Walter Cronkite

He told us that President Kennedy had died.

He told us that we had landed a man on the moon.

He walked us through national conventions.

No one was elected president until he said so.

The Viet Nam War ended when he said it was time to go.

He reported on the bombings of London.

And the Olympic skiers in Squaw Valley.

There were never any articles about his hairstyle.

We never knew whether he was Republican or Democrat.

He reassured us in times of national crisis.

Celebrated our triumphs and called us on our shortcomings.

He had no agendas.

He wasn't folksy or perky.

He was the voice of reason.

The conscience of the country.

He was just... Uncle Walter. The most trusted man in America. And now that voice has been silenced. We've lost the last true journalist the broadcast industry will ever see. Just how monumental is his passing?

Name me one person, anybody, who could be called the most trusted man in America now. I can't think of one either.

God bless you, Walter Cronkite. You were the best that ever was.

And that's the way it is.

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And read his blog here.

Comments

[hoosier96]

He was a liberal icon and the North Vietcong's most ardent public spokesman.

[TheKurgan]

He was a throwback to the other greats like Eric Severeid and Edward R. Murrow. Murrow said "this...is London," but Walter could have said it, too. They were the greats. No one today on mainstream news is even worth editing Walter's copy. The fellow who said Daniel Shore is a Cronkite-like journalist is correct, though. Hey, CBS, why not hire Daniel Shore????

[doublestandard76]

Very well said, Ken.

You would think that Walter's simple style of being objective and acting emotional only when the situation truly called for it, would have been so easy to emulate. Yet, no one could really follow Uncle Walter.

While, Walter Cronkite had not been the national voice of CBS News for 28 years, we still miss him on TV. He was what the news should be, accurate, informative and free of having an ego.

Rest in peace, Walter, you made the world a better place.

[BarryChamplain]

1. It's Daniel SCHORR;

2. Let it be noted that Daniel Schorr in his post-Watergate years became the NPR reporter who, when faced with a question about how George W. Bush couldn't appear at a Congressional hearing without Dick Cheney at his side, and why was W proving to be the sock puppet of Cheney, took PERSONAL UMBRAGE at the mere suggestion of such a ghastly, inappropriate question.

In the end, when he was enjoying his "veteran correspondent" status, he proved to be nothing more than another courtier to power in the Beltway Village.

Far cry from the journalist hero, whose book I marvelled-at as a younger person, after CBS had canned him for crossing Nixon.

[TenThings]

I have nothing but admiration of Walter Cronkite but the "Uncle Walter" metaphor is scary. Maybe because I never really liked uncles. My uncle used to tell me he wished I was dead. That I should be the one on the moon. He left me alone and crying whenever he took me to the circus. I ever knew if he was Republican or Democrat because he just hated everybody. I cannot say the uncle term is reassuring, just scary, but again, I have nothing but admiration for Walter Cronkite the professional.

[Fuego1]

Although NPR is a smaller arena, Daniel Shore is a commentator whose view is valued and trusted

[hippietilidie]

Agreed. I grew up with "Uncle Walter". The news today is becoming an entertainment venue. I want hard news with objectivity. No one did it better than Cronkite.