Walter Cronkite, the iconic broadcast journalist who was dubbed the "most trusted man in America" during his time as the face of "The CBS Evening News," has passed away. He was 92. Cronkite anchored the CBS News flagship broadcast from 1962 to 1981, signing off each broadcast with his trademark, "And that's the way it is..."
Wow. Rest in peace Mr. Cronkite.
ReplyDeleteThe summer continues to deliver iconic losses...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 4 I was often caught in the evening watching him on the news instead of sleeping.
ReplyDeleteMay Walter RIP.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of our Legends, gone but not forgotten.
ReplyDeleteRest In Peace Walter. :(
Oh Mr. C, I grew up with you. R.I.P Walter, may all the future news be good ..
ReplyDeleteHe will always be remembered for his sensitivity... No one comes close to the level of professionalism these days and that's a sad state of affairs. And I'm with Majik... this is a bad year for icons.
ReplyDeleteWhat saddens me even more than Mr Cronkite's passing is the fact that when I changed my Facebook status to 'RIP Walter Cronkite', a fairly intelligent friend of mine who is in her 30s commented with 'who is Walter Cronkite?'
ReplyDeleteWalter Cronkite was my childhood. Icon doesn't begin to cover it.
ReplyDeleteGoodbye Mr. Cronkite. Thank you for your integrity and professionalism.
My dad worked with Walter Cronkite. He expected the best from himself and everyone around him. News was serious business back then, and he sure didn't suffer fools gladly (including Dan Rather, who could be a real putz from time to time.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I only knew Walter Cronkite as a nice old guy who let me sit at his desk and goof a little into his mic while my dad was doing something else in the studio or booth. RIP Mr. Cronkite. You were a king among men.
Sad. I remember him as the anchor of CBS, and I can still hear, "and that's the way it is...." I will miss him.
ReplyDeleteSorry. I'm alone in this thought. He was dry, boring, tired, and dramatic. I didn't need that.
ReplyDeleteWBotW - that is embarrassing!!
ReplyDeleteRIP Walter. I always loved the sound of his voice.
Yet another "rock" from my childhood is now gone.
ReplyDeleteI begin to know these days why my Grandmama read the Obits every day.
I felt Peter Jennings embodied Cronkite's brand of authoritative voice and demeanor, but we lost Peter WAY too early.
Now I look to Brian Williams for that same secure feeling in my evening news (and I also love Brian's humor, esp. when trading jabs on Jon Stewart!).
Anyway, they all could, of course, be telling us total crap propaganda, but I'd rather be BS'ed by someone who makes me at least FEEL safe, if that makes any sense!
RIP, Mr. Cronkite.
I remember when he announced Kennedy's death. If it hadn't been him, I would not have believed it.
ReplyDeleteJamie's Girl -- You may find him boring, but you cannot deny his integrity and professionalism. And his credentials. He was born in 1916, and covered WW2, FFS!
ReplyDeleteGoodbye, Walter.
ReplyDeleteJamie's Girl -- yes, indeed, you ARE alone in your, um, "thought". Mr. Cronkite was THE consummate professional journalist.
ReplyDeleteRIP. your achievements leave a remarkable legacy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the last bastions of old-fashioned, unbiased journalism, instead of the info-tainment / flashy crap we call the news today.
ReplyDeleteGood night, Mr. C.
Remember when the news had class and integrity? (Sigh)You will be sadly missed Mr. Cronkite! RIP.
ReplyDeletemy dad's response to walter's passing was "that's exactly how i want to go. ninety-two, like walter."
ReplyDeletei absolutely agree. him, ed bradley, and barbara walters (in her prime!) are the reason i majored in b.journalism.
RIP to a real class act.
ReplyDeleteFor those who found W.C. to be dry, boring etc. I say this - perhaps you're not aware that what you describe as boring was in fact professional journalism. You know, the good ole days. When you had to have three confirmed sources before your printed/said something. News stories were achieved through hard work and late nights. There was no yelling, showboating or big graphics. They didn't have them because they didn't need them. Their work was interesting enough. Mr. Cronkite was a true journalist, a decent person and as classy as you can get.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't get that, that's your problem and your loss.
Amen, littleoleme. Well said.
ReplyDeleteThank you littleoleme, I couldn't have put it better.
ReplyDeleteRIP Walter, you were the voice of my childhood.
I think you hit the nail on the head littleoleme. Many people under 25 now have NOT had the experience of hearing serious news. Not their fault, but they probably don't even know what it should sound like.
ReplyDeleteWatching Walter Cronkite deliver the news used to be such a family event in our house. :-) I'll never forget his voice.
Thank you for all the kind comments. I think for me the reason his death hits me so hard is because he represents how things used to be. News was news and not, as Babs said, info-tainment. Kids today (I'm 43) have no idea how it used to be; how good it used to be. I would suggest people tune into to Bill Moyers on PBS to be able to see, in some small way, how powerful and fascinating news is when it's done intelligently, thoroughly and with hard work. I believe his show still does it right instead of doing "right now".
ReplyDelete