And that’s the way it no longer is.
There’s not much to add to the iconic obit and lavish tribute earned by Walter Cronkite. Except maybe this: We definitely won’t see his era again; we assuredly won’t see his likes again. Think Dan Rather, who wanted his predecessor’s job enough to pressure CBS into an earlier-than-planned, Cronkite-retirement scenario. And think Katie Couric, who still belongs on the “Today” show.
What molded Cronkite into “the most trusted man in America” was more than a unique baritone, admirable work ethic and propitious timing. Along with Howard K. Smith and David Brinkley, Cronkite earned his journalistic chops in print and in harm’s way. He covered D-Day from a B-17 as a United Press correspondent. That was his “J” school.
Then he caught the wave of television journalism and invented the news “anchor” position. He never allowed himself to settle for being an acclaimed news reader – no matter how famously avuncular, no matter how well compensated. He was also the managing editor of the CBS Evening News. He was well informed and cared about the news – from Vietnam to NASA – as much as its professional presentation.
Walter Cronkite was important, but never self-important. His “It’s not so, until Cronkite says it’s so” reputation belied a self-effacing sense of humor.
That’s no longer the way it is. Today’s TV newscasters are not so much journalists as electronic personalities and infotainers with camera-friendly looks and a glib gift for communicating. They compete in a 24-7, cable-complemented, digital-driven, all-personality-all-the-time marketplace.
That’s the way it now is. Alas.