Uncle Walter Cronkite

[John C]

I know Cronkite was primarily known for TV, and deservedly so, but he does have a radio history as well so I submit two basic thoughts on this board. I see similarities between Walter and the late, beloved Tim Russert. Both were genuine. They left their ego at the door and made the story the focus. They called it the way they saw and they were generally right. That's one reason why both were loved by millions and are both greatly missed.

I agree with Jim Pastrick's note on a different thread about the irony of CBS running their regular programming Friday night while former and current CBS people were calling in or showing up on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. Fortunately Dan Blather wasn't among them. IMHO almost everyone (with the possible exception of Blather) realizes CBS made a big mistake when it kicked Uncle Walter to the curb so Blather could have the anchor chair instead of bolting to ABC. I thought Rather was a good reporter but did not have the humility that Cronkite had shown once he took over from Walter. One word I do not think of when it comes to Rather is "courage".

I've missed Uncle Walter since March, 1981. RIP.

 

[benwolf]

CNN did have an interview Dan Rather Friday night, who oddly enough was standing in front of an NBC building!
BTW, outstanding job from CNN...I enjoyed the memories from Bob Sheiffer and Morley Safer the most. Faux News had a phone interview with Connie Chung...was that the best they could do??? And MSNBC disappoints again, running the Martin Bashir Micheal Jackson special, twice!

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

He was a success for many reasons, among them was his time spent in radio.

He started his career in Oklahoma City at WKY and was hired for his first on air position by Earl Hull former owner of WHLD AM and FM (98.5) in Niagara Falls.

When Mr. Hull passed away in 71, I was working at WHLD and had an opportunity to speak to Mr.Conkite regarding Earl's passing. He was gracious and wonderful to speak to.

It's hard to imagine an America where there were no 24/7 TV news operations and yet the quality of TV news was much better than what we have today.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Cronkite's career included a stint on the radio but he is best remembered as a newspaper and wire service reporter before joining CBS in 1950.

What else can I add to what has already been said about the man.

The retirement of Walter Cronkite in 1981 ended an era in broadcast journalism.

We shall never see another like him again.

 

[heydaybegone]

We shall never see another like him again.

Mark: may I say you are definately correct.

May I also say...the talent/fabric is out there...but NOT allowed to do it.

So much for "from generation to generation".....

 

[TheBigA]

May I also say...the talent/fabric is out there...but NOT allowed to do it.

The thing about this new "multi-platform media" is that you don't have to ask anyone's permission.

I know a guy from Buffalo who was a serious journalist, left town in the early 60s, covered the world as a reporter, retired about ten years ago, and lives his life now as an observer and commentator on the web.

Cronkite said he didn't do it for the money or the fame, but because he HAD to do it. If that motivation is still there in people, there are loads of ways to get that information to the public.

 

[Element9]

May I also say...the talent/fabric is out there...but NOT allowed to do it.

The thing about this new "multi-platform media" is that you don't have to ask anyone's permission. I know a guy from Buffalo who was a serious journalist, left town in the early 60s, covered the world as a reporter, retired about ten years ago, and lives his life now as an observer and commentator on the web. Cronkite said he didn't do it for the money or the fame, but because he HAD to do it. If that motivation is still there in people, there are loads of ways to get that information to the public.

And what might be that guy's name? Since he's living his life "now as an observer and commentator on the web," I'd like to know who he is and read his work. (Might be a certain former WYSL, WBEN news anchor who also happens to be a very good portrait artist, but I wouldn't want to presume.) Likely, many readers of this board would be eager to do the same.

 

[alw]

Anchor/Portrait Artist........sounds like Kevin Gordon.

But he's not blogging anywhere. And the 60s is before his time.

So whom are the vailed references pointing to?

 

[scooterodell]

I must say that the loss of Walter Cronkite is saddening; At just over 30, I am too young to have any memory of him on TV, but his legacy clearly lasted well beyond his final "and that's the way it is."

At the same time, what Mr. Cronkite represented has long since passed; none of the anchors who followed him could come close to the title of "most trusted man in America," and for good reason. My recollections of watching network news - which was THE news at the time - consist mainly of frustration at an obvious bias. This was before rise of the right-leaning talk show hosts and the explosion of cable news, before it was common to find people railing about the "liberal media." I, in my teens, could tell that what I was seeing on CBS/NBC/ABC was not "fair and balanced," to borrow the Fox phrase, and I doubt I was the only one noticing at the time. Walter Cronkite, from what I have heard of him, was representative of an old guard of newsmen who knew America from their own hardscrabble experience and recognized the obligations of their public trust and took them seriously. Those who followed, as accomplished as they may have been, had neither the experience of a hard-fought existence nor the full understanding of the seriousness of their charge. It may be a stretch to say those individuals set the stage for the downfall of the news media we have witnessed over the past few years, but they certainly played a part.

 

[SirRoxalot]

The biggest change in television news has been the emergence of the reporter as a part of the story, instead of as an impartial observer. Infotainment has overtaken real journalism.

Two of Walter's quotes tell the story:

"In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story."

"Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine."

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I have found that biased reporting isn't quite as common as biased hearing. In other words not wanting to believe what is being reported.

The radio and TV news people that I have known keep their opinion out of the story they are trying to cover and just want to get the story first and factual.

Since the news media is the watchdog of our political process it's in the politicians best interest to discredit the news media.

 

[listener-in]

Walter Cronkite, from what I have heard of him, was representative of an old guard of newsmen who knew America from their own hardscrabble experience and recognized the obligations of their public trust and took them seriously. Those who followed, as accomplished as they may have been, had neither the experience of a hard-fought existence nor the full understanding of the seriousness of their charge. It may be a stretch to say those individuals set the stage for the downfall of the news media we have witnessed over the past few years, but they certainly played a part.

You have it right on. It's no accident that trust in the media has declined since the era of the overpaid “stars” came along. If these people weren’t so grotesquely remunerated, they might be more in touch with the real economy that affects the vast majority of their audience.

As one who was privileged to be able to watch Cronkite in his days as CBS anchorman (and don't forget the "editor-in-chief" part), I know that less was more as far as the news was concerned. We now have a generation of people who have more information and less understanding, and it's not entirely their fault. Multiple sources in multiple media are no benefit when they all serve up the same lowest-common-denominator fluff. The closest we have now to the old school are NPR and the PBS Newshour, and even they don't always live up to what they should be.

 

[Mark Giardina]

The news that comes closest to what Walter Cronkite did is the "National" on the CBC. Peter Mansbridge, who has been the anchor since 1988, does a fantastic job.

I'm only sorry that my local cable company (Time Warner) won't carry the CBC. I guess they figure it is more profitable to air bible-thumpers, informercials, and networks that rerun the same old movies rather that set aside one channel that would provide viewers with entertainment and quality news programming.

 

[listener-in]

The news that comes closest to what Walter Cronkite did is the "National" on the CBC. Peter Mansbridge, who has been the anchor since 1988, does a fantastic job.

I'm only sorry that my local cable company (Time Warner) won't carry the CBC. I guess they figure it is more profitable to air bible-thumpers, informercials, and networks that rerun the same old movies rather that set aside one channel that would provide viewers with entertainment and quality news programming.

I've seen the "National" on C-SPAN which has carried part or all of it on rare occasions (such as Canadian elections & G8 meetings in Canada which obviously are not typical), and occasionally on cable in the Detroit area and it's definitely a superior product, in spite of (or because of?) CBC's poor financial condition. I've contacted Time Warner requesting the CBC but to no avail. BBC World news on PBS is also fairly good value, but the BBC America news is almost worthless; instead of covering the wider world - one of the BBC’s strengths - it spends an inordinate amount of time on US matters and trots out many of the same talking heads and the same conventional wisdom that we see on our own broadcast and cable networks. It lives up neither to its own traditions nor to the legacy of Cronkite and his contemporaries.

 

[Silkie]

It was Uncle Walter who changed the course of the Vietnam War by declaring - whether mistakenly or falsely - that the South had fallen to communism and that America could not help them anymore, after the Tet Offensive. Good old Uncle Walter.

 

[SirRoxalot]

It was Uncle Walter who changed the course of the Vietnam War by declaring - whether mistakenly or falsely - that the South had fallen to communism and that America could not help them anymore, after the Tet Offensive. Good old Uncle Walter.

Cronkite was hardly the first to criticize the story that the Johnson administration was trying to sell to the public about the war in Vietnam. In fact, Johnson considered many of the correspondents "subversive" because they tried to report what they saw, not what they were told to report.

Let's take a look at what Cronkite actually said about his Vietnam broadcast:

Cronkite on his Vietnam editorial

Cronkite reported what he saw. He was an incredibly experienced war reporter, and I doubt that he was either mistaken, or lying to the American public. His influence, however, was undeniable.

 

[John C]

It was Uncle Walter who changed the course of the Vietnam War by declaring - whether mistakenly or falsely - that the South had fallen to communism and that America could not help them anymore, after the Tet Offensive. Good old Uncle Walter.

Cronkite was hardly the first to criticize the story that the Johnson administration was trying to sell to the public about the war in Vietnam. In fact, Johnson considered many of the correspondents "subversive" because they tried to report what they saw, not what they were told to report.

Let's take a look at what Cronkite actually said about his Vietnam broadcast:

Cronkite on his Vietnam editorial

Cronkite reported what he saw. He was an incredibly experienced war reporter, and I doubt that he was either mistaken, or lying to the American public. His influence, however, was undeniable.

I echo what Rox said. Cronkite was very reluctant to state his opinions. He preferred letting the audience decide. He had to be talked into his Vietnam "speech" and spent a lot of time putting that together. He also covered WWII extensively so yes, I would trust his judgment. I'm not sure what Silkie is inferring? That Uncle Walter caused the U.S. to lose the war? That it wasn't a stalemate when Cronkite said it was? ???

 

[listener-in]

I'm not sure what Silkie is inferring? That Uncle Walter caused the U.S. to lose the war? That it wasn't a stalemate when Cronkite said it was? ???

It sounds to me like rewriting history and scapegoating.