Edward R. Murrow biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Born Egbert Roscoe Murrow on April 25, 1908, in Polecat Creek (near Greensboro), North Carolina, Edward R. Murrow grew up in Washington state, and went on to become one of the most highly respected television and radio journalists of the 20th century. Murrow spent some of his summer breaks working on a surveying crew in the region.

At Washington State University, Murrow studied political science, speech and international relations. There, he also changed his first name to Edward. After graduating from the university in 1930, Murrow headed up the National Student Federation for two years. He changed jobs in 1930, going to work for the International Institute of Education. As an assistant director, he set up seminars and lectures here and abroad. The organization also helped bring Jewish academics from Germany to the United States.

World War II Correspondent

In 1935, Murrow was hired by CBS to serve as its director of talks. He moved to London, England, two years later to become the head of its operations in Europe. Nearly by accident, Murrow began his career in journalism. Germany invaded Austria in 1938, and he charted a plane to Vienna, Austria, where he covered the event for CBS. He soon developed a network of correspondents to help him report on the growing conflict in Europe. His team, sometimes called "Murrow's boys," included William L. Shirer and Eric Sevareid.

Murrow became a fixture on American radio during World War II. During late 1939 to early 1940, he risked life and limb to report on the bombing of London. Murrow transmitted his reports from a rooftop instead of an underground shelter and was able to make the blitz real for listeners across the pond. As poet Archibald MacLeish said, according to The New Yorker, Murrow "burned the city of London in our houses and we felt the fames that burned it." He also was the first to incorporate ambient sound into his broadcasts, allowing listeners to hear the news happening.

Murrow's coverage of the war made him an American media hero. After the war, however, he struggled to find his footing. He served as a vice president of CBS, running its public affairs office for a time. Joining forces with Fred Friendly, in the late 1940s, Murrow began a series of recordings called Here It Now, which would be later be adapted for an emerging medium called television.

Leading TV Journalist

Murrow's documentary news series, See It Now, debuted in 1951. The most famous installments of the show aired a few years later, and it best remembered for helping to stop the anticommunist persecutions led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.