TV's Finest Hour

When a person is in a position of authority, they hold a certain amount of influence and power over a common civilian. Sadly, some authority figures have been known to abuse this power and use it for evil. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy is the victim in this blog. 

http://www.nndb.com/people/490/000051337/joseph_mccarthy.jpg

McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion. He was most notorious for making claims that there were a number of Communists and Soviet spies inside the United States  government. His tactics became coined at McCarthyism. His popularity sky rocketed during the early 1950s, as he delivered 30 public addresses in 15 states according to chapter 10, Mightier Than the Sword. As he was appointed to congress, he became the chairman of the Permanent subcommittee on investigations.

McCarthy's ability to manipulate the press was unparalleled. His most successful media technique involved the timing of his claims and accusations, meaning he would wait till a specific time to make his claim to the press. This specific time would not allow the press to verify the validity of claims, leaving them no choice but to publish the slime and slander. This personally makes me wonder how many other authority figures have manipulated news media. 

Edward Murrow and the CBS television program "See It Now" (1951) was out to bring down McCarthy and his ways of McCarthyism. 

Ed Murrow; See It Now

March 9th, 1954 marked the epic moment in journalism and TV history as Murrow and his partner, Fred Friendly (what a name) aired segments of speeches by McCarthy on See It Now. McCarthy was shown as contradicting himself and what he presented to stand for. "The Line between investigation and persecution is a very fine one, and the junior senator from wisconsin has stepped over it repeateadly." said Murrow to the viewing audience after the aired speeches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anNEJJYLU8M

The public outcry and critical acclaim declared a juggernaut victory for Murrow, even with a half hour rebuttal from McCarthy where in a desperate measure tried referring to Murrow as a communist. This really opened the American public's eyes to McCarthyism. 


The Nail in McCarthy's coffin came 2 months after when the nation received a first hand view of McCarthy's bullying ways in the Army - McCarthy hearings. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAur_I077NA


As McCarthy began his verbal assault on Joseph Welch, the army's special counselor, the Nation began to see McCarthy for the monster that he really was. After's his assault, Welch simply asked "have you no decency sir?"  The coverage of this event led to immediate action. In December on 1954, the senators voted against McCarthy 67-22 to strip him of his power. McCarthy passed away 3 years later due to alcohol poisoning. 


This goes to show the power the media can have. It has the ability to expose corruption in our government. You better believe there is a lot more to be exposed, the wool cannot be pulled over my eyes. What is more important, doing your job and hiding corruption or exposing it for the greater cause? I believe this question should linger in every aspiring and established journalist's mind. The McCarthy trials have proven TV is essential, when used correctly. 

The 11th Letter (Times 3)

The Ku Klux Klan (aka the KKK), has plagued the Southern region and other regions of the United States for several decades with its hatred towards different races and religions, . The first Klan flourished in the south in the late 1860s, then died out by the early 1870s. The KKK saw itself re emerge in the 1920s. The second KKK preached "One Hundred Percent Americanism"  and demanded for the purification of politics (well in their warped views at least) . The third KKK chapter was an opposing force in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. During this time, they often formed alliances with southern police departments. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CTG58jIlNA


Some media outlets such as the New York World, the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Montgomery Advertiser  are  a few of the institutions who waged war against the Klan from the very beginning. The first amendment right of freedom of speech was enforced by the Power of the fourth estate. Due to This bills were prevented that would potentially stop The Montgomery Advertiser from publishing anti- KKK articles. 

http://www.freewebs.com/black-legacy/CARTOON-KKK-hangout-1.jpg


I get filled with rage, hurt and anger when I hear the named Ku Klux Klan. I can clearly see images of African Americans lynched and killed and crosses being burned in the middle of open pastures. I want you to imagine being snatched out of your sleep in the darkest and coldest part of the night, having your family executed and then your house burned down because your religion or skin color is different. The Ku Klux Klan is an evil party. They were blatantly aware of their actions with no remorse.  As long as the media publications serve to keep groups of people like the Klan and other hate groups in checked and raise awareness, then the defiance of the Klan and its oppressive and destructive behavior can be curtailed and limited and maybe even eliminated. Anything is Possible 

The Slavery Chronicles : The Oppressed vs. The Oppressed

America is known and referred to as “The land of the free and the home of the brave”.  Let us ignore the “home of the brave” part of this famed song lyric and focus on the first half of it, the land of the free. This claim can be disputed to an extent. In my partially biased thinking, when I hear “land of the free”, the first (and obvious) time period that automatically jumps into my head is the enslavement of African Americans in the southern region of America. Is it possible that the song writer forgot to put “except slavery” in their lyric writing? I am not sure. Slavery, simply put, is a battle of the OPPRESSED vs. the OPPRESSORS, similar to a smaller individual being bullied by a larger individual. 

In 1861 eleven states broke away from the US forming the Confederate States of America, which were pro-slavery, (or pro-savage as I refer to it). A Civil War ensued between The Northern United States who were pro-abolition (wanting to eliminate slavery) and The Confederate states that were pro-slavery. It can be said that the Abolitionists were the Oppressed while the Pro-Slavery clowns (yes I said clowns) were the Oppressors.  

Journalism played a major role during the slavery epidemic, as referring to the chapter 2 on Abolition in Mightier than the Sword. Journalists made their feelings and points of view known through their press releases. Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy gave his life for the cause. As an editor of an Abolition weekly paper, The Observer, he battled pro- slavery forces constantly. Can you imagine spending thousands of dollars to keep replacing your laptop computer because an opposition keeps destroying your property because your views differ? This is what happened with Lovejoy three times. Pro-slavery beings destroyed his printing presses (the back in the day version of a Mac-book). As he purchased his fourth printing press, he was brutally shot in defense of his property. The murder of Lovejoy proved to actually be groundbreaking as he was hailed as a martyr among the abolition journalists. 

The most influential Abolitionist Editor was a man named William Lloyd Garrison. What initially shocked me about my study of Mr. Garrison was that he was white. While they existed during this era, white abolitionists were not the most popular. The weapon he used to shoot his message across the board was the Boston weekly known as The Liberator. Garrison, as well as other Abolition editors all preached the same common theme, SLAVERY IS IMMORAL AND IS A SIN. Garrison’s reputation and message began to spread like wildfire and he all of a sudden was America’s Most Wanted. The Georgia Legislation as well as a group of Mississippi put out bounties on Garrison ranging in the thousands of dollars (a lot of money in the 1800s obviously), and in some parts of the country, such as Washington D.C., blacks were not allowed to receive The Liberator. Imagine if America had this response before the September 11^th terrorist attacks took place, but that is another topic.  The constant bounties and death threats from pro-slavery forces did not stop Garrison from spreading his anti- slavery message. As the 1850s came about, Garrison was not alone in his battle against slavery; other sources such as The New York Tribune & The Chicago Tribune became pro- abolition.  When slavery was officially abolished at the end of the Civil War, Garrison ceased releasing The Liberator, the mission was accomplished. 

Source

                As stated earlier slavery is a battle of the oppressed vs. the oppressor/s; with the oppressors being the dominant force. It is easy to feel sorry for the oppressed in the case of African American slavery when so many were beaten, raped and killed over a span of 400 years. What about the oppressor in this situation? Who exactly is the oppressor in this particular situation? And is it right to automatically label the oppressor the “bad guy”? The Oppressor usually gets overlooked because they were the ones or parties invoking the damage.  I believe in the case of U.S. slavery, the oppressor would have to be the U.S Government themselves, the same people who proudly promote “The Land of the Free and The home of the brave”. The Governing body of the Confederate states used the arguments of economic reasons and “religious teaching” to justify slavery. I personally feel it was selfish, and simply because the whites of the south of that time were complete lazy bums. In no way do I feel sorry for the Oppressor in the situation when America was built on the principles of “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Stated in the Declaration of Independence) & "All men are created equal” (Stated in the constitution).

Slavery still exists even today as we go about our daily lives. Although it may seem invisible to the naked eye, slavery has come to cleverly disguise itself from society’s realizations. You see that diamond in the ring on your mother’s hand, or that celebrities wear today? Africans in Sierra Leone are held captive and turned into slaves to dig these diamonds out of the rough interior of the earth. 

Kanye West - (C) 2005 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

And what about the Atrocious recent scandal with former Penn State Football coach Jerry Sandusky turning little boys into his personal sex slaves. This is a vile and graphic, yet perfect example of the Oppressed vs. the Oppressor. Slavery has and will continue to be a controversial topic in the world, point blank period. 

My First Blog Project Selection

As we begin our first blog selections, I have chosen to write my first blog project on Abolition: Turning America’s Conscience against the Sins of Slavery. I have always been an avid follower of Black history in America. It was personally instilled in me at a young age, “Know your history, you cannot go forward if you don’t know where you have been.” Slavery, weather moral or immoral, right or wrong (in my opinion terribly wrong and immoral) was one of the movements that defined this country. I’ve always been very opinionated and vocal when it has anything to do with African Americans and their/our history and with Journalism being my official major, this Chapter from Mightier than the Sword automatically grabbed my eyes. I look forward to writing my summary and views on this chapter.