Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American news journalist. He is most well-known for his time as a news anchor for CBS News, from 1962 to 1981. Cronkite reported on many events in American history in the 1960s and 1970s, including:
- The assassination of President John F. Kennedy
- The Apollo 11 moon landing
- The Vietnam War, which he reported on nightly
- The Watergate scandal (which led to President Richard Nixon resigning from his position)
- The Cold War
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During his time as a newscaster, Walter Cronkite was often referred to as "the most trusted man in America."
The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona was named after Walter Cronkite.
Career
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Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916 in St. Joseph, Missouri. He studied at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1935, Cronkite left school to work for the Houston Post.[1] He later worked for several midwestern radio stations. In World War II he was a war correspondent for United Press International. After the end of World War II, he was chief correspondent at the Nuremberg trials.[1] He went to work for CBS News in 1950. In 1962 he helped start the CBS Evening News; thereafter, Cronkite remained a news anchor at CBS Evening News until he retired in 1981.
After retiring, in 1981 he was a co-producer of a PBS program, Why in the World.[1] In 1982 he hosted CBS's Universe. He was the host of the Arts & Entertainment Channel's (A&E's predecessor) Dinosaur. He created Cronkite Remembers for CBS and the Discovery Channel.
Walter Cronkite also wrote several books.[1]
Cronkite won several awards during his career. In 1981, following a long career covering the news, Cronkite was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[1] He won two Peabody Awards and several Emmy Awards.[1]
Reporting
changeWalter Cronkite was known for his coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award.
Cronkite was well known for his departing catchphrase "And that's the way it is," followed by the date on which the appearance aired.[1]
Cronkite made history when he became the first television reporter to announce the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[2] In the newsroom at CBS, the cameras were not ready when the news came in over the newswire service.[3] Cronkite's voice was broadcast over a blank CBS placard on the screen: "Bulletin . . . In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade. The first reports say the President was seriously wounded, that he slumped over in Mrs. Kennedy's lap, she cried out, 'Oh, no!' and the motorcade went on . . . The wounds perhaps could be fatal . . ."[4] For three and a half days there was no entertainment, no commercials, just the news.[4]
Cronkite's reporting of Vietnam was controversial. He reported the events on the evening news. During the Tet Offensive, Cronkite traveled there in person to see the results.[5] What he saw upset him. On February 27, 1968, Cronkite reported the war in Vietnam could not be won.[6] This was a major change from his usual objective reporting. He was voicing his own opinion on national television.[7] It was the view of David Halberstam and others that Cronkite's broadcast turned many Americans against the war.[5] Also that it played a part in Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to run for another term as President.[5] Some others believe that Americans were already turning against the war before Cronkite's broadcast.[8] After watching Cronkite's broadcast, Lyndon Johnson said to his press secretary, George Christian, "If I have lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America."[5] Whatever effect Cronkite's broadcast had, by 1967 Johnson's approval rating on the war was down to 32%.
Personal life
changeWalter Cronkite was married to Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Maxwell from 1940 until her death in 2005. They had three children.
Death
changeWalter Cronkite died in New York City, New York on the morning of July 17, 2009; the cause of death was cerebrovascular disease. Cronkite was 92 years old at the time of his death.[9]
References
change- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Walter Cronkite Biography". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ "CBS News Unveils Coverage of JFK Assassination Anniversary, Dan Rather-Free". Deadline.com. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ Tierney Sneed (14 November 2013). "How John F. Kennedy's Assassination Changed Television Forever". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- 1 2 'America's Long Vigil', TV Guide, Issue 565, Vol. 12, No. 4 (January 25, 1964), p. 79
- 1 2 3 4 Robert W. Merry (12 July 2012). "Cronkite's Vietnam Blunder". The National Interest. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ "Vietnam on Television". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ "Walter Cronkite". PBS/WETA. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ Chester Patch (22 July 2009). "The Way It Wasn't: Cronkite and Vietnam". History News Network. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ↑ "Former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite dies". MSNBC.com. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
Other websites
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- Walter Cronkite Honored by NASA with a Moon Rock as an Ambassador of Exploration Archived 2009-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Walter Cronkite Narration Archived 2005-05-23 at the Wayback Machine for Chatham Radio WCC documentary by Mooncusser Films
- Walter Cronkite: A Living Legend Still Loving Animals Archived 2008-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Biography on InterfaithAlliance Archived 2003-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Spacefacts biography of Walter Cronkite
- Amateur Radio Today (video)
- Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University
- University of Texas TV ads Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Cronkite's personal blog
- Cronkite's filmography on IMDB
- Web ZIne from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University Archived 2008-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
- Signature of Walter Cronkite
- YouTube clip of Cronkite's famous Tet Offensive commentary on February 27, 1968 edition of CBS Evening News