Edward R Murrow Wires And Lights In A Box Analysis

In “Wires and Lights in a Box,” the author, Edward R. Murrow, is delivering a speech on October 15, 1958, to attendees of the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In his speech, Murrow addresses how it is his desire and duty to tell his audience what is happening to radio and television. Murrow talks about how television insulates people from the realities in the world, how the television industry is focused on profits rather than delivering the news to the public, and how television and radio can teach, illuminate, and inspire.

In the start of his speech, Murrow talks about how history will be what we make it. Then he states that if people were to record a week of television they would find evidence of corruption, escapism, and insulation from the realities of the world unless you watch it between the time of 8 to 11 p.m., Eastern Time (4). At this time period people will find the brief and twitching allusion to the fact that the nation is in mortal danger. At any other time, television insulates the people from the realities of the world in which they live in. If this continues the citizens will pay for using one of the most powerful instruments in communication to shield them from the harsh, hard and

Murrow states “one of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news” (7). Top management does not have time to give mature and thoughtful consideration to the abundant problems that confront those who are charged with the responsibility for news and public affairs, but they still do any ways and put little to none effort towards doing so. According to Murrow if there is a disagreement between the public interest and the corporate interest it will always go the way of the corporate almost every