Media Term Thursday #24
/Blacklisting
Refers to the list of workers in the film, television, media and arts industries in the 1950s in the United States who were either formally or informally prevented from working due to their personal, political, religious or social beliefs. This was a result of the House Un-American Activities Committee set up by the anti-communist Senator Joseph McCarthy.
This committee was formed during the Cold War when the West (Democracy) was in a superpower struggle and stalemate with the Eastern Bloc and U.S.S.R (Communism). Because both blocs were nuclear powers and mutual destruction would have occurred had these two enemies gone to war, each side became paranoid that the other would use subversive means of conquest.
In the US, the government believed the entertainment industry had a large influence on the population and so movies and other media would be ideal for the enemy to infiltrate and present anti-American, communist ideas. Because of this belief the FBI were ordered to hunt down "spies, subversives and others working in Hollywood, television and other media and who might be a threat.
Consequently, many actors, directors, scriptwriters and others lost their jobs and were prevented from working in the industry for many years - they were put on the blacklist
