Edward R. Murrow: Voice of America

• Documentary

Episode overview

He virtually invented broadcast journalism, setting all its standards and breaking all its rules. Edward R. Murrow is the pivotal figure in the history of TV news. But before he helped define that medium, he was already revered for his brilliant radio coverage of World War II. In bringing the epic struggle to millions of listeners worldwide, he became known as "the voice of America." This definitive profile includes extensive clips of these historic broadcasts along with footage from his career as a television pioneer. Discover how the insightful "hard news" programs he considered his best work never got the ratings he hoped for, and how he soon learned to give the viewers what they wanted creating the light, "frothy" celebrity profile that many feel is the curse of TV journalism to this day. Extensive interviews with colleagues and friends explore this professional paradox and reveal how it spilled over into his private life.

60 minutes