The public finally turned against Senator Joseph McCarthy primarily due to the televised Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954. These hearings exposed McCarthy's aggressive, bullying tactics and baseless accusations to a nationwide audience. A key moment was when Army counsel Joseph Welch rebuked McCarthy with the famous line, "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?" This confrontation resonated deeply with the American public and highlighted McCarthy's reckless behavior

. Additionally, journalist Edward R. Murrow's exposé on McCarthy further eroded his public support. The combination of the hearings' spectacle and critical media coverage led to a sharp decline in McCarthy's popularity and credibility

. This shift culminated in the U.S. Senate formally censuring McCarthy in December 1954 by a vote of 67 to 22 for his conduct, marking the effective end of his political influence. The censure condemned his abuse of power and breaches of Senate norms, signaling bipartisan rejection of his methods

. In summary, the turning point was the Army-McCarthy hearings' public exposure of McCarthy's tactics and the Senate's subsequent censure, which together destroyed his credibility and ended his reign of fear and suspicion