Walter Cronkite taught me what was news instead of noise

By Mary MacElveen
July 18, 2009

When Berry Gordy of Motown records had this to say of Michael Jackson: “Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived," I would opine of Walter Cronkite that he was THE BEST journalist that has ever lived in my lifetime and the lives of millions more. He touched not only my life but the lives of millions of Americans and citizens around the world. If you are not old enough to remember his broadcasts on CBS, his reporting to this nation was similar to a State of the Union Address given by every single President of our country. He captivated all of us with his straight reporting, never interjecting any bias coming from him.

While he died at the age of 92, his death hit me harder than Jacksons. As a boomer, I grew up with Mr. Cronkite as he visited my home each and every night and was the voice of calm and most of all reason. In the age of cable and the Internet where thoughts are transmitted second-by-second, he allowed you to think of what was happening in our world. He reported the news and never became the news. That will forever be Mr. Cronkite’s legacy.

In the days of Cronkite, we lived our lives instead of being addicted to information and news broadcasts either on television or the Internet. He reported what was relevant and we simply heard him report it, and moved on. I so miss those days. There was no need to hear from pundit upon pundit or others that we think important in today’s broadcasts and simply moved onto the next story.

As a young child each and every lift-off into space became a magical moment when Mr. Cronkite was reporting on it, especially the Apollo 11 mission where we as a nation landed on the moon’s surface. In that very moment we rose to an immense challenge whose challenger was the late President John F. Kennedy. The elation he showed while reporting on that one single event was ours as a nation. To sit in front of one’s TV sets to hear the countdown of any mission captivated us all. As we all heard the voice of mission control cite, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 blast off” our hearts lifted up with those brave souls. Our emotions enjoined with Mr. Cronkite’s in that very moment in time.

Tonight while listening to many showing their respect for this premier journalist; I heard the term icon and he was more than an icon. Walter Cronkite was an informer, a teacher and any other term one can use to fully educate us all. As I listened to many premier journalists speak in deference to this great man, I pulled my 19 year-old daughter into the living room to help her understand the significance of his passing.

Mr. Cronkite was with many of us during many historic moments such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the assassination of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the assassination of the late Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. He was also with us during the entirety of the Viet Nam War and long after it and covered Watergate which led to the resignation of a president. Mr. Cronkite was an historic figure, and he will be sorely missed by millions who sat night after night to be informed of their world and ours.

During the many years that we as a country watched him and heard what he had to relay to us, it was broadcasted in black-and-white. No streaming feeds, no YouTube.com, no Twitter.com, no Facebook.com, and other forms of communication available to us all today. He became the fabric of Americana and for that we must thank him.

Mr. Cronkite was the standard-bearer of the news itself. No bells, no whistles but the straight news itself and in the days of confusion that surround us, we could surely use journalists of his caliber, his talent and his desire to get at the heart of the news itself. For those who never viewed his broadcasts, you missed out. Because there are very few journalists left today who are able to report the news with such an understanding of our history as a nation.

Thank you, Mr. Cronkite for helping me understand my world while growing up. As you were invited into my living room each night, you never disappointed me. In fact, I learned from you. You taught me what was news and what was noise.

Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net

Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.