Describe the impact of McCarthyism on American political life.Also, how did the anticommunist campaigns affect the media?

One of the largest impacts that McCarthy had was in the
very idea that the individual politician can seize on an issue and manipulate it in
order to substantiate their own political power.  McCarthy might have had splendid ideas
on the economy, or on ensuring that education was affordable and open to all, or could
have had excellent ideas about how to increase affordable automobile production.  Yet,
this is not where he made his presence felt.  Rather, the campaign against the
Communists is what he chose to which his name should be linked. He decided that this
would be "his" issue and through the politics of scapegoating and targeting individuals,
his own political power increased and his own sensibilities gained traction.  McCarthy
ended up proving that if properly timed, politicians can seize upon an issue with great
political results that benefit them.  Certainly, McCarthy was able to gin up the voting
public with politicizing their fears about Communists and the supposedly imminent threat
they posed to the democratic order of the United States.  He was also able to utilize
the media in spreading his message and his hearings to all.  Where McCarthy made his
mistake was that within his bluster and talk, he never realized that the media could
also portray him in a negative light.  Edward R. Murrow was able to utilize the media to
expose McCarthy for the self- serving fraud he was and through his reporting, McCarthy
lost effectiveness.  While he did fade, McCarthy ended up proving how politics and
control can be manipulated to self serving ends when public fears are exploited and
politicized.