without Walter Cronkite (92). Unlike the opinion peddling oafs that we have in the tabloid television news machinery of today, Walter had a sense of deep integrity to his craft, to an inclusive audience, and to the facts. As news anchor from 1962 - 1981, he was respected for that integrity and sense of fairness. The American people rewarded his craft with trust. He was not about promoting himself. He was about advancing journalistic integrity. This is who he was and what we need in news reporting today--a dead craft now solely focused on shaping opinion and maximizing profit through higher ratings and entertainment--truth, integrity, grappling with complexity be damned.
I feel as though I grew up with Mr. Cronkite, who walked with the nation through the civil rights era, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, landing on the moon, the war in Vietnam, the impeachment of a crooked president. I will miss him.
But you know, If there's anything I've learned, it is that we Americans do have a way of rising to the challenges that confront us.
Just when it seems we're most divided, we suddenly show our remarkable solidarity.
The 20th century may be leaving us with a host of problems, but I've also noted that it does seem darkest before the dawn
There's reason to hope for the 21st century.
And that's the way it will be."
Walter Cronkite 1916 - 2009
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