Saturday, July 18, 2009

That's the way it was: Walter Cronkite

It's hard to put words to the news Walter Cronkite is dead beyond what so many have said in print and on television. His impact was felt so far and wide beyond the US that even in some EU member states -- in particular Sweden and the Netherlands -- a news anchor is called a "Cronkiter." He famously reported on the death of JFK, Vietnam, the moon landing and Watergate; and he was actually handling the phones live on the air when two famous figures in particular -- Martin Luther King and Lyndon Johnson -- died during airtime.
 
Like Woodward and Bernstein at their heights, Cronkite was a stickler for details, giving people the simple facts without overdoing it. When he said "That's the way it is," it was. It's hard to imagine another coming along like him.

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1 comment:

PerfectMomentProject said...

Walter Cronkite really was the second most important man in my life.

Both he and my father gave me a passion for journalism. And Mr. Cronkite welcomed me in to teach at the school named after him.
We met soon after I was hired at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at ASU.
He said he had heard about me joining the staff, and was excited that I would be able to share my knowledge with the students. He said just teach them well, and I have taken that to heart.