What They Say About Murrow

(CBS) 

Murrow was "one of those rare legendary figures who was as good as his myth." — David Halberstam in "The Powers That Be"

"It was astonishing how often his [Murrow's] name and work came up. To somebody outside CBS it is probably hard to believe...Time and again I heard someone say, 'Ed wouldn't have done it that way.'" — Dan Rather in "The Camera Never Blinks"

"This is a movie about broadcast journalism and its responsibilities, which I think have been shirked. I think a good many people would admit that they dropped the ball. This is a reminder of what is possible. It has been a passion of mine; my father was an anchorman for 25 years, and Murrow was his hero, and, by proxy, mine." — George Clooney, director of "Good Night, and Good Luck," New York Times interview Sept. 18, 2005

"Edward R. Murrow was a true American hero, a legend in his own time, although there are not as many people around who really remember him. So, from that point of view, it's really informative, the facts are in there and the history is in there too. It's compelling." — David Strathairn, who plays Murrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck"

"Edward R. Murrow was my last hero. When this nation was drowning in cowardice and demagoguery, it was Murrow who hurled the spear at the terror. The spear was his 'See It Now' television broadcast on Senator Joe McCarthy." — From an essay by CBS News veteran Joseph Wershba

"If you ask what does Murrow mean to me, I'll tell you. Whenever I'm not sure about something, the ethics of something, the question I ask myself is what would Murrow have done? What would Murrow say? It seems strange after all these years that I still have him as a kind of symbol and an emblem to live by, but I do." — Journalist Daniel Schorr, the last of Murrow's colleagues who is still a working journalist. (He's a senior news analyst for National Public Radio)

"It was like Moses and the parting of the Red Sea when (Murrow) walked through the office. We all stepped aside. He walked slowly, with his head down. He was deep in thought." — Former CBS News correspondent Marvin Kalb in the Orlando Sentinel