Cronkite refused to allow his personal beliefs to affect his job of reporting accurate news. Walter covered significant events of the war, including the bombing of Germany and D-Day. He never allowed his broader passion to diminish and die. During World War II, he flew along with bombers raiding Germany and reported extensively on the Nuremberg Trialsand his exploits along with the fabled Murrow Boys even earned him a character in a propaganda drama about the wars brave field reporters. The avuncular Cronkite anchored CBS Evening News for 19 years until 1981 when he retired. One part stood out. To honor his contribution to journalism, Arizona State University established the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1984.7 After leaving CBS in 1993, Cronkite created his own production company and produced numerous documentaries for The Discovery Channel, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and National Public Radio.8. What? Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. | Your email address will not be published. 0 Why the World Trusted Walter. Ever genial and humble, Walter Cronkite laughed. Walter Cronkite, longtime anchor of the CBS Evening News. This is a mostly justifiable assessment. Once there was a newsman named Walter Cronkite. Yet the "most trusted man in America" seemed rather pleased he wasn't recognized at his own front door. In 1968, he goes to Vietnam and does a documentary, Ward says. Privacy Statement In 1974, before the Cronkite-equals-trust clich took root, the Phillips-Sindlinger organization conducted a nationwide poll to determine viewers attitudes toward the top TV newscasters. Soon he would be named host of the Morning Show on CBS. I remember siting with my mom watching the news with her. Want to know that youre right? I hope that journalists reconsider their stories before they publish them. Why was Walter Cronkite the epitome of trust? In 1968 the Communist forces in South Vietnam, facing defeat, staged massive kamikaze attacks on U.S. positions in Saigon. Cronkite is laughing now: "So, I tried to explain but the guard wouldn't budge. 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. 8. 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. 399 Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116 +1-617-564-3443. Walter Cronkite and the legend of CBS News. In a 1972 poll, the American public dubbed him as the most trusted man in America due to numerous reasons. Because he did. Though the FBI did retain some files related to Cronkite, whom they never investigated, files related to an extortion investigation in the 1970s were destroyed. He gave suburb news with honesty of facts. Many lament the passing of the news era that he represented and helped to shape. It was his integrity and commitment to fair reporting which established him as the most trusted man in America. For e-mail notification of errors in this specific column, type the word Cronkite in the subject head of an e-mail message, and send it to slate.pressbox@gmail.com. Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new stories go live. Raised in Houston, Texas, he decided to become a journalist after reading a magazine article about a foreign correspondent. 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). "Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth," she said. The manner in which Walter delivered those stories genuine, caring, professional established him as a trusted news anchor. | Cronkites program became Americas most popular television news broadcast. Riding the Shark Conquering Fear in Selling. At the CBS News Broadcast Center, and throughout the news business, Walter Cronkite largely defined the ethical and journalistic standards that engendered the trust of a nation. According to polls, he was the most trusted man in Americamore than the first lady, the Pope or the president.. There was no 24/7 cable news, no left and right social media echo chambers, and only three major networks broadcasting news. These organizations seem to value one person desperately trying to voice their well-worn diatribe over another. But it was Walter Cronkite and the team of journalists he inspired that brought the rest of us to the Moon. I admired how he strived to be honest and unbiased while delivering the news. I didnt know that he grew up in Houston, thats pretty cool! It must have been comforting to have a reliable and trusted reporter in such uncertain times in American History. 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. Just days ago, I paged through this relic: amazed at the audacity of the race to the moon and the memory of Cronkite's undisguised glee as Neil Armstrong touched the surface of a new world. Privacy Policy | Cronkite covered nearly every American manned spaceflight from 1961 to 1981. And it wasnt fluffyit was very clear. Be skeptical, news consumers, especially of the journalists you trust most. Additionally, I enjoy partaking in various on-campus and non-profit organizations. As a newsman, his passion was limited to his role of reporter. For somebody of my generation, he was the pillar of American broadcast journalism, says David Ward, a historian at the National Portrait Gallery. His college career lasted only two years. Tracy Oppenheimer is a producer at Reason TV. To do anything else would be phony. Trust is a shoddy yardstick. Every night for nearly 20 years, Americans tuned in to hear the day's major events as reported by Cronkite, whose avuncular manner made his show the top-rated news programme from 1969 until he . Click here to try out our award-winning content platform for free. Cronkite got his start in radio, then became a correspondent for United Press. Cookie Settings, the first-ever non-astronaut, non-NASA employee, the FBI did retain some files related to Cronkite, Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island. June 12, 2009, 8:34 AM. Words fail to describe the magnificence of this accomplishment. 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. Walter smiled modestly. Cronkite became "the most trusted man in America" according to a Gallup Poll, . He covered the 1952 presidential elections, and he helped introduce The Beatles to the United States. "And thats the way it is" was his aspirational statementto state the truth, which he felt was independent of our knowledge of itand to share it with the rest of us. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. How so? Research in communication and psychology clearly shows that to be trusted a communicator has to be seen as knowledgeable and credible. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. What made Cronkite such a trusted and beloved figure to the American people, though, was that Cronkite proved along the way he could be trusted to tell them the truth even though it differed from the prevailing narrative or what the government wanted that narrative to be. Walter had that effect on people." Cronkite, who anchored "The CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, died last week at the age of 92. Cronkite stood out from his peers because of his commitment to truth and objectivity in journalism. Newsman Walter Cronkite, who died at the age of 92, was so thoroughly and uniquely linked with the word "trust" that it is tempting to say that the word should be buried with him. Cronkite also refused to report stories until they were validated. And this security guard just will not let me back into the building." The scores of obituaries and appreciations now being heaped upon Walter Cronkites funeral bier almost unanimously express how much the country trusted him. He was one of several reporters assigned to the European theater to cover World War II (WWII). Walter Cronkite earned the American people's trust by telling them hard truths and refusing to toe the expected line. He never allowed his strong liberal leaning to affect his reporting. Walter with his steady, calming and professional manner was the trusted source of news for the nation. His three kids, Nancy, Kathy, and Walter III Cronkite, appeared on "The Early Show" shortly after his passing to speak about his memorial. 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. 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. As I prepared to whisk him off, a security guard at the front desk stopped him. It isn't enough to say that he was the "most trusted man in America," as. Because other news sources were so scarce, Cronkite and the network broadcasts played a huge role in determining what the public considered newsworthy at the time. He then moved to Houston Texas where he lived out his childhood. Yet, in the silence, with a huge grin his hand taking the horn-rimmed glasses off of eyes nearly filled with tears Walter Cronkite told us all we needed to know. Part of HuffPost Media. 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. My dad was one of those people. Advertising Notice Beware of those who fetishize trust, Monck and Hanley counsel. He was a true ambassador for the program with a giant reach that no one in NASA could have had alone. He was 92 and had homes in New York and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Over four decades of TV broadcasting, Uncle Walter defined a nations news. What wont diminish are the lessons which can be learned from Cronkite about building a brand and achieving success. The CBS anchor is remembered as a media giant who gruffly championed hard-hitting journalism. To do anything else would be phony. The CBS News security man began to protest but saw a murderous look in my eye and wisely let us pass. "It's safe to say that Walter Cronkite was not the most trusted man in America, and it's safe to say he was not even the most trusted man among newsmen," says American University Professor. Trust Inc. Strategies for Building Your Company's Most Valuable Asset. The Most Trusted Man in America. My grandmother used to tell me about Cronkite and his reporting. <p>'The most trusted man in America's fan mail was still . And one last thing. Network management put an end to that practice on the very first night. Entering the 1950s, both his heart and career were in full bloom. He was one of those rare folks who discovered their love and lifes purpose at a very young age. 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). Be true to yourself and your profession Walter Cronkite realized his purpose early in life. Yet, much as I wished it might one day be my foot that stepped out beyond this Earth, being an astronaut didn't seem as much fun as doing what Walter Cronkite was doing. Start spreading the news: The townhouse that formerly belonged to the late CBS anchor Walter Cronkite will hit the market for $7.7 million. Prove yourself wrong! The legendary CBS anchorman was the most trusted man in America. A 1973 poll showed Walter Cronkite to be "the most trusted man in America." . Walter Leland Cronkite . And every article, blog or TV clip mentions how Walter Cronkite was so trusted. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Thank you for this article, many of us likely know the name Walter Cronkite but Id be lying if Id said I knew the full breadth of his career and his contributions to American journalism. During WWII, Walter Cronkite flew in a real bombing mission over Germany. Here it is again, not-so-new-and-improved, but still pretty good, I think. Weeks later, CBS's Walter Cronkite by some estimations the most trusted man in America famously repudiated the "optimism of the American leaders" and called into question the . The decade of the sixties was tumultuous including social unrest, the civil rights movement, Vietnam and the assassinations ofMartin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. However, he said, his ad-libbed discussions with Charlemagne, who was played by legendary puppeteer Bil Baird, were remarkable for their depth, especially since puppets could express opinions humans were reluctant to make public. So much so that a poll taken in 1972 named him the most trusted man in America more so than the president at that time, Richard M. Nixon. Walter Cronkite had come a long way from the little-known World War II and Moscow correspondent whom the old United Press had tried to promote to its London bureau at the magnificent salary . Walter Cronkite with the News (1962-1963) CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell (2019-present) . He put forth his personal opinion, a luxury he denied himself in deference to the integrity of the news and his role. His voice was always calm and true. 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. He began his career with a commitment to journalism as well. He was one of several reporters assigned to the European theater to cover World War II (WWII). His only agenda was his professionalism, about which he was quite clear. Despite his objective persona, it was clear to his viewers that Cronkite was a real person with real interests and feelings. Working on the desk was.". It is during his years at CBS where he started working on major events such as the 1952 presidential election. But you can still see it. Cronkite, the CBS newsman so revered by Americans that they considered him the "most trusted man in America," died Friday, July 19, 2009. . It's chockablock with how-to's, practical tips and successful trust-building ideas. July 2, 2012. Night after night, Walter Cronkite came into the living room reporting the news, and people trusted that he was giving them the truth. The Web, which can make the cable news channels look positively Cronkitian, has only reshattered the shards. Cronkites story influenced then-President Johnson not to seek re-election, and it also started a trend toward greater truth-telling in the media at the time. 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. Fearless brands understand that their passion is their fuel but that it has to be effectively managed. Walter Cronkites iconic sign-off and thats the way it is was taken at face value by the nation. During his time at CBS, he was selected for the Television Hall of Fame, being only the second newsman to ever be chosen, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. As consumers shifted consumption of news from newsprint to television in the 1960s, consumers shifted whom and what they trusted, too. Him as a trusted news anchor news broadcast me about Cronkite and his reporting Contributor platform times American. His only agenda was his integrity and commitment to journalism as well heaped upon Walter Cronkites funeral bier almost express. Martha & # x27 ; s trust by telling them hard truths and refusing to toe the line... In various on-campus and non-profit organizations to shape accurate news quot ; the trusted! 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