Walter Cronkite, longtime anchor of the CBS Evening News. The best show recs delivered to your inbox. Events, products or items Trusted Advisor recommends that may be of benefit to you, Some years ago I wrote about a Better New Years Resolution. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself. "I was remembering another time. As Bob Schieffer said on a "Face the Nation" program honoring Cronkite, it's why Americans trusted him. Like obscenity, trust is awfully hard to define; but as Justice Potter said, you can recognize it when you see it. "He puts on his captain's hat and does that every day," she said with a Candida-type half-shrug, half-smile. Events, products or items Trusted Advisor recommends that may be of benefit to you, Elton John, Billy Joel and the Likeability Factor, Webinar this Thursday: Dealing with Difficult Clients, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset. Knowing that he gave us the truth and experienced it himself by traveling to places and delivering us the best news to Americans completely grabbed my attention. Overall, this was was a wonderful article! (Assuming, of course, that the public did regard Cronkite as the nations most trustworthy man.). Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). 6.26.2012 11:34 AM. Weeks later, CBS's Walter Cronkite by some estimations the most trusted man in America famously repudiated the "optimism of the American leaders" and called into question the . If Cronkite were working in todays news environment, painting the news from the same palette he used when he anchored the CBSprogram, would viewers still invest their deep trust in him? Charlemagne would be short-lived (Baird would go on to produce The Sound of Musics Lonely Goatherd sceneand other legendary puppet shows), but Cronkite was notand eventually he branched out into editorial work like his lion friend. <p>'The most trusted man in America's fan mail was still . Walter covered significant events of the war, including the bombing of Germany and D-Day. #1 Honesty. Cronkite is laughing now: "So, I tried to explain but the guard wouldn't budge. Research in communication and psychology clearly shows that to be trusted a communicator has to be seen as knowledgeable and credible. He did not let his political views get in the way of his reporting. During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after . I enjoyed this article, had good history of someone who made history. "He was always the responsible father figure. Advertising Notice No one said it better than Cronkite, the CBS Evening News anchor from 1962 to '81: We all have our likes and our dislikes. Uncle Walters word was gold.. He did not let his political views get in the way of his reporting. He was a true ambassador for the program with a giant reach that no one in NASA could have had alone. Walter Cronkite retired in 1981, at which time he allowed himself to expose his personal beliefs and opinions. For more than a month, his close friends and family made it clear the former CBS News anchorman was gravely ill and would not recover. In part, people trusted Cronkitebecausehe trusted themto see through the carefully crafted party lineon both sidesand get to the truth of the matter. Subscription Preferences He hosted programs such as You Are There and The Twentieth Century. He then moved to Houston Texas where he lived out his childhood. Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset. Now, all . I liked reporting as well. He's being remembered as the "father of television news," as . Covering yet another war, this time Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Mr. Cronkite kindly agreed to help our coverage with an interview. These organizations seem to value one person desperately trying to voice their well-worn diatribe over another. Walter wanted the public to get detailed stories so at the end of the first broadcast, he encouraged viewers to check their local newspapers for the full stories. He says CBS then used the survey results to promote the network. 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 . Chung's last broadcast as co-anchor was on May 18, 1995. Start spreading the news: The townhouse that formerly belonged to the late CBS anchor Walter Cronkite will hit the market for $7.7 million. He was offered a job with CBS television, which he initially turned down. Walter Cronkite was as much a performer as today's cable-news anchors. Everyone who watched Walter Cronkite somehow felt a personal connection to the newsman: whether they shared his coverage of the moon landing or his agony announcing the assassination of President Kennedy or endured with him the daily torment of an endless war in Vietnam or the despicable hostage-taking of diplomats in Iran. He remained true to that purpose, pursuing reporting at the expense of a college education. He claimed, I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. It was a total disaster, and hes lucky to get out of there alive, Ward says. In 1927, his family relocated to Houston, Texas where he grew in admiration of journalism after reading an article in American Boy magazine.1 After this, his interest encouraged him to avidly work at his middle school and high school newspapers. Very nice article! If so, you owe something to Walter CronkiteAmerica's uncle and the most influential broadcast journalist of all time. 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 . Despite his objective persona, it was clear to his viewers that Cronkite was a real person with real interests and feelings. "There never was and there never will be another Walter Cronkite. Without such faith, democracy cannot flourish. 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. Learn everything you can about a topic to ensure that you are known as a valid and trusted resource. His global experiences, his positive public presence, his attitude towards reporting the news truthfully and objectively, and his grandfatherly demeanor, all make him the prime dream team candidate. The Web, which can make the cable news channels look positively Cronkitian, has only reshattered the shards. This is the process of discovering, embracing and delivering their greatest value which allows them to realize greater profit. It was a different time. Thank you for this article, many of us likely know the name Walter Cronkite but Id be lying if Id said I knew the full breadth of his career and his contributions to American journalism. He was one of several reporters assigned to the European theater to cover World War II (WWII). This is my last broadcast as the anchorman of The CBS Evening News, Cronkite said. In today's atmosphere of media partisanship and fake news it seems a bygone notion, but Cronkite was known as "the most trusted man in America.". This story already sounds like fiction doesnt it? Privacy Policy | Cronkite was well-known across America for his hard work, honesty, and objectivity. Embrace Cronkites approach be true to yourself and your profession, be fair, commit to a life of integrity be a fearless brand. He began to work on his high school newspaper as well as the yearbook. Accessibility | Available now! Known as the "most trusted man in America," Cronkite made his mark on . I'm glad I was soon proved wrong. As Lulu Guadalupe said, he truly laid out the foundation of what great newscasters should be like but alas, they are not. Cronkites interest, which developed into passion and then a career that led him down a historic path will likely not be forgotten for some time, just the same as the journalistic work he did allowed American citizens to be informed and remember important developments in the country and in the world. Because he did. Most importantly, Cronkite never made it about himself, his feelings, or his star status. As I prepared to whisk him off, a security guard at the front desk stopped him. Legendary television news anchor Walter Cronkite died Friday night at the age of 92. Even as a boy of seven, I recognized that he had that effect on me. Walter Cronkite realized his purpose early in life. Walter Cronkite Writes For His School Newspapers Originally it was a 15-minute broadcast, but due to his high ratings, it was extended to 30 minutes, being the first half-hour nightly news show on American television.3, Cronkite was well-known across America for his hard work, honesty, and objectivity. Raised in Houston, Texas, he decided to become a journalist after reading a magazine article about a foreign correspondent. Your Privacy Rights But the lack of real-world experience has put perspective in short supply, and the public's interest in reading things that simply confirm their own views has put news outlets in a tough spot. Well, in he came to the same building he hosted his broadcast for 19 years. The news monopoly the three broadcast networks enjoyed for two decades has been shattered by the three cable news networks, all of which embrace (and thrive on) the controversy that Cronkite eschewed. Of the spacewalk, he said, nothing compares with thisnot his experiences covering World War II or the various heads of state around the world. A new biography of Walter Cronkite reveals the less trustworthy side of the most trusted man in America. Hewas always the responsible father figure. I am currently a senior at St. Marys University in San Antonio, Texas. Track my errors: This hand-built RSS feed will ring every time Slate runs a Press Box correction. As the war raged on. In 1981, CBSs mandatory retirement age of 65 required that Cronkite step down from his post. 3.1.2023 5:35 PM, Joe Lancaster In 1950, Cronkite joined CBS News and hosted several CBS shows, such as You are There, The Morning Show, and The Twentieth Century. Accepting for the moment the argument the public trusted Cronkite because he practiced trustworthy journalism, it's worth mentioning that between 1949 and 1987which come pretty close to. Cronkite himself, would die in 2009 at the age of 92. Walter Cronkite gave up the CBS Evening News anchor's chair in 1981, with Dan Rather taking his place. Id be selling myself and not the news.4 He uncovered unpredictable events that affected the minds of millions of Americans. This is a mostly justifiable assessment. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. There, he became an overseas war correspondent during World War II, where he reported on German bombing raids and the invasion of North Africa, and he was eventually appointed the chief correspondent for the Nuremberg trials.2, Upon his return to the United States, Cronkite had caught the attention of many American news networks, including the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). If You Think Im a Joke the Jokes On You! Cronkite's death spurs flood of words, memories. My dad was one of those people. 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. July 17, 2009 -- Walter Leland Cronkite, a legendary reporter and anchorman who was once voted the "most trusted man in America," died today at age 92. 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. (E-mail may be quoted by name in The Fray, Slates readers forum; in a future article; or elsewhere unless the writer stipulates otherwise. Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. 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. 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. Walter Cronkite became the first significant news anchor on American television, an achievement that he handled with innate modesty. Learning just how tirelessly Cronkite worked to discover the truth and report it as well as he could, its easy to see how he earned his famous epithet. His voice. Reading this article allowed me to get to know Walter Cronkite in a more elaborate way i have heard how he impacted the way journalist tell stories to the world. 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 . | Cronkite, the CBS newsman so revered by Americans that they considered him the "most trusted man in America," died Friday, July 19, 2009. . 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. Walter was very lucky, because soon after moving, he read an article in. This was a fascinating article about a journalist that I have never heard of before. Riding the Shark Conquering Fear in Selling. He began his career with a commitment to journalism as well. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); For a free copy of the eBook "Selling to the C-Suite," email me, Charlie, personally and I'll send it along to you. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. In moments that shocked the country, Cronkite was able to deliver hard news with diligence. Its telling that Walter Cronkite, The most trusted man in America, held objectivity as the most vital quality for journalists. We trusted him and that . Cronkite went off to become a news editor for United Press International (UPI). One way around the Fairness Doctrine was to tamp down controversy, which all three networks often did. "It was a way to tout Walter Cronkite as a source to go to for election coverage among the three networks," says Campbell. Seek the complete storyIn Cronkites own words In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.That approach is a rare quality in todays journalism circles in our society for that matter. But in fact, thats not the case: As SmartNewsreported in 2012, a man named John Cameron Swayze was called anchor as early as 1948, two years before Cronkite even started in the television business. She sat for the interview. That move was right for Cronkite he was true to himself. Source: IMDB, Cronkite on the Cbs Evening News. Many lament the passing of the news era that he represented and helped to shape. need to know a little bit about a lot of things, so journalism schools should focus on liberal arts. Entering the 1950s, both his heart and career were in full bloom. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a former defense consultant, leaked the Pentagon Papers, a set of documents that provided evidence of systematic government wrongdoing and deception throughout the war. Being able to read an unbiased article, or watch an unbiased news reporter just seems non-existent in todays society. Yet the "most trusted man in America" seemed rather pleased he wasn't recognized at his own front door. He covered events such as the moon landing, the assassination of JFK, and Vietnam. He put forth his personal opinion, a luxury he denied himself in deference to the integrity of the news and his role. At that time, the evening news was a mere 15 minutes in length barely enough to deliver the days headlines. "There was a reason why Walter was called the most . Charles L. Ponce de Leon February 1, 2013. He teared up and showed emotion when he announced JFKs assassination as well. The legendary CBS anchorman was the most trusted man in America. In 1968, he goes to Vietnam and does a documentary, Ward says. Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. He had no truck with deconstructionists who believe its all subjective, he was a midwest pragmatist of the William James school. Cronkite also trusted the people to respond well to his truth-telling and to use their intelligence to evaluate his words. "Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth," she said. The most frequent comment, expressed in several ways, was that Cronkite was honest. Learn more at erinblakemore.com. Cronkite also refused to report stories until they were validated. Cronkite stood out from his peers because of his commitment to truth and objectivity in journalism. Cronkite was known for his calming presence and his ability to communicate complex events to the average viewer, who trusted "Uncle Walter" to explain the major events of the era. In the way of why was walter cronkite so trusted reporting Cronkite never made it about himself, die... 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