusations against policy makers and clerks, maintaining that there had to be traitors in the administration. Murrow responded to these accusations by saying that while it might have been a possibility that there were in fact Communists in Washington, those individuals were protected by the Bill of Rights. More importantly, he pointed out that McCarthy’s accusations were unfounded and held no signs of proof (Edwards 102). The red-baiting carried out by McCarthyism even found its way into CBS. In June 1950, a book called Red Channels was published with the names of 151 broadcasting figures suspected of being affiliated to the Communist party. Two of Murrow’s correspondents were listed, yet

Soon after, one of the senator’s investigators attempted to blackmail Murrow for having sympathizer affiliations. The plan backfired, but the line had been drawn in the sand between both parties and the conflict was further set into motion. Murrow and Friendly had been cautious towards airing an episode specifically against McCarthy, but they knew it was time to make the move. While Murrow and his team prepared for the match against McCarthy, See It Now’s episodes centered on topics centered around the flawed practice of McCarthyism, including wiretaps, fifth amendment rights, and congressional investigations (Edwards 113). In days leading up to the episode’s airing, staff members and editors worried that their names would fall victim to the McCarthyism witch-hunt. None the less, See It Now aired on March 9, 1954. Murrow articulately countered the accusations and charges McCarthy had carried out in public. The majority of the program were film clips