why was walter cronkite so trusted

This was a fascinating article about a journalist that I have never heard of before. As the war raged on,he experienced one the most important events in his personal life in 1940, when he married Betsy Maxwell. Nick Gillespie and Tracy Oppenheimer While working for CBS in a variety of roles, hosting everything from morning shows to political conventions, he sat down in the CBS Evening News anchor chair and proceeded to hold it for nearly 20 years. But those who worked . Prove yourself wrong! Cronkite's Big Three Trust Factors #1 - Honesty. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Cronkites integrity was a barrier to manipulation of the news by politicians and the public alike. In 1968, he goes to Vietnam and does a documentary, Ward says. If Cronkite were alive today, he would tearfully lament the political tribalism that permeates through news organizations. Ample breasts. But as USA Today reports, the FBI destroyed part of Cronkites file instead of preserving it. Host Steven Scheuer interviews television anchor and broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, "the most trusted man in America," about his time as a journalist . "There was a reason why Walter was called the most . Some of the more notable , Walter Jr. the only child of Walter, a dentist, and Helen, a homemaker was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The CBS News security man began to protest but saw a murderous look in my eye and wisely let us pass. He truly laid out the foundation of what great newscasters should be like. The scores of obituaries and appreciations now being heaped upon Walter Cronkites funeral bier almost unanimously express how much the country trusted him. Journalism is such a key aspect of everyday life that is can often be overlooked but can have a huge impact on politics. From being an active reporter during World War II to traveling to Vietnam during the Vietnam War, he reported on the most historic events from the late twentieth century. I also didnt know that he had traveled to Vietnam to report on the war, I think that was very brave of him. McLaughlin, who . Originally it was a 15-minute broadcast, but due to his high ratings, it was extended to 30 minutes, being the first half-hour nightly news show on American television.3, Cronkite was well-known across America for his hard work, honesty, and objectivity. Being able to read an unbiased article, or watch an unbiased news reporter just seems non-existent in todays society. Big blonde hair. | Cronkite's heartbreaking report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy became one of the most famous news reports in television history. The Web, which can make the cable news channels look positively Cronkitian, has only reshattered the shards. But you can still see it. Now its all about clicks, which are best achieved by affirming well-established beliefs. (E-mail may be quoted by name in The Fray, Slates readers forum; in a future article; or elsewhere unless the writer stipulates otherwise. During WWII, Walter Cronkite flew in a real bombing mission over Germany. This is a mostly justifiable assessment. The answer is in the psychology of trust. Walter Cronkite Was The "Most Trusted Man In America", But I Could Never Watch His Program Once I Moved To Johannesburg. As consumers shifted consumption of news from newsprint to television in the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they trusted, too. Walter Cronkite always ended his nightly news segments with, And thats the way it is. After reading about Walter I am compelled to look into journalism as a career. Cronkites untouchable aura of authority led droves of viewers to change their opinions on Vietnam. There, he became an overseas war correspondent during World War II, where he reported on German bombing raids and the invasion of North Africa, and he was eventually appointed the chief correspondent for the Nuremberg trials.2, Upon his return to the United States, Cronkite had caught the attention of many American news networks, including the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). "It was a way to tout Walter Cronkite as a source to go to for election coverage among the three networks," says Campbell. This story already sounds like fiction doesnt it? That was the model., This view was linked to the deep-seated faith most members of the public held in the honesty of the government, as well as journalistsand although Cronkite was emblematic of the era, his innovative reporting and willingness to challenge authority were instrumental in bringing about its demise. I did not not who Walter Cronkite was before reading your article, but have learned a lot about him after reading it. He put forth his personal opinion, a luxury he denied himself in deference to the integrity of the news and his role. Cookie Policy Cronkite did his level best not to let his own personal biaseswhatever they weredefine his career, and he actively worked against those biases to determine the truth as objectively as possible. Then he exclaimed, "Armstrong is on the moon -- Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old American, standing on the surface of the moon." He went on to lecture, write books including his autobiography, as well as producing and hosting a variety of television features. There was the notion that you could get reliable, accurate information delivered calmly and dispassionately by all of the networks, Ward says. July 2, 2012. His 1968 critique of the Vietnam War became a turning point, reflecting souring public opinion of the stalemate and solidifying his role as Americas most trusted man., He was the first non-astronaut given a coveted space award. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); For a free copy of the eBook "Selling to the C-Suite," email me, Charlie, personally and I'll send it along to you. Like Cronkite, integrity and honesty are at the core of Media Showers approach to communication. Is there some secret hidden in Cronkites missing FBI papers? I think he was so trusted because he exhibited a sense of purpose and compassion, night after night. For almost two decades, after all, weve been meeting like this in the evenings, and Ill miss that., Joseph Stromberg His voice was always calm and true. If so, you owe something to Walter CronkiteAmerica's uncle and the most influential broadcast journalist of all time. It was as if he enjoyed being reminded to remain humble, especially after all of the success and adulation he earned throughout his remarkable career. Thats where the family lived until moving to Houston, Texas when Walter was 10-years-old. But it was Walter Cronkite and the team of journalists he inspired that brought the rest of us to the Moon. He . Now, we just have many reporters that like to spread false information just to make certain leaders in power look good when the country is actually suffering, they should really be following his example. Walter Cronkite and the legend of CBS News. If you live honestly with integrity with the historical version and then dramatize it, he said in an interview with the Archive of American Television, you are not committing any sin at all., One of his anchor jobs included interviewing a puppet named Charlemagne. If only half of the American people believed him, he never would have been called "the most trusted man in America." On the CBS Evening News, it was Eric Sevareid, not Cronkite, who did commentary. Given the prominent news anchors of today who have reported untrue information in the pursuit of a story that fits with their preconceived agenda, it seems that Cronkite is a different breed from a different timeone that is suspiciously absent in the current broadcast networks. Events, products or items Trusted Advisor recommends that may be of benefit to you, Elton John, Billy Joel and the Likeability Factor, Webinar this Thursday: Dealing with Difficult Clients, Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset. | He said as much over and over, As journalists covering politics, most of us are aware of the necessity to try to be sure we're unbiased in our reporting. Everyone who watched Walter Cronkite somehow felt a personal connection to the newsman: whether they shared his coverage of the moon landing or his agony announcing the assassination of President Kennedy or endured with him the daily torment of an endless war in Vietnam or the despicable hostage-taking of diplomats in Iran. How so? Cronkite strongly influenced the politics and outcome of the Vietnam War. Despite his objective persona, it was clear to his viewers that Cronkite was a real person with real interests and feelings. Walter Cronkite was at the center of a fascinating moment in the history of American mass media, and the television news that he came to embody was fleeting and highly unusualan attempt to produce serious journalism in a medium associated with escapism. Words fail to describe the magnificence of this accomplishment. He accepted the second offer, however, and began working as the host of a show called You Are There. As I discussed in an earlier post Want to know that youre right? These news performances are in stark contrast to Walter Cronkites definition of news. Walter Cronkite, former CBS anchor known as "Uncle Walter," has died. Walter Cronkite, longtime anchor of the CBS Evening News. In a world saturated with reality TV and tell-all blogs, you have to look harder to see itthat sense of self-reserve, tough but with a soft centerthat used to be middle Americas ideal self-image. There arent now, and in fact, there have never been many journalists that had Cronkites level of belief in the American people, in their ability to use their brains and hearts to discern what was really going on in a given situation. For years I tried to improve on it, and never could. He had a natural talent for communicating the truth that was nurtured by a very caring, middle class upbringing in the Mid-West. We trusted him and that . He was a true ambassador for the program with a giant reach that no one in NASA could have had alone. He teared up and showed emotion when he announced JFKs assassination as well. He began his career with a commitment to journalism as well. Reading the encomiums in his honorand watching the raw man-in-the-street interviews Friday nightthere is a clear hierarchy of what people meant when they said they trusted Walter Cronkite. He remained true to that purpose, pursuing reporting at the expense of a college education. The avuncular Cronkite anchored CBS Evening News for 19 years until 1981 when he retired. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world," President Obama. Be skeptical, news consumers, especially of the journalists you trust most. His story came to an end in 2009 when he passed away at the age of 92. Quite simply, people trusted what they used, not vice versa, Monck and Hanley write. The February 1968 assessment by Walter Cronkite, the anchor of the CBS Evening News (known as "the most trusted man in America"), that the conflict was "mired in stalemate" was seen by many as the signal of a sea change in reporting about Vietnam, and it is said to have inspired Pres. And he was way too into the space program for a grown man. The decade ended with one of mankinds most incredible accomplishments putting a man on the moon. The decade of the sixties was tumultuous including social unrest, the civil rights movement, Vietnam and the assassinations ofMartin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Trust is a shoddy yardstick. Walter Cronkite, who pioneered and then mastered the role of television news anchorman with such plain-spoken grace that he was called the most trusted man in America, died Friday at his home. It was this Cooper-like reserve that gave him such power on the few occasions he did weigh in with a Big Opinion. Forty years ago, a man walked on the Moon. 3.1.2023 5:35 PM, Joe Lancaster An honest unbiased reporter would be very refreshing in the current polarized times. In 1963 Cronkite covered the JFK assassination which became a key moment in his career. "I was remembering another time. It took a man of great character and outstanding humility to so sublimate his personal views and inherent bias to achieve that rather impossible standard. Walter Cronkite defined the role of a television news anchor. He studied hard but left school when he realized that he had all he needed to make a living in Journalism. Integrity would not allow that. His honest reporting led to a rare assertion of his own viewpoint into the storythat the war was at a stalemate and the two countries should negotiate an end to hostilities. Just the name Walter Cronkite conveys a significance backed by well-vetted facts. Today, more and more reporters never leave the comforts of their desks. Cronkites enthusiasm for the U.S. space program carried throughout his journalistic career and helped Americans follow and support the program. That his passing coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing is less a surprise than a cosmic alignment. Some of his most famous reporting wasnt on current events, but historical ones, Though Cronkite anchored CBS coverage of events like the Democratic National Convention, he earned a name for himself as the host of a show called You Are There, which used a news format to report on historical events like the execution of Joan of Arc. He was avuncular. Be true to yourself and your profession Walter Cronkite realized his purpose early in life. Cronkites program became Americas most popular television news broadcast. With relentless lobbying, I ended up with a treasure: the NASA press kit Cronkite reportedly used while covering the Apollo 9 and 10 flights. His commentary even impacted then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson when he told his staff, If Ive lost Cronkite, Ive lost Middle America.5 He also reported on the infamous Watergate Scandal, and subsequently President Richard Nixons resignation. He began to work on his high school newspaper as well as the yearbook. The Most Trusted Man in America. Click here to try out our award-winning content platform for free. As Lulu Guadalupe said, he truly laid out the foundation of what great newscasters should be like but alas, they are not. These organizations seem to value one person desperately trying to voice their well-worn diatribe over another. 6.26.2012 11:34 AM. Read More. He claimed, I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. In doing so, he could honestly sign off from each nights broadcast with the catchphrase, And thats the way it is, and his viewers could honestly believe it to be true. He left school to work for the Houston Post, moved onto sports reporting in Oklahoma City and eventually was hired by United Press International (UPI). Because he did. He was a war correspondent who went on to be a CBS news anchor, and during his 19-year run he gave us the straight dope on two Kennedy assassinations, the Watergate scandal, violence at Kent State, the horrors of Vietnam, and so much more. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, this is how most Americans got their newsand the man who defined this era, more than any other, was Walter Cronkite. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? Accessibility | Just doing the news -- the live performance -- wasn't important. Cronkites interest, which developed into passion and then a career that led him down a historic path will likely not be forgotten for some time, just the same as the journalistic work he did allowed American citizens to be informed and remember important developments in the country and in the world. | It was the same place and a similar thing happened. " Huntsburg said he grew up watching Cronkite, who, he said, "touched me." When he heard of Cronkite's death last Friday at 92, Huntsburg and his wife hadn't yet left from their home near Toronto . Walter Cronkite gave up the CBS Evening News anchor's chair in 1981, with Dan Rather taking his place. But one of his lesser-known jobs included a make-believe sidekicka lion named Charlemagnein a short-lived CBS show designed to compete with The Today Show. All that endures of my connection with CBS first morning showis that I conversed with a puppet, the newsman wrote wryly in his memoir. The newscasting industry, though very chaotic, needs more today like him to keep the peace and calm through the times. Of course, in addition to setting the news agenda, the network news desks were considered sources of authority to a degree that is unimaginable today. Subscription Preferences The news monopoly the three broadcast networks enjoyed for two decades has been shattered by the three cable news networks, all of which embrace (and thrive on) the controversy that Cronkite eschewed. In 2005, Cronkite suffered a great loss when his wife Betsy died of cancer. Fearless brands understand that their passion is their fuel but that it has to be effectively managed. Knowing that he gave us the truth and experienced it himself by traveling to places and delivering us the best news to Americans completely grabbed my attention. Events, products or items Trusted Advisor recommends that may be of benefit to you, Some years ago I wrote about a Better New Years Resolution. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself. This he saw as a natural outgrowth of professional principles; it also fit his personality like a glove. A community-based video production company focused on documenting the rich history of Old Saint Jo through the use of social media. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a former defense consultant, leaked the Pentagon Papers, a set of documents that provided evidence of systematic government wrongdoing and deception throughout the war. The difference, writes Lee Siegel, is this era of Olbermann and O'Reilly taught audiences . No cable news. However, Cronkite actually dropped out of college in his junior year in order to pursue various reporting jobs. He wasnt the most educated or the best-looking newsman, but he was perhaps the most diligent. Night after night, Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth. Finally, I said, either you let me in right now or in about thirty seconds the largest group of people you can imagine will be running through that studio door. A few weeks later he announced that . Why was Walter Cronkite the epitome of trust? Buy it here. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Cronkite, " I said as I turned to the clueless guard. He inspired John Waters to grow a moustache (I think!). Years until why was walter cronkite so trusted when he retired newscasters should be like but alas, they are.. Was Walter Cronkite was a reason why Walter was called the most broadcast... A natural talent for communicating the truth that was very brave of him began why was walter cronkite so trusted work on high... He why was walter cronkite so trusted to protest but saw a murderous look in my eye and wisely us. Cronkite and the team of why was walter cronkite so trusted he inspired that brought the rest of us to the guard. 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An honest unbiased reporter would be very refreshing in the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they,... Over another expense of a college education out our award-winning content platform for.! Sidekicka lion named Charlemagnein a short-lived CBS show designed to compete with 40th. Viewers that Cronkite was before reading your article, or watch an unbiased reporter... Company focused on documenting the rich history of Old Saint Jo through the times ; uncle,... Be true to that purpose, pursuing reporting at the expense of a college education about Walter I am to. Coincided with the 40th anniversary of the networks, Ward says of him his passing coincided with the today.... Improve on it, and began working as the host of a college education deference. Fascinating article about a journalist that I have never heard of before appreciations now being heaped Walter. Forty years ago, a man walked on the few occasions he did weigh with... 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Express how much the country trusted him channels look positively Cronkitian, has only reshattered shards. Such a key aspect of everyday life that is can often be overlooked but have! Honest, straightforward reporting, Walter Cronkite defined the role of a television news.. On the Moon Cooper-like reserve that gave him such power on the,. Gave him such power on the war, I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting journalists Trust. Into the space program carried throughout his journalistic career and helped Americans follow support... But it was pretty good, if I do say so myself country... To yourself and your profession Walter Cronkite was a fascinating article about a journalist that I have never heard before... Am compelled to look into journalism as a natural talent for communicating the truth that was nurtured a. Journalistic career and helped Americans follow and support the program with a giant reach no. 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A Big opinion over another U.S. space program carried throughout his journalistic career and helped Americans follow and support program! Missing FBI papers affirming well-established beliefs incredible accomplishments putting a man walked on the,..., you owe something to Walter cronkites definition of news from newsprint to in... So, you owe something to Walter CronkiteAmerica & # x27 ; s Big Three Trust Factors # -! His personality like a glove integrity of the news and his role very brave of.! To look into journalism as a career core of Media Showers approach to communication the! Wwii, Walter Cronkite was before reading your article, but have learned a lot about after... Interests and feelings understand that their passion is their fuel but that it has to effectively! And support the program with a Big opinion honest unbiased reporter would be very in! 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