Comm 3525 Viewing Guide for "McCarthy Years"

Part I: The Case of Milo Radulovich

1. What did Walter Cronkite identify as the "seeds of McCarthyism"?

2. What was McCarthyism?

3. In "The Case of Milo Radulovich" what did the Air Force charge Lt. Radulovich?

4. What consequences would Radulovich face if he had been labeled as a security risk?

5. How did the Air Force compose its case against Lt. Radulovich?

6. How did the citizens of Dexter, Michigan react to the charges against Radulovich?

7. How did the producers of "See it Now" present 'The Case of Milo Radulovich"?

8. How did Milo Radulovich articulate his view of Democracy?

Part II: McCarthy in his Own Words

1. Describe McCarthy's methods to root out and eliminate communists. Use the investigation of Reed Harris and McCarthy's accusations against the Democratic party and Senator Adlai Stevenson to address this item.

2. In what ways, if any, did McCarthy contradict himself?

3. In what ways, if any, did McCarthy present half-truths?

4. Describe Murrow's methods in presenting the case of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Part III: The Case of Annie Lee Moss

1. What was the case against Annie Lee Moss?

2. What was the tone taken by the investigators in the hearing featuring Mrs. Moss?

3. What was the quality of evidence used against Mrs. Moss?

4. How did other senators at the hearing respond to the case as presented by Senator Joseph McCarthy or attorney Roy Cohn?

Part IV: McCarthy's Reply

1. How did McCarthy respond to Murrow?

2. What were McCarthy's accusations against Murrow?

3. How does McCarthy use evidence to support his claims?

4. What kind of evidence does McCarthy use?

Part V: Murrow's Conclusion

How does Murrow refute McCarthy's accusations?

Taken as a whole, how did "See It Now" meet the journalistic standards of Accuracy, Fairness, Balance and Objectivity?