McCarthy and Murrow

The Cold War on TV: Joseph McCarthy vs. Edward R. Murrow

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VIDEO Questions

Which American political institutions did Senator McCarthy target using an "us against them" mentality?

What role does television and the American news media play in Senator Joseph McCarthy's rise and political downfall?

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VIDEO Questions

Who is Edward Murrow?

Why is one of the few people who can challenge McCarthy?

How does he take McCarthy down?

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See Retro Report Handout

In his speech he claims... He supports this claim by...

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Joseph McCarthy Speech (See Retro Report Handout)

McCarthy's Purpose it to... in order to...

The Tone McCarthy establishes for this audience is...

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Chase Smith SPEECH (Retro Report Handout)

In her speech “Declaration of Conscience” (June 1950), Senator Margaret Chase Smith claims…

She supports this claim by…

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Chase Smith SPEECH

Chase Smith’s purpose is to… in order to…

The tone the Senator establishes for her audience is…

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What message is conveyed in this 1947 slide by Herbert Block?

In February 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy captured headlines by his claims that he held in his hand, a list of names of some 205 communists in the State Department which he did not reveal. Many members of Congress, influenced by his success, began to support his heavy-handed and abusive tactics for political purposes. Here conservative Republican senators, Kenneth S. Wherry, Robert A. Taft, and Styles Bridges and Republican National Chairman Guy Gabrielson push a reluctant GOP elephant to mount the unsavory platform. This was the first use of the word "McCarthyism."

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What is the message conveyed by this cartoon? Why is the May 7, 1954 date of publication important?