035: Good Night, and Good Clicks: What Edward R. Murrow Knew That's Being Forgotten

Inspired by Good Night, and Good Luck, this episode dives into media bias, journalism’s role in democracy and the blurry boundary between fact and truth. From Edward R. Murrow’s courage during McCarthyism to the modern algorithm-fueled chaos of outrage news, the crew wrestles with what it means to be informed in 2025—and what we can do about it. Is media bias inevitable? Can objectivity and opinion coexist? And what happens when truth gets traded for clicks?

 

10,000-Foot View of this Episode:

• Edward R. Murrow, McCarthy and the Cost of Speaking Out: The crew unpacks Good Night, and Good Luck—both the Broadway production and the 2005 film—as a case study in media integrity. They reflect on Edward R. Murrow’s decision to publicly challenge Senator Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Red Scare and the courage it took to report truthfully in the face of real political retaliation.
• The Fairness Doctrine: What We Lost When It Was Repealed: This once-mandated FCC policy required equal airtime for opposing views—and Murrow followed it, even inviting McCarthy to respond. While the Fairness Doctrine only applied to broadcast radio and television (since cable news and social media didn’t exist at the time), had it remained in place, future regulations may have evolved to include those platforms—potentially curbing the hyper-partisan, unchecked spin we see across today’s digital media landscape.
• Fact vs. Truth: Are They the Same Thing? Mecca, Callie and Cole get into a spicy debate over whether facts and truth are interchangeable. From hair color and legal definitions to media manipulation and cherry-picked data, the group explores how context shapes meaning…and how removing it can weaponize even accurate information.
• Algorithms, Outrage and Media Literacy: Today’s media isn’t just biased—it’s built for rage. The team examines how engagement-based algorithms reward the most divisive, emotionally charged content. Whether it’s Fox News, CNN or your cousin’s Facebook feed, we’re stuck in echo chambers that feed us what we fear or what we already believe.
• Trust Issues: Why Nobody Believes the News Anymore: With media trust at a 50-year low, the team breaks down new data from Pew, Gallup and the AP showing sharp partisan divides. Republicans trust fewer outlets, while Democrats still rely on a broader set—but skepticism runs high across the board. Local news may do better, but it’s often owned by national players with their own spin.
• Can Journalism Be Saved? The group asks the hard question: is a fair, balanced media still possible in 2025? They shout out Tangle News as a strong example of how to present multiple perspectives clearly and transparently—but note that real change requires accountability, financial sacrifice and a public willing to demand better.
• Weird Thoughts: Can you ever tell a story without bias? And if media bias is inevitable, is the solution better labeling or just more noise? Also, where does "I hope you die" land on the free speech vs. human decency spectrum?
• The Edward R. Murrow quote we could all use a reminder of: "No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular." –Edward R. Murrow, 1954

 

Memorable Quotes:

• "Yeah, who has time to go and fact check everyone else's bullshit?" – Cole
• “I, in my head, thought news is news. But it isn't. It depends on where that news is coming from.” – Mecca
• “With the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine anything can be said everything can be said.” – Callie
•  "The level of deceit that is being used by media in general on, again, both sides of the political spectrum to me is disgusting." – Cole
• “There's a caution here that we need to say: guard your words, protect your words and make sure that they're relevant. Don't just be a bully.” – Mecca
• “'We're going to utilize this time and we're going to use our viewers to sway this direction, this way.' And it all has to do with money.” – Callie
• "You cannot cast an informed vote without being informed." – Cole
• “You have to stand up and you have to do that with a willingness to be open-minded.” – Mecca
• “We have to be smarter consumers and demand better content.” – Callie

 

Resources Mentioned:

• Good Night, and Good Luck – The Broadway production aired recently on CNN and the 2005 George Clooney film sparked this episode’s deep dive into journalism, truth and courage.
• 2025 stats from the Pew Research Center showing sharp partisan divides in trust toward national news outlets.
• A Gallup Poll (Sept. 2024) revealed that only 31% of Americans have confidence in the mass media’s fairness and accuracy—a record low.
• This Associated Press article explores how trust in the media has become increasingly polarized, with Republicans and Democrats reporting sharply different levels of confidence in news coverage.
• Check out @MoreWithMJ's breakdown on the Fairness Doctrine and its modern-day implications. She's a New York attorney.
• Explore the AllSides Media Bias Chart to see how major news outlets are rated across the political spectrum based on their content and reporting.
• We're big fans of Tangle News. It's a nonpartisan newsletter that clearly separates facts from opinion and offers both right- and left-leaning perspectives on current issues.
• Read up on the Fairness Doctrine. It was a former FCC policy that required balanced reporting, was repealed in 1987 by the Reagan Administration and is routinely discussed as a turning point in media accountability.
• We also mentioned The Dunning-Kruger Effect – a psychological concept explaining why people with less knowledge often feel more confident than experts, applied here to media consumption and political discourse.
• Looking for balanced, thoughtful takes from independent voices? Callie recommended you check out Moesh News, Sharon McMahon, and Katie Grossbard for news coverage that aims to inform without inflaming.
• This heartwarming story, from Good News Network, highlights Dr. Michael Zollicoffer—“Dr. Z”—who spent decades providing free care to his community, only for that same community to rally together and raise over $280,000 to support him during his cancer treatment.

 

 

Call to Action:

Edward R. Murrow reminds us, “We are not descended from fearful men,” and that challenge still echoes today. If we want better journalism, we have to be better consumers—more curious, more skeptical and more willing to seek out context, not just confirmation. Diversify your news sources. Question the algorithm. Push back on sensationalism. Have meaningful conversations with people who don't think like you do. And when you see bias, omission or spin—say something. Because a free press only works if we demand that it works for us. Good night, and good clicks.