Working for the Government
By 1961, the news industry changed so much, and it was so different that it was almost unrecognizable to Edward R. Murrow. This was the man who practically wrote the book on the news business in both radio and television. Now it wasn’t just about the news, it was about sponsors, money, executives, personalities, then the news. It seemed that there was no place for men like Murrow. It was fortuitous timing that Murrow’s decision to leave network news coincided with a presidential election. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States. Murrow knew the Kennedy family beginning with Joseph Kennedy, Sr. in London before the war started and was not overly impressed. During the McCarthy era , Robert Kennedy worked for the Senator, and John Kennedy, said nothing furthering the impression. After Kennedy was elected, he asked CBS president, Frank Stanton, to take over as director of the United States Information Agency (USIA). Stanton declined but suggested Murrow. Kenn