Good Night and Good Luck

Good Night and Good Luck is a remarkably epic stage play, an elaborate docudrama about the legendary news anchor Ed Murrow’s clash with the junior senator from Wisconsin and his fascist delusional fight against the intellectual threat of communism in the 1950’s. George Clooney delivered an authentic Murrow composing his mannerisms and subtle emotions with vigorous realism although some scenes required more over the top passion as could be felt in his closing speech after a collage of media malfeasance addressing a timeline to our current march to autocracy. Without directly mentioning President Trump the final backdrop of highlights news and pop culture failures and tendencies can be dissected and discussed for hours on end, analyzing and parsing the projected impact. The carefully crafted script at one point went after the dangers of commentary asking what would happen when Murrow isn’t around to guard and check blatant mendacious rhetoric posing as news. As such it comes full circle, the final scene somewhat exasperatingly added for proper intent and purpose. It is a play that should be required viewing or reading for high school students adding to important social studies. I cannot recommend it more but it’s missing a glaring reality. Ed Murrow for all his epic sacrifice and defining work lacked the resources and time that is needed to properly cover issues. An eloquent presentation of facts added to curated sound bites goes a long way in a society where you had the “1949 fairness doctrine” and most of its politicians were honest. At one point in the play Murrow says that McCarthy lied about him being a communist sympathizer but that was the only backlash the senator got from them on air for presenting a report that was filled with lies. They played a clip of congress’s censure of McCarthy after mentioning his illegal communist witch hunt lost support. The use of historical film was a poignant gift and a production choice I wish more historical work would use. Waxing poetic to inspire the soul of the viewer like Shakespear did is admirable and highly entertaining as is the constant redundantly futile daily talking points news presents today but where is the investigation into the blatant corruption? Where is the bold confrontation with deception? Without cameras in politicians’ faces asking blunt questions, or without reporters getting kicked out of the oval office for asking obvious questions that would not get answered, we lack the proper perspective. The pivotal role McCarthy’s report ushered in as well as the work of Roy Cohen, his instigator was not hammered home or made evident in this play. Today’s media likewise misses essential developments, dismissed as merely a news of the day mention and not a long form examination or repetitive issue that should be brought up extensively like the hidden provisions if the “big beautiful bill” hampering court orders or election suppression. Where are the segments on the how the bill wants to require bonds to ensure court enforcement or the provisions. Why aren’t reporters asking republican senators how they feel about that before they vote on this disastrous bill? Where are the questions about how migrant handlers bribed the president for more detainees? How about a reporter on the virtually closed border or on the companies that bribed the administration for more migrants to be detained? A simple nuts and bolts report with one or two curated sound bites isn’t enough. The outrages come across as passé commentary not a hammering that blue collar workers can hear or a dissection of the facts confronting culprits that cannot be ignored. The goal posts have changed as is their relationship with advertisers. News media is still as quaint as Murrow was and we are losing badly because the corruption, lies and hidden dangers are inadequately exposed. Waxing poetically about it isn’t journalism. Good Night and Good Luck indeed.