Edward R. Murrow's use of word pictures while reporting from London during World War II made him an American hero. He rewrote the rules of broadcast journalism on radio and then wrote most of the rules for television journalism and documentary reporting. For years, he was the most respected voice in broadcast news, and yet, he also hosted the earliest version of the celebrity tabloid show.

Murrow was born into a farming and logging family in North Carolina, but he grew up in Washington state. While attending Washington State College, he studied speech and played the lead in many theater productions.

In 1934, Murrow began arranging, through the International Institute of Education, for the placement of Jewish intellectuals from Germany in institutions of higher learning in the United States. Because it was during the Great Depression, he also had to arrange for financial...