Others have been talking all day about the man I consider to have been the best Television news anchorman and perhaps the best TV journalist ever: Walter L. Cronkite Jr. That there is no one like him today seems obvious, that we as a country have allowed his style of journalism to be replaced by bought and paid for opinion, psychodrama and angertainment is less obvious but true none the less.With Cronkite you felt you got the story, not his opinion or the opinion of the corporation who owned the station or the party that owned him. You rarely saw his emotion, but sometimes you did: when for a moment it seemed like John Glenn hadn't survived re-entry, when Dan Rather was punched in the stomach by Mayor Daley's goons at the Democratic convention and of course when he finally had to read the news that John F. Kennedy had been declared dead. Listen to Hannity, or O'Reilly or almost any TV talking heads today, and you have to mourn a lost tradition. Who amongst them today would the public vote to be the most trusted man in America?
There was more to him however. There was Cronkite the Radio history enthusiast, there was KB2GSD as his fellow radio amateurs knew him, powerful spokesman for Amateur Radio, a strong voice for community involvement and patriot and there was Cronkite the yachtsman and sailor who donated his beautiful custom built yawl Wyntje to the Norfolk Marine Institute and the Tidewater Environmental Program to help troubled teens. By early this morning, QRZ.com had listed him as KB2GSD/SK -- the SK is for silent key.
Do they make men like him any more? Sure they do, but you won't find them in politics or TV journalism, which have of course become the same thing.
KB2GSD de N4HO FB OM AR ES 73
Thank you so much, Captain Fogg, for your lovely tribute to Walter Cronkite. This weekend as was I watched commemorations of his life and career, there was one comment that struck me. Cronkite said his stories covered aspects of news that citizens needed to know, not necessarily what they wanted to know. An informed citizenry, he insisted, is critical to a healthy democracy.
ReplyDeleteAmong the many charities he supported, there is one more worthy of mention: The Interfaith Alliance, an organization that advocates a strict separation between religion and government and seeks to counter the bigotry and influence of extreme right-wing religious fanatics. I have supported this group since 2003 … due in no small measure to Cronkite serving as Honorary Chairman and spokesperson.
It's a group worth supporting, even for those like me who think the end is nigh, nasty and inevitable.
ReplyDeleteSad to say, half the country doesn't remember him. Listening to Markos Moulitsas the other night, it was strange and somewhat annoying that he had to admit he hadn't a clue about what Cronkite was about and hinted that a 'one man control' of the news wasn't a good thing.
It's doubly sad that it's impossible to make so many people aware of the unique oddity of our times.
Captain: “ Listening to Markos Moulitsas the other night, it was strange and somewhat annoying that he had to admit he hadn't a clue about what Cronkite was about and hinted that a 'one man control' of the news wasn't a good thing..”
ReplyDeleteMarkos’ snark, notwithstanding, what he did not understand: At the time, all media was dominated by three networks, two of which dominated evening news. What Markos does not seem to appreciate is that ONE man set the standard for the other OTHER network. But Cronkite was not alone. How about Edward R. Murrow who brought down the most virulent demagogue of the age … Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Today, of course, we have network news, cable news, the Internet, and legions of bloggers. In our generation, we were fortunate to have had a man of Cronkite’s integrity. But the burning question is this: Are we better served today, given the proliferation of news outlets? Sorry, Markos. I think not. What we get now is garbage.