A. Brad Schwartz
@abradschwartz.bsky.social
Historian of Media, Fake News, and Propaganda. Author/Co-Author of BROADCAST HYSTERIA; SCARFACE AND THE UNTOUCHABLE; ELIOT NESS AND THE MAD BUTCHER. Michigan Wolverine with a Princeton PhD.
Pinned
UPDATE: They passed me!
All thanks to my PhD committee—@zelizer.bsky.social, Paul Starr, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, and Sam Freedman (not pictured)—for their probing questions and excellent feedback as I work to tell Edward R. Murrow’s story.
(And to Mr. Clooney, for his moral support…)
All thanks to my PhD committee—@zelizer.bsky.social, Paul Starr, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, and Sam Freedman (not pictured)—for their probing questions and excellent feedback as I work to tell Edward R. Murrow’s story.
(And to Mr. Clooney, for his moral support…)
This exact sort of framing, with headlines taking an official accusation at face value, is how the news media helped fuel the rise of Joe McCarthy.
Here’s the NY Times in Feb. 1950, with one of many headlines implying that McCarthy’s lies had at least some basis in reality:
Here’s the NY Times in Feb. 1950, with one of many headlines implying that McCarthy’s lies had at least some basis in reality:
November 24, 2025 at 10:50 PM
This exact sort of framing, with headlines taking an official accusation at face value, is how the news media helped fuel the rise of Joe McCarthy.
Here’s the NY Times in Feb. 1950, with one of many headlines implying that McCarthy’s lies had at least some basis in reality:
Here’s the NY Times in Feb. 1950, with one of many headlines implying that McCarthy’s lies had at least some basis in reality:
YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE, CHARLIE BROWN!
November 24, 2025 at 1:34 AM
YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE, CHARLIE BROWN!
Grew up listening to old-time radio shows because that was the only way my parents could get me to go to sleep.
Then, as an undergrad, heard about an untapped archive of fan mail from the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all, Orson Welles’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, and used it to write my first book.
Then, as an undergrad, heard about an untapped archive of fan mail from the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all, Orson Welles’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, and used it to write my first book.
November 23, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Grew up listening to old-time radio shows because that was the only way my parents could get me to go to sleep.
Then, as an undergrad, heard about an untapped archive of fan mail from the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all, Orson Welles’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, and used it to write my first book.
Then, as an undergrad, heard about an untapped archive of fan mail from the most (in)famous radio broadcast of all, Orson Welles’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, and used it to write my first book.
“To be an American is not to be someone, but to believe in something.”
"There has been some talk recently that we aren’t and shouldn’t be a creedal nation.... I reject this position as passionately as I can."
Gordon Wood responds to JD Vance without mentioning him by name
gift link
Gordon Wood responds to JD Vance without mentioning him by name
gift link
Opinion | Why America Is a ‘Creedal Nation’
The distinguished historian says the U.S. isn’t like other nations and never has been. There is no American ethnicity to back up the state.
www.wsj.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
“To be an American is not to be someone, but to believe in something.”
Reposted by A. Brad Schwartz
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship.
November 18, 2025 at 1:31 PM
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship.
What Robert Anton Wilson once said about Orson Welles’s F FOR FAKE may be even more true in the age of AI:
“A documentary that admits it’s lying is honest; a documentary that pretends to be honest is lying.”
“A documentary that admits it’s lying is honest; a documentary that pretends to be honest is lying.”
November 20, 2025 at 5:31 AM
What Robert Anton Wilson once said about Orson Welles’s F FOR FAKE may be even more true in the age of AI:
“A documentary that admits it’s lying is honest; a documentary that pretends to be honest is lying.”
“A documentary that admits it’s lying is honest; a documentary that pretends to be honest is lying.”
***ANNOUNCEMENT***
Coming on February 24th on #4K and Blu-ray in the US from @criterion.bsky.social: #Network (1976)!
This media satire, directed by Sidney Lumet from a brilliantly incisive script by Paddy Chayefsky, is an X-ray of the corrupted soul of a corporate-dominated America,
Coming on February 24th on #4K and Blu-ray in the US from @criterion.bsky.social: #Network (1976)!
This media satire, directed by Sidney Lumet from a brilliantly incisive script by Paddy Chayefsky, is an X-ray of the corrupted soul of a corporate-dominated America,
November 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
your last saved meme is your moral philosophy…
November 17, 2025 at 1:49 AM
your last saved meme is your moral philosophy…
Did not realize how much I wanted more of Paul Giamatti as John Adams until he started speaking on Ken Burns’s THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION and I reacted like this:
a man in a red suit and tie is sitting in front of a blue wall .
Alt: a man in a red suit and tie is sitting in front of a blue wall reacts with excitement
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Did not realize how much I wanted more of Paul Giamatti as John Adams until he started speaking on Ken Burns’s THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION and I reacted like this:
The SS Arthur M. Anderson seen earlier today, laid up in Toledo exactly fifty years after accompanying the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on its final voyage.
November 11, 2025 at 3:03 AM
The SS Arthur M. Anderson seen earlier today, laid up in Toledo exactly fifty years after accompanying the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on its final voyage.
Reposted by A. Brad Schwartz
Make sure you don't miss this week's episode with @abradschwartz.bsky.social all about McCarthyism, Murrow, the news media, and much more! This and all of our episodes are ad-free wherever you get your podcasts!
TOMORROW: It's a cultural history of THE SIMPSONS with
@alansiegella.bsky.social!
TOMORROW: It's a cultural history of THE SIMPSONS with
@alansiegella.bsky.social!
NEW EPISODE ALERT! @abradschwartz.bsky.social comes on to talk Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, and their public showdown as depicted in "Good Night and Good Luck". We discuss Containment, the evolution of the news, and much more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvO...
Season 2, Episode 7 Mini Trailer- "McCarthy v. Murrow" with Brad Schwartz
YouTube video by History on Film Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Make sure you don't miss this week's episode with @abradschwartz.bsky.social all about McCarthyism, Murrow, the news media, and much more! This and all of our episodes are ad-free wherever you get your podcasts!
TOMORROW: It's a cultural history of THE SIMPSONS with
@alansiegella.bsky.social!
TOMORROW: It's a cultural history of THE SIMPSONS with
@alansiegella.bsky.social!
Reposted by A. Brad Schwartz
Here it is, my 249th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more below in comments, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 249 (11/9/25) – Black and White and Read All Over
Here it is, my 249th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more below in comments, please share as widely as...
blackwhiteandread.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Here it is, my 249th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more below in comments, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
I took this photo from Belle Isle yesterday afternoon (following, I kid you not, an Edmund Fitzgerald commemorative event).
Only learned later that I apparently watched this freighter run aground in the Detroit River:
Only learned later that I apparently watched this freighter run aground in the Detroit River:
November 8, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I took this photo from Belle Isle yesterday afternoon (following, I kid you not, an Edmund Fitzgerald commemorative event).
Only learned later that I apparently watched this freighter run aground in the Detroit River:
Only learned later that I apparently watched this freighter run aground in the Detroit River:
Seconded!
FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favorite books, the Karloff/Whale original is one of my favorite films, and @realgdt.bsky.social’s version blew me away on the big screen. I left the theater reminded why I love this story so much.
FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favorite books, the Karloff/Whale original is one of my favorite films, and @realgdt.bsky.social’s version blew me away on the big screen. I left the theater reminded why I love this story so much.
November 8, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Seconded!
FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favorite books, the Karloff/Whale original is one of my favorite films, and @realgdt.bsky.social’s version blew me away on the big screen. I left the theater reminded why I love this story so much.
FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favorite books, the Karloff/Whale original is one of my favorite films, and @realgdt.bsky.social’s version blew me away on the big screen. I left the theater reminded why I love this story so much.
If you’d like a preview of what I’ve been working on night and day lately, check out my conversation with @historyonfilm.bsky.social about Edward R. Murrow vs. Joe McCarthy on stage and screen, and how their battle set the stage for our current media/political landscape:
NEW EPISODE ALERT! @abradschwartz.bsky.social comes on to talk Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, and their public showdown as depicted in "Good Night and Good Luck". We discuss Containment, the evolution of the news, and much more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvO...
Season 2, Episode 7 Mini Trailer- "McCarthy v. Murrow" with Brad Schwartz
YouTube video by History on Film Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:14 AM
If you’d like a preview of what I’ve been working on night and day lately, check out my conversation with @historyonfilm.bsky.social about Edward R. Murrow vs. Joe McCarthy on stage and screen, and how their battle set the stage for our current media/political landscape:
Went to Belle Isle for an event commemorating the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Ended up seeing a freighter, about the same size as the Fitz, get itself stuck in the Detroit River.
Ended up seeing a freighter, about the same size as the Fitz, get itself stuck in the Detroit River.
November 8, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Went to Belle Isle for an event commemorating the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Ended up seeing a freighter, about the same size as the Fitz, get itself stuck in the Detroit River.
Ended up seeing a freighter, about the same size as the Fitz, get itself stuck in the Detroit River.
Reposted by A. Brad Schwartz
Don't forget to check out this week's episode of the AWARD-WINNING #HoFCast with our pal @abradschwartz.bsky.social, part of our ongoing mini-series on the history of news media. We talk McCarthyism and "Good Night and Good Luck".
Next week, it's The Simpsons with @alansiegella.bsky.social!
Next week, it's The Simpsons with @alansiegella.bsky.social!
NEW EPISODE ALERT! @abradschwartz.bsky.social comes on to talk Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, and their public showdown as depicted in "Good Night and Good Luck". We discuss Containment, the evolution of the news, and much more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvO...
Season 2, Episode 7 Mini Trailer- "McCarthy v. Murrow" with Brad Schwartz
YouTube video by History on Film Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Don't forget to check out this week's episode of the AWARD-WINNING #HoFCast with our pal @abradschwartz.bsky.social, part of our ongoing mini-series on the history of news media. We talk McCarthyism and "Good Night and Good Luck".
Next week, it's The Simpsons with @alansiegella.bsky.social!
Next week, it's The Simpsons with @alansiegella.bsky.social!
Reposted by A. Brad Schwartz
NEW EPISODE ALERT! @abradschwartz.bsky.social comes on to talk Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, and their public showdown as depicted in "Good Night and Good Luck". We discuss Containment, the evolution of the news, and much more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvO...
Season 2, Episode 7 Mini Trailer- "McCarthy v. Murrow" with Brad Schwartz
YouTube video by History on Film Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:54 PM
NEW EPISODE ALERT! @abradschwartz.bsky.social comes on to talk Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, and their public showdown as depicted in "Good Night and Good Luck". We discuss Containment, the evolution of the news, and much more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvO...
Just one more reason why we need to stop changing our clocks…
This is Reggie. He was just told about daylight savings time. More like daylight starving time. 13/10 (TT: melandreggie)
November 2, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Just one more reason why we need to stop changing our clocks…
Excited for you all to hear my conversation with @historyonfilm.bsky.social about Edward R. Murrow, Joe McCarthy, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK!
Coming this month on #HoFCast:
@abradschwartz.bsky.social,
@alansiegella.bsky.social,
@chrisdeville.bsky.social,
and @bdm.bsky.social!
And hey, Monday is our 1 year anniversary!
@abradschwartz.bsky.social,
@alansiegella.bsky.social,
@chrisdeville.bsky.social,
and @bdm.bsky.social!
And hey, Monday is our 1 year anniversary!
November 2, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Excited for you all to hear my conversation with @historyonfilm.bsky.social about Edward R. Murrow, Joe McCarthy, and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK!
Needed to see this today:
“Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.”
William Zinsser #NationalAuthorsDay
William Zinsser #NationalAuthorsDay
November 1, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Needed to see this today:
Me on Oct. 1: Let’s go looking for a fresh horror movie to watch on Halloween…
Me on Oct. 31: I think I’ll watch BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN for the millionth time…
Me on Oct. 31: I think I’ll watch BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN for the millionth time…
a black and white photo of a bride and groom holding hands in a room .
Alt: a black and white photo of a bride and groom holding hands in a room .
media.tenor.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Me on Oct. 1: Let’s go looking for a fresh horror movie to watch on Halloween…
Me on Oct. 31: I think I’ll watch BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN for the millionth time…
Me on Oct. 31: I think I’ll watch BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN for the millionth time…
“You don’t play murder in soft words. … Of course, I’m terribly sorry now.”
—Orson Welles to reporters, after his “War of the Worlds” broadcast, on Halloween 1938 🎃
—Orson Welles to reporters, after his “War of the Worlds” broadcast, on Halloween 1938 🎃
October 31, 2025 at 4:17 PM
“You don’t play murder in soft words. … Of course, I’m terribly sorry now.”
—Orson Welles to reporters, after his “War of the Worlds” broadcast, on Halloween 1938 🎃
—Orson Welles to reporters, after his “War of the Worlds” broadcast, on Halloween 1938 🎃
A tradition is a tradition…
And if it’s 8pm Eastern time, on October 30th, I’m tuning in to WAR OF THE WORLDS…
And if it’s 8pm Eastern time, on October 30th, I’m tuning in to WAR OF THE WORLDS…
October 31, 2025 at 12:07 AM
A tradition is a tradition…
And if it’s 8pm Eastern time, on October 30th, I’m tuning in to WAR OF THE WORLDS…
And if it’s 8pm Eastern time, on October 30th, I’m tuning in to WAR OF THE WORLDS…
Tonight is the 87th anniversary of WAR OF THE WORLDS, the famous radio broadcast in which invaders “utterly destroyed the CBS” until just one lonely voice was left on the air.
At least Orson Welles could say, in 1938, that he “didn’t mean it” and the network was “still open for business.”
At least Orson Welles could say, in 1938, that he “didn’t mean it” and the network was “still open for business.”
NEW from me:
Eight on-air personalities were fired from CBS News yesterday as part of the layoffs -- and every single one of them is female, with half of them being POC.
Also, sources tell me a male correspondent saved his job by whining to Bari Weiss.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Eight on-air personalities were fired from CBS News yesterday as part of the layoffs -- and every single one of them is female, with half of them being POC.
Also, sources tell me a male correspondent saved his job by whining to Bari Weiss.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
CBS News fired 8 on-air personalities in latest layoffs. All of them are women
EXCLUSIVE: Multiple sources told The Independent that senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta was added to the layoff list following a last-minute change by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
www.independent.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Tonight is the 87th anniversary of WAR OF THE WORLDS, the famous radio broadcast in which invaders “utterly destroyed the CBS” until just one lonely voice was left on the air.
At least Orson Welles could say, in 1938, that he “didn’t mean it” and the network was “still open for business.”
At least Orson Welles could say, in 1938, that he “didn’t mean it” and the network was “still open for business.”