Hey, you're listening to the On the Media Midweek podcast. I'm Michael Lohinger.

As we've talked about in recent episodes of the show, there are big things happening over at CBS News.

The network was purchased by a company controlled by the Trump-friendly Ellison family,

who quickly installed an ombudsman who seems likely to tow a politically right-leaning line,

and who are considering hiring substack flamethrower Barry Weiss as head of the news division.

It's all a far cry from the network's heyday, depicted in the 2005 movie Good Night and Good Luck,

which tells the story of Edward R. Murrow's heroic stand against McCarthyism.

Joe and Shirley Wershba were at CBS then.

In the movie, they're played by Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson.

It was Joe, who in 1953, interviewed Lieutenant Radulovich, the man kicked

out of the Air Force Reserve because his father, an immigrant from Serbia, subscribed to foreign

newspapers and because his sister supported liberal causes. The New York Times noted that it was

the first salvo fired by the network against Senator Joe McCarthy.

Brooke spoke to Joe and Shirley about the film when it was released 20 years ago

and about the bygone days of smoke-filled newsrooms and courage on the airwaves.

Joe, Shirley, welcome to the show.

Thank you for having us.

Thank you.

So this is one evocative film.

It's shot in black and white.

And, of course, in early 1954, McCarthy's hearings of accused subversives were broadcast.

They were the first ever televised hearings, and they were used in the film.

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