Brits Honor Edward R. Murrow

(AP)  A plaque honoring legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow was placed on the facade of his old apartment building in London on Wednesday.

Murrow, who worked for CBS, died in April 1965. But he has recently been back in the spotlight because of George Clooney's new film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," which depicts Murrow's clashes in the 1950s with Sen. Joseph McCarthy over the threat of communism.

During World War II, Murrow lived in a flat on a small street in central London. The building survived the blitz and property developers.

The plaque, put up by the state-run English Heritage organization, marks Flat 5 at 84 Hallam Street as the home of Murrow from 1938 until 1946.

There are nearly 800 plaques in London, honoring everyone from poets to politicians.

Murrow, who is the first broadcaster to be honored, probably would have been bemused by the fuss, said Richard C. Hottelet, a journalist Murrow hired to cover D-Day.

"I think he probably would have rolled his eyes a little bit," said Hottelet, now 88. "He was never one to angle for applause or recognition. He got it. He enjoyed it. He knew his worth, but he didn't flaunt it. But about this, I think he'd smile."

On Wednesday, Murrow's voice echoed up and down Hallam Street as some of his most famous reports were played prior to the plaque's unveiling.

He opened his broadcasts from Britain with the trademark "This is London" line, and when Murrow's voice spoke of bombs falling overhead, several of the people gathered for the sidewalk ceremony looked up at the gray sky.

The ability to make listeners believe they were really at an event was Murrow's gift, said Jenny Abramsky, the British Broadcasting Corp.'s director of radio and music.

She recalled a report he filed from Trafalgar Square, placing his microphone on the ground so Americans could hear the footsteps of Londoners as they filed into bomb shelters.

She said Murrow was respected on both sides of the Atlantic for his journalistic skill, but that he was particularly important in Britain because his reports from London helped explain why it was important for the United States to become involved in World War II.

Murrow remains an important figure for journalists at CBS, said Richard Roth, who reports from London for the network.

"I went to work at CBS when I was 23 years old, and every time I walked into the building in New York, I saw a plaque with his name on it," Roth said. "It's very true to say that journalists at CBS call him a touchstone."


By Jennifer Quinn