Edward Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism...

Bob Edwards’ Edward Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism is a short biography about the man that established and revolutionized broadcast journalism. Bob Edwards has ample experience in broadcast journalism as a radio news and talk show host for over 30 years (Biography.com). It is no surprise that Edwards takes a particular interest in writing about Edward Murrow since he certainly influenced Edwards’ career in radio news. While he conducted most of his research through secondary sources, he relied heavily on books by close co-workers of Murrow. With that said, Edward Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism is a great streamlined tale of Murrow’s journey from a logger, to an education advocate, to broadcast journalism. As†¦show more content†¦He is portrayed as just another broadcaster throughout the early coverage of European affairs and does not stand out as a star until his broadcasts from London. He did essentially shape the way news programs report and the simple inclusion of much of his early career proves this easily. The book is most likely geared towards history and media enthusiasts. It is great for its intended audience, but lacks exposition of much else other than his education and media careers. Edwards says that because â€Å"With the focus strictly on Ed Murrow’s innovations in radio and TV, large chunks of his life had to be omitted† (9). As such, there is a lot of information missing for somebody that is extremely interested in Murrow’s life outside of work. This does help to maintain a concise summary of his life in the industry without diluting the book with trivial facts about his life. For this reason, I think the appeal of this book is much more widespread than just history or media buffs since it is a quick but extremely informative read. His organization and style makes the book pretty easy to follow. The only issues with readability are in the chapters during and following the World War II coverage where he jumps from Murrow to a brief history of other â€Å"Murrow Boys† where he will fast forward in the personality’s life and then digress back to Murrow from chapter 3 to 6. While the information is