American History (Since 1877)

Question

In the film, "Good Night and Good Luck," how did the media respond to the political environment of McCarthyism?

Answer 1

movie reviews were good, especially on the acting. George Clooney among the actors.

It's a typical anti-Joe McCarthy narrative. Actors portraying the cast of characters, but Joe playing himself with video from the past.

As usual it's very one sided. No mention of the Vernoa files that, if anything showed McCarthy underestimated the penetration of Russian espionage in the US federal government. The Russian archives opened after the collapse of the Soviet Union, revealing massive Russian espionage. So mention of Alger Hiss or the Rosenbergs. For an opposing view, if only to play Devil's Advocate, read William F Buckley's book McCarthy and His Enemies, which argues the main victim of "McCarthyism" was McCarthy himself.