Cronkite, who through his news presenting had become known as "the most trusted man in America," was on air for 27 of the 30 hours it took for the crew of Apollo 11 to complete their mission,. Then he exclaimed, "Armstrong is on the moon -- Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old American, standing on the surface of the moon." Cookie Policy Cronkite won the best-known category, but John Chancellor took the honors for best-liked and most-watched TV newsperson. | <p>'The most trusted man in America's fan mail was still . What a great read, I wish there were more Walter Cronkites in todays society. 'Most trusted'? Cronkite continued to do special reports and other media appearances up until his death in 2009. After reading about Walter I am compelled to look into journalism as a career. Prove yourself wrong! 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.". In 1950, Cronkite finally joined CBS after numerous offers. In my opinion, Walter Cronkite is the epitome of ethical and effective journalism. 3.1.2023 5:35 PM, Joe Lancaster 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. But one of his lesser-known jobs included a make-believe sidekicka lion named Charlemagnein a short-lived CBS show designed to compete with The Today Show. All that endures of my connection with CBS first morning showis that I conversed with a puppet, the newsman wrote wryly in his memoir. Indeed, his modesty and his dedication were the reasons his wide audience liked him so much and trusted him. If Cronkite reported it thats really the way it was. Cronkite was a firm believer in doing what is fair. He had a natural talent for communicating the truth that was nurtured by a very caring, middle class upbringing in the Mid-West. It is nice to know that at one point we had a news reporter who cared about honest straightforward reporting and avoided involving his own political views about events that were occurring in America and outside the country. No one said it better than Cronkite, the CBS Evening News anchor from 1962 to '81: We all have our likes and our dislikes. And it wasn't fluffyit was very clear. Walter Cronkite and the legend of CBS News. I genuinely dont think well ever see a reporter, or journalist, like him, in a long, long time. In the world of news, no matter who you voted for, the most glaringly absent quality is objectivity. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. A rocket, more than 350-feet tall, lifted the astronauts into space. 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. It was as if he enjoyed being reminded to remain humble, especially after all of the success and adulation he earned throughout his remarkable career. Walter Jr. the only child of Walter, a dentist, and Helen, a homemaker was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. News no longer waits for a single trusted voice and "the way it is" depends on who you choose to believe. If so, you owe something to Walter CronkiteAmerica's uncle and the most influential broadcast journalist of all time. In a world saturated with reality TV and tell-all blogs, you have to look harder to see itthat sense of self-reserve, tough but with a soft centerthat used to be middle Americas ideal self-image. That element of implicit authority, we just dont have anymore.. Cronkite taught all of us the way things were. If You Think Im a Joke the Jokes On You! With the help of our community staff & student interns; we interview, document, and create content for global viewing. The broadcast was just moments away. On the contrary, he kept that passion in check until the time was right. Douglas Brinkley says he got the idea to write a biography of Walter Cronkite from David Halberstam. 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. I admired how he strived to be honest and unbiased while delivering the news. He wasn't the most educated or the best-looking newsman, but he was perhaps the most diligent. By Louis Menand. 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? He claimed, I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. 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.". Available now! No satellite dish. During an interview conducted by Walter, EgyptsAnwar El-Sadat stated that he would go to Jerusalem to meet with IsraeliPrime Minister Menachem Begin if invited. So I stepped outside for a few moments for a smoke. Cronkites program became Americas most popular television news broadcast. Author Douglas David Brinkley refers often in the book, titled Cronkite, to the anchorman's "most trusted" status. "He goes to Vietnam. He truly laid out the foundation of what great newscasters should be like. 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. Days later he made the very poignant announcement that Kennedy had died. 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. At that time, the evening news was a mere 15 minutes in length barely enough to deliver the days headlines. My dad was one of those people. Here it is again, not-so-new-and-improved, but still pretty good, I think. Walter covered significant events of the war, including the bombing of Germany and D-Day. I apologized again as we walked through the hallways and studio he knew so well. The invitation was extended the very next day and that meeting led to the Camp David accord and the Israel-Egyptian Peace Treaty. First listed . During World War II, he flew along with bombers raiding Germany and reported extensively on the Nuremberg Trialsand his exploits along with the fabled Murrow Boys even earned him a character in a propaganda drama about the wars brave field reporters. Accessibility | It's chockablock with how-to's, practical tips and successful trust-building ideas. For years I tried to improve on it, and never could. Cronkite stayed in the Kansas City area until he was 10. "When the Eagle landed on the moon, I was speechless - overwhelmed, like most of the world. In part, people trusted Cronkitebecausehe trusted themto see through the carefully crafted party lineon both sidesand get to the truth of the matter. Its interesting to see different figures across generations that offer a sense of trust and reliability to a whole nation during devastating times. Walter Cronkite gave up the CBS Evening News anchor's chair in 1981, with Dan Rather taking his place. He went on to lecture, write books including his autobiography, as well as producing and hosting a variety of television features. Cronkite popularized television news. As we mourn "the most trusted man in America" we also mourn the kind of television news that no longer exists. It was very enjoyable reading about him. 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 . He kept his own counsel; until and unless he felt there was no alternative but to share it. Walter smiled modestly. "There never was and there never will be another Walter Cronkite. After graduating, Walter enrolled at the University of Texas, where he would study political science, economics and journalism in pursuit of becoming a reporter his dream career. My unscientific sampling [], I recently listened to Howard Sterns interview with (Sir) Paul McCartney. In the generation since he left the anchor desk at the CBS Evening News, there have been other public figures who inspire passion, devotion, confidence, intensity and . I think he was so trusted because he exhibited a sense of purpose and compassion, night after night. Like obscenity, trust is awfully hard to define; but as Justice Potter said, you can recognize it when you see it. I liked reporting as well. Track my errors: This hand-built RSS feed will ring every time Slate runs a Press Box correction. Walter covered significant events of the war, including the bombing of Germany and D-Day. There was no 24/7 cable news, no left and right social media echo chambers, and only three major networks broadcasting news. I feared I would never meet the man who inspired so many of us. So What? Write Me to receive FREE electronic versions of the worksheets from the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook. The CBS News security man began to protest but saw a murderous look in my eye and wisely let us pass. Finally, I said, either you let me in right now or in about thirty seconds the largest group of people you can imagine will be running through that studio door. These instances, including the moon landing, assassination of JFK, and his editorial about the stalemate in Vietnam humanized the Anchorman, and helped earn him the fond nickname of, "Uncle Walter". Walter Cronkite was the embodiment of true journalism factual, genuine, fair and accurate reporting. Even as a boy of seven, I recognized that he had that effect on me. Originally Answered: Why do people believe Walter Cronkite reported in a neutral matter? "I was remembering another time. Cronkite became a legendary figure and was often called "the most trusted man in America." Fast Facts: Walter Cronkite The notion that Walter Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America" has received fresh stimulus from the recently published biography about the avuncular CBS News anchorman. 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? Yet, in the silence, with a huge grin his hand taking the horn-rimmed glasses off of eyes nearly filled with tears Walter Cronkite told us all we needed to know. 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. Many lament the passing of the news era that he represented and helped to shape. Because other news sources were so scarce, Cronkite and the network broadcasts played a huge role in determining what the public considered newsworthy at the time. Walter Cronkite defined the role of a newsman on television. 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. He was avuncular. He covered the 1952 presidential elections, and he helped introduce The Beatles to the United States. It was the same place and a similar thing happened. " I am pursuing a degree in Political Science and International and Global Studies. Walters influence, trust and journalistic accomplishments he won virtually every award the industry offered set the standard for journalism for the nation and the world. Learn more at erinblakemore.com. Mrs. Cronkite looked at me and giggled or blushed or maybe neither. The February 1968 assessment by Walter Cronkite, the anchor of the CBS Evening News (known as "the most trusted man in America"), that the conflict was "mired in stalemate" was seen by many as the signal of a sea change in reporting about Vietnam, and it is said to have inspired Pres. Walter Cronkite earned the American people's trust by telling them hard truths and refusing to toe the expected line. While in college, he worked as a part-time journalist for the Houston newspaper. And so: when so many people from so many eras and walks of life agree that Walter Cronkite was TMTMAhe must have touched more than a few trust bases. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most . 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. He was true not only to himself but to his profession as well. That his passing coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing is less a surprise than a cosmic alignment. The Web, which can make the cable news channels look positively Cronkitian, has only reshattered the shards. That move was right for Cronkite he was true to himself. He was offered a job with CBS television, which he initially turned down. He claimed, "I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. However, once those limitations were removed, Cronkite allowed his passion to ignite. McLaughlin, who . These results came about because Walter Cronkite was a fearless brand. Your Privacy Rights Reading the encomiums in his honorand watching the raw man-in-the-street interviews Friday nightthere is a clear hierarchy of what people meant when they said they trusted Walter Cronkite. Its those characteristics which make him a fearless brand. A reporter of the old school, he believed that there was such a thing as the truth, and his job was to find it. Cronkite is famous not only for his impartiality and journalistic integrity, but the few recorded instances of emotion he expressed on air. It seemed miraculous for a Brooklyn kid that our babysitter's mom worked for Mr. Cronkite at CBS News. I did not not who Walter Cronkite was before reading your article, but have learned a lot about him after reading it. 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. He never allowed his broader passion to diminish and die. The man who anchored . Reading about Walter Cronkite was very interesting since he was an fascinating man who took his passion to the next level, I really enjoyed reading this article. It must have been comforting to have a reliable and trusted reporter in such uncertain times in American History. 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. I remember siting with my mom watching the news with her. Well, almost everyone. He sailed. Its so strange to think of that world, says Ward. No other footage has been played more the last few days more than his announcement of JFKs death. | As consumers shifted consumption of news from newsprint to television in the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they trusted, too. Read More. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. This is the process of discovering, embracing and delivering their greatest value which allows them to realize greater profit. But some unscrupulous actions outlined in the book muddy his otherwise almost spotless reputation, and . He began his career with a commitment to journalism as well. Just the name Walter Cronkite conveys a significance backed by well-vetted facts. In the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they trusted, too for I... 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