Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009
I was done for the day, but just heard the news that Walter Cronkite, the dominant figure from the golden era of network news, died today at the age of 92. One of the iconic quotes from the Vietnam War was Lyndon Johnson's remark to Bill Moyers, after watching Cronkite's critical editorial after the Tet Offensive in 1968, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Today, as we've all lost Cronkite, I consulted our Look Inside the Book feature for his own account of that event in his memoir, A Reporter's Life:
So I flew home and did a special report on the Tet Offensive. It was as factual as we at CBS News could make it. But I ended it with a clearly labeled editorial. This was a radical departure from our normal practice. I had only once or twice stepped out of my role as an impartial newscaster, and on both those occasions I was defending freedom of the press on the theory that if we members of the press did not speak up for this democratic essential, no one else would.
As we discussed the broadcast, [Richard] Salant warned that I was placing my reputation, as well as CBS's, on the line and that we were putting ourselves in jeopardy; that given the delicate state of the bitterly divided American public opinion, we might well lose a substantial part of our audience. I had no problem making my decision. Salant, as courageous as ever, agreed, although he was more aware than anyone else could have been of the troubles that might soon tumble around his head from disturbed, less courageous affiliated stations and thus perhaps his own management.
In the broadcast I made clear that my subsequent words represented my own opinion and that this was an extraordinary affair. I said, "To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest that we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory conclusion.... It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out, then, will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." ...
I think it is possible that the President shared my opinion, and that, in effect, I had confirmed it for him. He probably had as much difficulty as I had in accepting the military's optimism in the face of the Tet setback.
And, with the 40th anniversary of one of Cronkite's other best-known broadcasts approaching, here is his account of his reaction to the landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon:
"Oh, boy! Whew! Boy!" These were my first words, profundity to be recorded for the ages. They were all I could utter.
Want to watch him yourself? Here is the original CBS broadcast of the landing:
--Tom
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sri on July 18, 2009 at 09:55 AM
Wow, another famous person to leave. Walter (referred to as "Uncle Walt") was a great man that knew how to deliver news. I wish these noobs nowadays had such skills. Prayers to Walter's family and friends. In his memory, for his fans I have collected some great sites and articles (more than 200) to know all about Walter Cronkite. If you are interested take a look at the below link
http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/07/walter-cronkite-another-famous-person.html
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Walter Cronkite is the dominant figure from the golden era of network news.