Dark Days in the Newsroom author Edward Alwood explores Cold War tensions in his examination of how journalists were targeted during the hysteria anti-communist movement of the 1950s, how some cooperated in revealing names while others resisted in defense of press freedom. The author shows how some journalists heroically defended press freedom while others secretly engaged in the government's anti-communist campaign. McCarthyism in journalism has become the practice of publicly leveling accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without providing evidence or protecting civil liberties. He relied on underhand investigative methods designed to suppress opposition. The power of McCarthyism underlies its ability to threaten principled people and turn them into selfish cowards. This is a shocking violation of First Amendment protections and a disturbing expression of the government's ability to intimidate the press. The McCarthyism era significantly changed journalism; The impact of the Eastland hearings and subsequent trials on press freedom could be traced to the Valerie Plame affair in the summer of 2005. Dark Days in the Newsroom focuses on the New York Times Eastland investigation from 1955-1956. “Mississippi Democrat James Eastland and his colleagues have put the newspaper industry on the defensive over the rights of defendants to face their accusers and cross-examine witnesses, and the power of Congress to detain witnesses for contempt or charge them with perjury if they refuse to do so. answer questions” (Alwood, 3). Alwood brings new information about the McCarthyism conspiracy against the press and FBI complicity into the public domain through a ...... middle of paper ...... fitting into our classroom material. We talked about the era of the Red Scarce and McCarthyism and how people were afraid of the socialist threat in the 1940s and 1950s. Stating that the experiences of the McCarthy years profoundly influenced the practice of journalism, he shows how the problems faced by journalists in the 1950s foreshadow today's conflicts over the rights of journalists to protect their sources. The treatment of journalists was unfair, that's why they thought it was better to go to prison than to state false facts in court because they were innocent. “If you don't stand up for what you believe in, don't risk making a decision because you think you might lose, I think that's a short-sighted approach” (Alwood, 148). This is a fascinating and detailed look at a subject. aspect of the McCarthy era that continues to influence contemporary journalism.