The Power of Media (and Business) to Fight Fascism

“Good Night, and Good Luck” to you, America (we can fight back)

Some 43 million people watched George Clooney’s live performance of the Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which he produced and co-wrote. The play covers the early days of live news broadcasting and the role one of its most famous practitioners, Edward R. Morrow, played in taking on the infamous fear-mongering politician, Senator Joseph McCarthy who famously prosecuted what he termed Communists and Fellow Travelers in American entertainment, civic, and academic sectors. He was mainly responsible for prosecuting the Red Scare in the early 1950’s.

Fear, shredding of civil rights, and abuse of power were hallmarks of this campaign, and it ruined hundreds of lives. Edward R. Morrow did a live television program that called out Senator McCarthy and led to his downfall. Those events are compellingly re-created in the stage play and was broadcast to the world this past Saturday night.

I am reading a book about the Waner Brothers called “The Warner Brothers” by Chris Yogerst. Fighting Nazis is a recurring theme in the story of the evolution and growth of this fabled movie studio and four brothers who started it (Harry, Sam, Albert, Jack).