I have a new appreciation for Walter Cronkite

[Lord Garth]

I'm not sure if this should be in Misc or Media but I don't want to focus on the CBS Evening News so much as the poker face I've researched and seen on You Tube. Keeping his opinion to himself and being able to say what he observed without revealing what he actually thought.

People should be able to express their opinions whenever they like but it's a real science to talk without opinion that comes in handy when dealing with eggshells.

"And that's the way it is."

But, if that's the way it is, though, am I actually taking a stand?

 

[auntiehill]

Well, yes, Walter Cronkite was and is still the standard for news anchors to meet. He had dignity and read the news as it was given to him. He didn't MAKE the news; he simply reported it without giving any impression of what he truly thought or felt.

The way he struggled with reading out the news of JFK's death is the perfect example. He fought to stay calm, and it was exactly what people needed to see---stoicism in the face of tragedy.

There aren't many news people today who have that same dignity, self-control and who inspire that same kind of trust.

IMHO, anyway.

 

[sidious618]

Murrow was always my personal favorite but Cronkite is certainly a legend.

 

[TheSeeker]

I just watched a clip of Cronkite announcing the Kennedy assassination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAyxIH07B1c

I wish news reporting was still like this.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I've said for years that TV news anchors should be trained to be Walter Cronkite. He set the standard in an age when anchors had credibility. The clowns and carnival barkers on CNN and the like make me wince with their unprofessionalism.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

I've said for years that TV news anchors should be trained to be Walter Cronkite. He set the standard in an age when anchors had credibility. The clowns and carnival barkers on CNN and the like make me wince with their unprofessionalism.

Yeah, but they make great balloon animals.

 

[Mallory]

I grew up with Walter Cronkite. He was definitely a paragon of TV journalism and I've always respected him for that.

 

[HobartFloyt]

Keeping his opinion to himself and being able to say what he observed without revealing what he actually thought.

Hmmm. I think Lyndon Johnson might have a different take on that.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I've never had much respect for him. "The most trusted man in America"? Why because he read off a teleprompter in a dignified tone? Television news has always been tailored to present a story rather than present information and the sooner people know that the better.

 

[Mallory]

Teleprompters weren't used in the 1950's and 1960's. They used paper and typewriters. Most of the good ones, like Murrow, Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley made a point of assembling their own presentations. They were reporters, not newsreaders.

 

[sidious618]

Teleprompters weren't used in the 1950's and 1960's. They used paper and typewriters. Most of the good ones, like Murrow, Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley made a point of assembling their own presentations. They were reporters, not newsreaders.

Absolutely correct. Some reporters today are like that as well. Tim Russert was a great example but sadly...

 

[TGTheodore]

Keeping his opinion to himself and being able to say what he observed without revealing what he actually thought.

Hmmm. I think Lyndon Johnson might have a different take on that.

And when Cronkite said those things the big word COMMENTARY preceded them on the screen. Commentary should not be mixed as news is reported.

It should be identified as such. Fox CNN and all those anchorclowns don't even belong in the same business as Cronkite.

--Ted