TABLE OF CONTENTS

  


Biography

History Timetable

Pre WWII

World War II
(1939-1945)

Buchenwald 
(1945-
The Holocaust)

"Hear It Now"
(1950)

"See It Now"
(1951-1958)

McCarthy Era
(1954)

"Harvest of Shame"
(1960)

Recommended 
Texts/Recordings

Recommended
Websites

Film:
"Good Night,  
And Good Luck"






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The Broadcasts of 
Edward R. Murrow:
An Appreciation of
The Man & His Words

A Resource for
Social Studies
teachers & students 

©2005 
Frank Baker,
media educator

 Edward R. Murrow

LISTENING SKILLS

"Writing for television is not unlike writing for radio. It must be
the language of speech, lean copy, sparing of adjectives, letting
the pictures and the action and the indigenous sound create 
the mood, and then maybe a few words--the fewer the better."
(Source: Foreword to "See it Now: A Selection in Texts and Pictures"
edited by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly, Copyright 1955)

"Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from,
and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages. People call on
different listening skills depending on whether their goal is to comprehend
information, critique and evaluate a message, show empathy for the
feelings expressed by others, or appreciate a performance." (Source)


"Students must be given the opportunity to interact and express themselves. The communication skills of listening, speaking, and viewing form the basis for students’ understanding of the world around them and are the essential foundation of their academic and professional growth." (Source)

Students who are learning to listen:
  • are demonstrating the ability to focus attention on the person who is speaking whether that be someone who is speaking in person or via electronic media
  • are demonstrating the ability to listen for meaning in conversation and dialogue
  • know how to summarize what they have heard
  • can make predictions about the speaker and the content
  • can identify the speaker's main ideas, among other things
  • Demonstrate the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, to compare and contrast information and ideas, and to make inferences with regard to what he or she has heard.
  • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate the clarity, quality, effectiveness, and general coherence of a speaker's important points, arguments, evidence, organization of ideas, delivery, word choice, and syntax.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze historically significant speeches to identify the rhetorical devices and features that make them memorable.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze the types of arguments used by speakers.
    ( Much of the above is taken from the ELA Standards of South Carolina)

 So what should students be listening for, when experiencing the broadcasts 
of legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow? Consider this:

  • listen for his carefully chosen words
  • in what ways does he paint pictures or create images?
  • listen for his delivery and/or emphasis on certain words/phrases
  • listen for pauses in delivery (and discuss reasons or impact of same)
  • listen for his tone and/or inflection
  • listen for any background sounds which might provide clues 
    to helping the audience understand what is happening
  • listen for how problems/situations are presented
  • listen for what possible solutions he might offer
  • listen for ways in which he challenges the audience

Link to:  International Listening Association


This page was updated on:  07/24/2006

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