We have lost yet another American icon. Notice I said icon, not movie star, entertainer or pop culture hero. Walter Cronkite, once accurately described as "the most trusted man in America," passed away today at the age of 92. He was the genial "Uncle Walter" who we let into our home to tell us what was happening in the world around us. I grew up watching him as he reported on the day's events. And what events they were : "Here is a bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas, Texas three shots were fired...."; "Man on the moon! Whew, boy...; "we shall try tonight to pull together the threads of this amazing story."
If the news was bad, his manner and the gravity of his voice were reassuring, as if to say, we will get through this together. If the news was good, his eyes would twinkle and the hint of a smile would emerge below his moustache. In any event, we believed him. And he believed in us, in the American spirit and that the truth, however ugly and painful, needed to be told. He reported what he saw, not what he was shown.
He will be remembered as an ardent proponent of the manned space program, which he reported upon from its onset. His enthusiasm and emotion were never more evident as he watched and reported when Neil Armstrong's boots touched lunar soil that first time. One could almost believe that it was Cronkite up there taking that "small step."
Walter Cronkite did not invent broadcast journalism, but came to be its public face. He did not lead public opinion, but reflected it. His voice was not strident or inflammatory, but was heeded. And when he stated" That's the way it is," you knew that you had heard the truth.
If the news was bad, his manner and the gravity of his voice were reassuring, as if to say, we will get through this together. If the news was good, his eyes would twinkle and the hint of a smile would emerge below his moustache. In any event, we believed him. And he believed in us, in the American spirit and that the truth, however ugly and painful, needed to be told. He reported what he saw, not what he was shown.
He will be remembered as an ardent proponent of the manned space program, which he reported upon from its onset. His enthusiasm and emotion were never more evident as he watched and reported when Neil Armstrong's boots touched lunar soil that first time. One could almost believe that it was Cronkite up there taking that "small step."
Walter Cronkite did not invent broadcast journalism, but came to be its public face. He did not lead public opinion, but reflected it. His voice was not strident or inflammatory, but was heeded. And when he stated" That's the way it is," you knew that you had heard the truth.
