‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ Highlights TV’s Courageous Past Amid Modern Challenges

In the Broadway production of 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' the CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow, played by George Clooney, briefly expresses uncertainty as his program 'See It Now' begins its investigative series on the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s.

Murrow confides, 'It occurs to me that we might not get away with this one.'

Though the outcome of Murrow’s crusade against Senator Joseph McCarthy’s red-baiting tactics is well-known, history’s clarity can obscure the immense courage and relentless effort required at the time.

His triumph was far from guaranteed—it demanded meticulous journalism, bravery, and the willingness of some reporters to face personal and professional consequences.

This reminder carries extra weight today, as CBS News, located just blocks from the Winter Garden Theater where the play is staged, confronts renewed political and financial pressures aimed at curbing its reporting on influential figures. The past appears to be repeating itself, this time potentially with graver consequences. Notably, a live broadcast of the June 7 evening performance is being aired to energize the journalism community.

The play, adapted from the 2005 screenplay by Clooney and Grant Heslov, concludes on a cautiously optimistic note, though it acknowledges ongoing media turmoil through a closing montage reminiscent of 'We Didn’t Start the Fire,' linking decades of division and chaos to today’s media landscape.

Murrow ultimately received hesitant but crucial backing from CBS leadership. Network chief William S. Paley, portrayed by Paul Gross, wrestled with pressure from politicians and sponsors, including the aluminum company Alcoa, yet he refrained from shutting down the critical McCarthy investigation despite the challenges it presented.