Dark Days in the Newsroom

"Dark Days in the Newsroom is an excellent book. There are not many books about McCarthyism and the journalists, making Alwood's treatment of the topic very interesting and useful. I think this is going to be a valuable addition to the books on the subject and an important component to a journalism students' library." Jarice Hanson, Professor of Communication, University of Massachusetts, Amherst "This book is particularly evocative as the nation faces a debate about national security and press freedom." Booklist "This is a fascinating and detailed look at one aspect of the McCarthy era that continues to influence contemporary journalism." Library Journal "Edward Alwood's Dark Days in the Newsroom: McCarthyism Aimed at the Press, is another acute examination of how the press -again with so few exceptions--rolled over when Joe McCarthy, HUAC, Hoover's FBI and other opportunistic knaves hounded and assailed everyone they claimed without evidence was promoting Communism in this country." History News Network "As fascinating a historical look as Dark Days in the Newsroom provides, Alwood's contention is that this isn't just a closed chapter." The Guild Reporter "It is hard to conceptualize the tensions and fears of this era a half century later, but Alwood has done well." Communication Booknotes Quarterly "Writing a blurb for this book would be a snap: 'Every serious journalist should read this fascinating, superbly researched, thoroughly documented, and invaluable historical account of a frightening, sustained and vicious assault on robust journalism--an assault that has great resonance today,' is what I'd say...For those not old enough to have lived through this time in our nation's history, having the chance this book gives to absorb its valuable lessons is a gift worth sampling." Nieman Reports "The strongest aspect of the book is the portrait of ruined lives...Alwood's book poignantly suggests how much more these journalists might have contributed, suggesting a history of what could have been, against a backdrop of the decline of American newspapers, as a younger generation of journalists shaped by technology looked upon the Newspaper Guild and its aging membership as a relic. Using the plight of Judith Miller as a reminder, however, Alwood shows the ongoing role of journalists in defending the First Amendment against government intrusion." American Journalism "Alwood's book is clearly written and organized." Choice "The author demands above the fold placement for a story long buried in the back pages...Alwood has a good eye for the human interest sidebar featuring forgotten heroes, sniveling opportunists, compromised characters, and collateral damage...a crisp and informative study." The Journal of American History "A superb account of how the media reacted to the Republican senator from Wisconsin." Radar "This easy-to-read work is an excellent reminder of what can happen if we doze at our journalistic posts, if we lose sight of the fact that the best protection for a free press is itself, and of an instance in history--sadly, one of many--when mob mentality trumped reason and law." Journal & Mass Communication Quarterly "What Alwood does demonstrate very effectively...is that the 'dark days in the newsroom' were caused more by frightened journalists, craven newspaper publishers, and short-sighted labor union leaders than they were by subpoenas and hectoring congressmen." The Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television "[A] meticulously researched historical study... Alwood's [book] makes three significant contributions. First, through a far-reaching and painstaking analysis of FBI records...Alwood brings into the public domain new information on McCarthyism's conspiracy against the press and the FBI's complicity...Second, in providing constitutional context for this analysis, Alwood demonstrates the grave implications of the attacks on journalists' freedom of thought and association...Finally...Alwood reminds us that the Constitution remains a tenuous shield against government assault on civil liberties." American Studies, volume 48, Number 3