- Murrow's public attacks on Senator Joseph McCarthy were prompted by the suicide of Murrow's friend, former State Department official Laurence Duggan, whom had been accused of being a spy for the Soviet Union. Responding to Murrow, McCarthy challenged him to debate William F. Buckley about Communists within the U.S. Government; Murrow refused. Decrypted cables and archived documents later confirmed that Duggan was, in fact, a Soviet agent.
- A chain smoker who by his own admission could not go for thirty minutes without lighting up, he died from lung cancer two years after an operation to remove his left lung, at the age of 57.
- He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon Johnson as he left his post as director of the US Information Agency in 1964, and he also received an honorary knighthood by the British government in 1965.
- His program See It Now (1951), a television version of his radio program "Hear It Now," was the first television news program to use the technique of taking its viewers away from the main studio to remote locations.
- Keith Olbermann uses his signature sign-off, "And so good night, and good luck," in tribute to Murrow's work.
- Pictured on a 29¢ US commemorative postage stamp issued 21 January 1994.
- Edward R. Murrow was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
- First ever recipient of the prestigious Connor Award, distributed by the Phi Alpha Tau fraternity out of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Every year, Washington State University hosts The Murrow Symposium, named in his honor.
- In 1962, He delivered the commencement address at his alma mater, Washington State University, and was given the Distinguished Alumnus Award. In his speech he spoke of US-Soviet relations and said he did not think war was inevitable.
- The Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy was established at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1965.
- In his career, he was honored with many awards, including the Albert Einstein Award from Brandeis University; fifteen honorary degrees (including one from his alma mater, Washington State University); nine Overseas Press Club Awards (1940, 1947, 1949 {2}, 1950, 1951, 1951, 1953, 1955); the Hillman Award (1953); the Polk Award (1951, 1952); the Grammy Award (1967, Spoken Word Album); and was a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor and an officer in the Belgian Order of Leopold.
- He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard and for Television at 6416 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- Perhaps the most-honored graduate of Washington State University. The Communications building is named in his honor (The Murrow Center), as is the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication (which became The Murrow College of Communication in 2009). Though he was indeed born in North Carolina, he grew up in western Washington state.
- His son is named Casey.
- Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors." Volume 103, pp. 355-356. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co., 1982.
- Other honors he earned in his lifetime include the 1964 award from the Society of the Family of Man; two New York Newspaper Guild awards (1954, 1955); the Russwurm Award from the American Newspaper Publishers Association; the Freedom House Award (1954); two Headliners Club awards; the National Association of Broadcasters Industry Service Award (1962); the Southwest Journalism Forum award (1953); the Adult Education Award from the New School of New York (1951); the Robert E. Sherwood Television Award (1957); and the Louis Lyons Award from Harvard University (1965).
- His last broadcast was as a participant on the program "Farewell to Studio Nine," a CBS Radio tribute to the historic CBS broadcast facility upon its closure. The program aired July 25, 1964.
- He is portrayed by Daniel J. Travanti in Murrow (1986) and by David Strathairn in Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005); Strathairn received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Murrow.
- His Pawling, NY estate was named "Glen Arden".
- Radio and TV news correspondent.
- Mentioned in Daydreams (1981).
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