Walter Cronkite's Words: Read His Blogs

The legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite is dead at age 92. Among many other achievements, "the most trusted man in America" helmed the "CBS Evening News" for nearly two decades, ending in 1981.

The Huffington Post had the privilege of posting blogs from Cronkite. Read them below:

Telling the Truth About the War on Drugs (March 1, 2006):

Today, our nation is fighting two wars: one abroad and one at home. While the war in Iraq is in the headlines, the other war is still being fought on our own streets. Its casualties are the wasted lives of our own citizens.

Global Warming: Why I Am Marching (June 14, 2005):

We the people have the strength to bring our country from our weak-kneed stumbling gait in the last ranks of reason to the leadership of the great march to environmental victory.

Democrats: What Do They Stand For? (May 13, 2005):

I've got some other exceedingly interesting pieces up my sleeve, like a proposal that the Democratic Party organize a convention this year to debate and resolve a platform that would provide the confused electorate some idea of what the party stands for...a regretfully missing ingredient in the politics of the moment.

 

 

Comments

[regellner]

Cronkite was one of the greatest communicators of the modern age. He crossed all boundaries in ways no one else could.

Following is a commentary on Cronkites influence on the generations, as well as my generation, the Xers:

http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Liberal-Examiner~y2009m7d20-Walter-Cronkites-influence-on-Generation-X

Raymond Gellner – National Liberal Examiner at Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Liberal-Examiner
__________­__________­__________­__________­__________­________

[DonRoberto]

Cronkite was an excellent journalist, but his era ended with the rise of cable TV and 24-hour news channels. Now, if you don't like the truth as one journalist relates it, simply change the channel --- and someone, somewhere, will tell you the "truth" as you would like it to be.

Think there's too much emphasis on politics? No problem --- there are any number of news programs that report only sports, or weather, or celebrity gossip. Too much "bad" news? Again, no problem --- there are channels that report only feel-good stories. Don't like the facts themselves? Again, no problem. Other channels report that FDR caused the Great Depression, or Bill Clinton personally murdered a dozen people --- whatever floats your boat, someone will report it with a straight face if it sells hamburgers, or gel insoles, or financial services products --- or if some vested interest is willing to foot the bill.

There are still legitimate journalists and sources of news, but thanks to the offenders, there is no longer any public perception of a single version of truth anywhere in journalism, and those striving to present an accurate depiction of events in their contexts are as suspect now in the public's eyes as those who intentionally spin and deceive.

Walter Cronkite's great gift was the ability to accurately put factual events into their appropriate context. That is something few legitimate journalists even attempt today, thus leaving the field open to those who abuse their power to inform.

[MsIrisMG]

The saddest thing is that nobody has come along to even TRY to fill his shoes since he retired. At least TRY!! God bless Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, and all the other good ones who have left us.

[Shake-A-Spear]

Let the hagiography begin as we bid a last farewell to Walker Cronkite.

[NoSillyName]

There will never be another like Mr. Cronkite.

RIP

[vanbenthuysen]

I have missed his excellent reporting since his retirement. Always looked forward to listening to him whenever he was a guest or hosted PBS specials on New Year's Eve. It simply breaks your heart that we don't have his excellence of journalism today when we need it the most. And especially back in the Bush years when we were so poorly served.

He will always hold a special place in my memory and I hope his family will know how much he was loved and appreciated.

[Tracy Hale]

I was unfortunately born too late to really appreciate what Mr. Cronkite meant to the journalistic community; to the country. I wish we had his kind of integrity in today's journalists.

Rest In Peace, good sir.

[jackq]

And thats the way he went. End of an ERA.
Welcome to the age of state run news media COMRADE !

[bwolive]

Walter Cronkite - what a great man. Forty six years ago, Cronkite told an 11 year old and his father that President Kennedy had died - like it was yesterday.
I can vividly remember watching his excited anticipation as Neil Amstrong climbed down that ladder and made history walking on the moon.
Every one of these talking heads of today are not worthy to sharpen his pencils.

[Froggie99]

I hope some of those CEOs of the big news outfits around today are taking notice of these comments, and are smart enough to push the investment bankers/owners to treat their news broadcasts as disseminators of information. To focus on current events, not mindless pap.

The investment bankers of today would no doubt take someone with the incredible talent of Walter Conkrite and relegate him to the archives, and instead push the celebrity groupies out in front, so they could focus all their attention on Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and the like.

[shirleyfeeney]

I always referred to him as "Uncle Walt" since he was "so much like a part of our family".

You'll be missed, Uncle Walt.

[JulieSA]

Too bad he let his leftist activism affect the integrity of his journalism.

[FightTheLies]

This coming from a right wing activist.

[DonRoberto]

"Stand with Free Iran"? What is that, nostalgia for the good old days of Savak and the Shah? Read some history for a change, and quit trying to assemble a coherent worldview from the slung feces of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

BTW, the integrity of Cronkite's journalism was never a problem. What you and yours call "leftist" is *mainstream* to intelligent people --- i.e., the rest of the USA. The "New Conservatism" is as dead as Marxism, no-money-down real estate, and the Atkins Diet. Live with it.

[RexOzone]

A man whose strength was felt by all who heard him. He was strong enough to have and show emotion and to record, not rewrite, history while he maintained his human values. His inspiration to those who attempt his excellence is obvious. Rachel, Keith and Stephen owe him debts but probably reflect his professional empathy the best. During the Bush years, when we needed him most, sadly he was not a voice we could hear. I am thankful, though, for my experience of associating reliable broadcasting with the events of the day. He is the modicum of journalistic enthusiasm and integrity unscathed by the conglomerates who now manufacture history within think tanks and institutes.

[johnjmccarthy]

I met Walter at CBS headquarters in Manhatten in August, 1971. I had been invited for an interview by Mike Wallace for a Sixty Minutes segment.

Walter had made the following statement on October 1, 1969 on the CBS Evening News: "CBS Newshas just learned that Special Forces Captain John McCarthy is serving a life sentence in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, under similar charges of premeditated murder that were dismissed today by President Nixon against the eight "Green Berets" arrested in Vietnam for the alleged murder of a Vietnamese double agent."

Five days later, the gates of Fort Leavenworth's Military Penetentiary opened for me.

That is the power of the press.

I heard nothing further from Mike Wallace. The story was spiked. Pauley was in charge of CBS at the time and was using CIA agents posing as reporters around the world.

Sometime after this, Mike Wallace attempted suicide but I don't know that it was related to not airing the above information.

John McCarthy
[e-mail]
http://johnmccarthy90066.tripod.com/id1.html
http://johnmccarthy90066.tripod.com/id48.html
http://www.geocities.com/larryjodaniel/21.html
http://www.geocities.com/larryjodaniel/22.html

[Totto]

William "Bill" Paley

[phoebie]

As a child I'd sit crosslegged on the carpet watching Cronkite with my father asking him questions about the news. One night I asked Dad what the word "politics" meant that Mr. Cronkite keeps talking about. Dad chuckled that politics was what got in the way of Congress getting work done.

I thought a second and told Dad "Maybe if Walter stopped bringing it up, they could get stuff done."

Thank you, Walter Cronkite. You clearly and respectfully reported the facts on which our comtemporary history is built. The 40th anniversary of the moon landing will not be the same without you.

[sweetsdawsonusn]

I was 13 and my brother, cousins and friends were being drafted for the Vietnam War. When they went off to war i would sit with my parents and ask questions about waht was happening over seas. We would talk all thru the evening about current events, i.e. civil rights, Vietnam, Cold War, bigotry. All because of Walter and CBS news. I really feel sorry for us as a country because the voice of real reason has died. Now all we are stuck with is coprorate media and lies and BS. Wake up America and make the news media speak truth to power. We need the truth more than anything for the most important events and decisions of our time. Health care, war and the real American which is waht we all want regardless of waht color or religion you are. Walter Cronkite and the old guard of CBS news will be missed.
PS Fox and Friends sucks hind tits of a fat hog. Nothing but distortions and lies to the really real Americans of all colors and religions. Thanks Walter for Vietnam, because i would not be alive today. I was 19 when it was my turn to go to Vietnam, I went and survived and the hell with the GOP right wing chickenhawks. God Bless You Walter where ever you are and "Thats the way it is"