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In October, Public Eye talked to George Clooney and Grant Heslov about their film "Good Night, And Good Luck" and the state of CBS News and the modern media. With the Oscars coming up on Sunday – and "Good Night, And Good Luck" nominated for Best Picture, among other awards – we thought we'd repost the interview, which we conducted along with CJR Daily's Brian Keefer, who posted the transcript.

"This [film] isn't an indictment of how things are done," Clooney tells us. "The truth is, it would be nice when specific people in the media don't take a pass on tough questions. And that happens every once in a while. Usually it's wrapped around into fear of being called unpatriotic, and I think it's always important to have those discussions. There's no right or wrong, just the fact that, let's have the debate, because the debate's the important part."









To watch the interview, just click the box above.

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In the life of a television news producer, I assume there is a recurring nightmare that goes something like this: You spend a good deal of time trying to land an interview with a subject who is generally regarded as famous. You actually land said interview, it goes swimmingly and when you sit down to watch the tape, congratulating yourself on a job well done, you realize that something is notably absent from the interview – sound. Well, welcome to our weekend here at Public Eye.



So, due to technical difficulties, (this is a blog, not “60 Minutes,” people) we haven’t been able to share the video of our interview with George Clooney and Grant Heslov.



Until now!!



Thanks to Bryan Keefer of CJRDaily and the tireless efforts of our video experts at CBSNews.com, we’re able to bring you the video of this interview, albeit with less-than-perfect sound quality (running time of just over six minutes).

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At a time when broadcast journalism continues to be criticized as a medium for news that is overwhelmed by the influence of entertainment, it seems ironic that the most prolific promotion of old-school journalism comes from one of the most high-profile entertainers in Hollywood – George Clooney. Clooney's new film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," examines the period in the 1950s when CBS's Edward R. Murrow took on Sen. Joseph McCarthy during a series of programs on Murrow's broadcast, "See It Now." The film takes on all kinds of themes applicable to today’s media, not least of all the growing influence of entertainment news and the restrictions that the interests of business place on journalism.


Clooney, and Grant Heslov, a co-writer, producer and actor in the film, participated in a panel Friday evening with ABC's "Primetime Live" anchor Cynthia McFadden and Victor Navasky, publisher of The Nation, following a screening of the film at Columbia University School of Journalism. Brian Montopoli and I, along with CJR Daily's Bryan Keefer – who offers a full transcript of the interview -- got a chance to speak with Clooney and Heslov following the panel to find out what they intended the film to say about journalism, what Clooney thinks about his friend Les Moonves' "tough spot," and who he's currently dating. Just kidding about the dating part.

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