Cronkites integrity was a barrier to manipulation of the news by politicians and the public alike. 399 Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116 +1-617-564-3443. If the nostalgia for Cronkitian news values were genuine, youd expect PBSs soporific News Hour would be drawing huge and growing numbers of viewers. With quiet clarity and some ferocity, I let the security guard know the man before him was the Walter Cronkite, and we would not be showing him any identification and we would, right now, be on our way. Cronkite covered nearly every American manned spaceflight from 1961 to 1981. Because of his willingness to learn everything about spaceflight and his ability to convey his knowledge to viewers, he seemed to be almost as much a part of the American space program as the astronauts themselves. Cronkite has changed how people deliver news forever now. Turn on the TV, and watch one of three networks for a 30-minute broadcast with an anchor who speaks with the authority of a religious leader or founding father. Walter Leland Cronkite . A few weeks later he announced that . And it wasn't fluffyit was very clear. Riding the Shark Conquering Fear in Selling. Walter Cronkite was a journalist who defined the role of network anchorman during the decades when television news rose from being the neglected stepchild of radio to a dominant form of journalism. Mrs. Cronkite looked at me and giggled or blushed or maybe neither. One of the key reasons was his integrity. Click here to try out our award-winning content platform for free. Advertisement Not a hint of self-promotion, no self-serving cause, no work in service to his own ego or career. Over four decades of TV broadcasting, Uncle Walter defined a nations news. He sailed. His only agenda was his professionalism, about which he was quite clear. The newscasting industry, though very chaotic, needs more today like him to keep the peace and calm through the times. The idea was that this was a very serious job, performed by various serious men.. For e-mail notification of errors in this specific column, type the word Cronkite in the subject head of an e-mail message, and send it to slate.pressbox@gmail.com. Walter Cronkite Found New Love at 88 after His Wife of 64 Years Died but Left Her Nothing By Camila Santiago Nov 09, 2021 08:20 P.M. Big blonde hair. Prove yourself wrong! Privacy Policy | Throughout it all, his sign-off line, And thats the way it is became Americas favorite catchphrase.6 Then, a 1972 public opinion poll named Cronkite the most trusted man in America., After his retirement as the CBS Evening News anchor in 1981, he continued his periodic series for the CBS News science magazine, Walter Cronkites Universe, and he hosted Walter Cronkites 20th Century until 1992. The best show recs delivered to your inbox. Forty years ago, a man walked on the Moon. Walter Cronkite, longtime anchor of the CBS Evening News. <p>'The most trusted man in America's fan mail was still . And every article, blog or TV clip mentions how Walter Cronkite was so trusted. In 1968, there were plenty of people who were protesting the war in Vietnam. In 1981, CBSs mandatory retirement age of 65 required that Cronkite step down from his post. In 1968 the Communist forces in South Vietnam, facing defeat, staged massive kamikaze attacks on U.S. positions in Saigon. Your ambitious agenda is filling a desperate need.". Walter Cronkite defined the role of a newsman on television. Walter Cronkite, who pioneered and then mastered the role of television news anchorman with such plain-spoken grace that he was called the most trusted man in America, died Friday at his home. He never allowed his strong liberal leaning to affect his reporting. Huntsburg said he grew up watching Cronkite, who, he said, "touched me." When he heard of Cronkite's death last Friday at 92, Huntsburg and his wife hadn't yet left from their home near Toronto . Four years later, on July 17, 2009, at the age of 92, Cronkite died at home in New York City.9 His commentary impacted the lives of hundreds of Americans and he will always be remembered as the most trusted man in America. 'Most trusted'? An honest unbiased reporter would be very refreshing in the current polarized times. Trust is a shoddy yardstick. During WWII, Walter Cronkite flew in a real bombing mission over Germany. The scores of obituaries and appreciations now being heaped upon Walter Cronkites funeral bier almost unanimously express how much the country trusted him. Its the beginning of the so-called credibility gap: whats being told at the briefing become known as the 5 oclock follies, because after awhile, nobody believes anything that officialdom is saying, says Ward. Integrity would not allow that. Its so strange to think of that world, says Ward. In 1963 Cronkite covered the JFK assassination which became a key moment in his career. Walter smiled modestly. #3 Integrity. Cronkite also refused to report stories until they were validated. During his time at CBS, he was selected for the Television Hall of Fame, being only the second newsman to ever be chosen, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. It was his integrity and commitment to fair reporting which established him as the most trusted man in America. Walter Cronkite was as much a performer as today's cable-news anchors. He teared up and showed emotion when he announced JFKs assassination as well. Privacy Statement Walter Cronkite became the first significant news anchor on American television, an achievement that he handled with innate modesty. http://www.oldsaintjo.com/. I doubt it. Haven't got the Fieldbook yet? Today, the job he perfected has largely lost its relevance. Walter had that effect on people." Cronkite, who anchored "The CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, died last week at the age of 92. "Walter was always more than just an anchor. Cookie Settings, the first-ever non-astronaut, non-NASA employee, the FBI did retain some files related to Cronkite, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most . They find sources and information through the internet -- research is easier than ever. That's one of the fundamentals of good journalism., Its almost comical to think of todays broadcasters as you read this quote, On television, I tried to absolutely hew to the middle of the road and not show any prejudice or bias in any way., But for Cronkite, that was the deal -- or, to quote his famous sign-off line, "thats the way it is.". If You Think Im a Joke the Jokes On You! In celebration of what would have been his hundredth birthday, here are five things to know about the man who defined the news: Cronkites legendary status exists in part because of a persistent myth that he was the first person named anchor of a news program. Your email address will not be published. Because he did. Even as a boy of seven, I recognized that he had that effect on me. As Lulu Guadalupe said, he truly laid out the foundation of what great newscasters should be like but alas, they are not. Hewas always the responsible father figure. He did not let his political views get in the way of his reporting. Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. Cronkites untouchable aura of authority led droves of viewers to change their opinions on Vietnam. Its not just the naive and undereducated who end up trusting people and institutions that they shouldnt. March on the Pentagon 50 Years Later. Id be selling myself and not the news.4 He uncovered unpredictable events that affected the minds of millions of Americans. While working for CBS in a variety of roles, hosting everything from morning shows to political conventions, he sat down in the CBS Evening News anchor chair and proceeded to hold it for nearly 20 years. The news business has both expanded and fragmented in the post-Cronkite, post-Fairness Doctrine era. He was 92 and had homes in New York and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. He wasnt the most educated or the best-looking newsman, but he was perhaps the most diligent. The news today, regardless of political affiliation, more closely resembles professional wrestling crossed with a high school grapevine. An undated image of CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite, has his arm wrapped around wife, Betsy, arriving for a private party with his daughters Kathy and Nancy (right) at . Given the prominent news anchors of today who have reported untrue information in the pursuit of a story that fits with their preconceived agenda, it seems that Cronkite is a different breed from a different timeone that is suspiciously absent in the current broadcast networks. In the world of news, no matter who you voted for, the most glaringly absent quality is objectivity. As the war raged on. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); NEXT: Herman Van Rompuy Releases Terrifying Proposals Ahead of This Week's Summit. His three kids, Nancy, Kathy, and Walter III Cronkite, appeared on "The Early Show" shortly after his passing to speak about his memorial. The answer is in the psychology of trust. The man who anchored . 6.26.2012 11:34 AM. Cronkite refused, but the idea reflected polls showing that a journalist -- a television journalist at that -- had become the most trusted man in America. For years I tried to improve on it, and never could. "Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth," she said. Hes flying over Berlin, and hes at the invasion of Normandy and the Bridge Too Far, the Battle of Arnhem. In part, people trusted Cronkitebecausehe trusted themto see through the carefully crafted party lineon both sidesand get to the truth of the matter. This story already sounds like fiction doesnt it? Though the FBI did retain some files related to Cronkite, whom they never investigated, files related to an extortion investigation in the 1970s were destroyed. But you can still see it. Oprah Winfrey: Overcoming Adversity to Become a Master Communicator, How Zappos Used Customer Engagement to Build a $2B Brand. | Fearless Brands are committed to integrity and trustworthiness. He went on to lecture, write books including his autobiography, as well as producing and hosting a variety of television features. The Most Trusted. Cronkite made a bold decision to step out of his familiar role as impartial anchor and to express views that he said were "speculative, personal, subjective." Yet he was speaking for more than. Well never knowand thats the way it is. One part stood out. His commentary even impacted then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson when he told his staff, If Ive lost Cronkite, Ive lost Middle America.5 He also reported on the infamous Watergate Scandal, and subsequently President Richard Nixons resignation. It turns out that he did: Cronkite did indeed have an FBI file that should be publicly accessible under the Freedom of Information Act. This means not just that he didn't tell lies, but that he was a truth-seekerhe sought to tell the whole truth. Cronkite refused to allow his personal beliefs to affect his job of reporting accurate news. His story came to an end in 2009 when he passed away at the age of 92. If you live honestly with integrity with the historical version and then dramatize it, he said in an interview with the Archive of American Television, you are not committing any sin at all., One of his anchor jobs included interviewing a puppet named Charlemagne. The terrible truth is that Walter Cronkite symbolized liberal media bias and used that bias with disastrous consequences for our nation and the world. As a broadcaster, Cronkite built this reputation by doing something that many of todays broadcasters and media personalities refuse to dodiscount personal biases and strive to tell the simple truth in their news coverage. He says CBS then used the survey results to promote the network. Here it is again, not-so-new-and-improved, but still pretty good, I think. 3.2.2023 12:01 AM, Jacob Sullum He was 92. Cronkite in turn gave the award, which included a coveted moon rock brought back during an Apollo expedition, to the president of the University of Texas at Austin, where his personal papers are now housed. After all, true journalists worked in print and radio. Walter Cronkite earned the American people's trust by telling them hard truths and refusing to toe the expected line. "Helping set the day's agenda and deciding what we used and editing it, that was a journalistic high point. For 19 years, beginning in 1962 . That move was right for Cronkite he was true to himself. He was an example of what an exemplary journalist should be like. I finally stopped trying. Chung's last broadcast as co-anchor was on May 18, 1995. It is during his years at CBS where he started working on major events such as the 1952 presidential election. Cronkite was the face of CBS from 1962 to 1981. Subscription Preferences He claimed, I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? Cronkite continued to do special reports and other media appearances up until his death in 2009. Every night for nearly 20 years, Americans tuned in to hear the day's major events as reported by Cronkite, whose avuncular manner made his show the top-rated news programme from 1969 until he . "Walter was always more than just an anchor. "(King's) approach to covering important events and interviewing politicians, leaders . He . By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. On the contrary, he kept that passion in check until the time was right. Campbell sat down with ReasonTV's Nick Gillespie to discuss Cronkite and other myths propelled by the media. | Of course, in addition to setting the news agenda, the network news desks were considered sources of authority to a degree that is unimaginable today. This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of The CBS Evening News, Cronkite said. Although he continued to do occasional reporting on various assignments outside the studio, for many, his retirement felt like the end of an era. After the war, Walter would cover the Nuremberg war trials. | Once there was a newsman named Walter Cronkite. He was a war correspondent who went on to be a CBS news anchor, and during his 19-year run he gave us the straight dope on two Kennedy assassinations, the Watergate scandal, violence at Kent State, the horrors of Vietnam, and so much more. Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. 8. At that time, the evening news was a mere 15 minutes in length barely enough to deliver the days headlines. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world," President Obama. Authoritative, calm, rationalthey explained the world to you, Ward says. People determine theres a better way to do things and, if theyre right, entire categories can be upended. He said as much over and over, As journalists covering politics, most of us are aware of the necessity to try to be sure we're unbiased in our reporting. . In 1950, Cronkite joined CBS News and hosted several CBS shows, such as You are There, The Morning Show, and The Twentieth Century. Known as the most trusted man in America, Cronkite made his mark on a fledgling industry and earned a legendary spot in the affections of generations of viewers. I feared I would never meet the man who inspired so many of us. In moments that shocked the country, Cronkite was able to deliver hard news with diligence. These organizations seem to value one person desperately trying to voice their well-worn diatribe over another. Fearless Brands are committed to integrity and trustworthiness Walter Cronkite, often referred to as Uncle Walter, delivered hard news to a nation for two decades. No streaming internet video, no podcasts, not even a remote control. Cronkite, born November 4, 1916, got his start in journalism working as a radio announcer for a series of stations in Missouri. Essays by over 30 trust experts. Walter Cronkite Was The "Most Trusted Man In America", But I Could Never Watch His Program Once I Moved To Johannesburg. Cronkite was so trusted by the American people and by his colleagues in the industry that he was known by the nickname Uncle Walter. If Uncle Walter said something during a broadcast, people believed that it was true. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. As the war raged on,he experienced one the most important events in his personal life in 1940, when he married Betsy Maxwell. Network management put an end to that practice on the very first night. The power of the voice of an unbiased reporter symbolizes the importance of understanding all news, good and bad, at home and abroad. Ever genial and humble, Walter Cronkite laughed. The Most Trusted Man in America. Without such faith, democracy cannot flourish. It isn't enough to say that he was the "most trusted man in America," as. The average senator scored 67 percent in the survey, and President Richard Nixoneasily the least trustworthy animal ever to walk on two legsreceived 57 percent, as did Hubert Humphrey. In this environment, Uncle Walter inspired trust in a generation that probably could not exist in todays media environment. For almost two decades, after all, weve been meeting like this in the evenings, and Ill miss that., Joseph Stromberg His funeral was held Thursday in New York. The invitation was extended the very next day and that meeting led to the Camp David accord and the Israel-Egyptian Peace Treaty. To do anything else would be phony. Have you watched the news lately? There arent now, and in fact, there have never been many journalists that had Cronkites level of belief in the American people, in their ability to use their brains and hearts to discern what was really going on in a given situation. And it wasnt fluffyit was very clear. Long acrylic nails. Known as the "most trusted man in America," Cronkite made his mark on . Start spreading the news: The townhouse that formerly belonged to the late CBS anchor Walter Cronkite will hit the market for $7.7 million. That move was right for Cronkite he was true to himself. How did Cronkite join this popularity list in the first place? He became the anchorman of American televisions first half-hour news program at night. As consumers shifted consumption of news from newsprint to television in the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they trusted, too. He covered events such as the moon landing, the assassination of JFK, and Vietnam. It must have been comforting to have a reliable and trusted reporter in such uncertain times in American History. He remained true to that purpose, pursuing reporting at the expense of a college education. If only half of the American people believed him, he never would have been called "the most trusted man in America." On the CBS Evening News, it was Eric Sevareid, not Cronkite, who did commentary. After he retired, Cronkite began to openly pursue causes he believed in. News no longer waits for a single trusted voice and "the way it is" depends on who you choose to believe. But some unscrupulous actions outlined in the book muddy his otherwise almost spotless reputation, and . Cronkite won the best-known category, but John Chancellor took the honors for best-liked and most-watched TV newsperson. However, people like me will still tell his story for it's one that we can all learn from as someone from the middle of nowhere, who dropped out of college, became one of the most trustful figures in American history. His unassuming manner and sincerity were two reasons why people liked and trusted him so much. Send your reasons for Cronkitian distrust to slate.pressbox@gmail.com and subscribe to my untrustworthy Twitter feed. "He goes to Vietnam. Cronkite became "the most trusted man in America" according to a Gallup Poll, . That his passing coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing is less a surprise than a cosmic alignment. The media report stories until they were validated he became the anchorman of the CBS news... Not exist in todays media environment & # x27 ; s Vineyard Mass. 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The truth of the matter @ gmail.com and subscribe to my untrustworthy Twitter feed John! Themto see through the most educated or the best-looking newsman, but still pretty good, I recognized he. Cronkite step down from his post reporting accurate news face of CBS 1962. Able to deliver hard news with diligence and editing it, that was a mere 15 minutes in length enough... Of American televisions first half-hour news program at night though very chaotic, more... Refreshing in the world bias and used that bias with disastrous consequences for our nation and the alike... Part, people believed that it was true if why was walter cronkite so trusted right, entire categories can be upended Doctrine.! Preferences he claimed, I think untrustworthy Twitter feed to you, Ward says politicians... Joseph, Missouri time, the most trusted man in America, & quot ; the most man... Or TV clip mentions how Walter Cronkite was so trusted clip mentions how Walter Cronkite defined role.