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.
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
On the eve of Michael Jackson’s memorial, seven soldiers lost their lives
By Mary MacElveen
July 7, 2009
On the eve of Michael Jackson’s public memorial where it will cost the city of Los Angeles $2.5 million dollars for police security at taxpayer’s expense, I want to scream. I want to scream at the fans of Michael Jackson as well as the celebrities who will attend it. I want to bloody-scream at the media who will cover his public memorial. You may ask why I wish to scream and here is why. On the eve of this public memorial to Jackson, 7 troops died in Afghanistan and yet, no one knows their names. No one!!!!
These troops leave behind loved ones, yet again, no one knows their names. These troops did the heavy-lifting for all of us; yet the media chooses to give wall-to-wall coverage on Jackson. Wake up, media! Forget about the King of Pop and report on our brave soldiers who enter a world where they face our enemy day-in-and-day-out.
Prior to his death, Jackson was preparing for his concert tour as our soldiers hunkered down knowing they would face a certain death.
Those who died on the battle field, will not have anyone logging onto any website to take part in their memorial for a coveted spot. They will not have celebrities taking part in it like, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Smokey Robinson, Brooke Shields, Usher and so many others.
To this, I say, shame on all of us for elevating celebrities, while forgetting our troops. Yes, we may remember them on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, yet choose to forget about them all the rest of the days of the year. They are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and our fellow Americans!
Our troops do not seek out doctors to prescribe them pain killers and other narcotics as some believe contributed to Jackson’s death. They enter into a battle field none of us would dare to enter and where their lives can and have been taken in an instant by a road-side bomb. Their bodies are not intact as Jackson’s was at his time of death, but blown apart with their innards coming out of their bodies. I have seen their pictures where their faces have been completely blown off and other injuries just as devastating. Upon seeing these photos, I have cried and cried.
I do not care what you think of the war, but there are soldiers who are ready, willing and able to go into a hellfire none of us would venture into. As I read this: "The seven American deaths came as thousands of U.S. Marines continued with their major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province," the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
In war, I fully believe those who are called to fight in these wars act as if they are already dead in order to complete their missions. It was something I learned from watching the movie, "The Band of Brothers" which is one of my favorite movies.
I cry for our soldiers and their families and not for Michael Jackson. If that seems callous; well tough. I have followed these wars since they started and we have lost far too many brave soldiers, yet the focus is on one man some call an icon? Oh please, please help me understand this as I read where 7 soldiers lost their lives.
As the fans, celebrities and media focus in on his children, for many years, thousands of knocks have been knocked and where many children have learned that their mom or dad were not coming home. No one knows their names as the media has reported Michael Jackson’s children’s names. Children of military personnel do not stand a chance at inheriting millions of dollars and often are left with nothing.
The Reverend Al Sharpton has called for tomorrow to be a day of mourning for Michael Jackson. Me, I will call it a day of mourning for these seven soldiers who lost their lives. With that said, I will ask America: Where do your tears and sorrow belong?
Author’s email address, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
July 7, 2009
On the eve of Michael Jackson’s public memorial where it will cost the city of Los Angeles $2.5 million dollars for police security at taxpayer’s expense, I want to scream. I want to scream at the fans of Michael Jackson as well as the celebrities who will attend it. I want to bloody-scream at the media who will cover his public memorial. You may ask why I wish to scream and here is why. On the eve of this public memorial to Jackson, 7 troops died in Afghanistan and yet, no one knows their names. No one!!!!
These troops leave behind loved ones, yet again, no one knows their names. These troops did the heavy-lifting for all of us; yet the media chooses to give wall-to-wall coverage on Jackson. Wake up, media! Forget about the King of Pop and report on our brave soldiers who enter a world where they face our enemy day-in-and-day-out.
Prior to his death, Jackson was preparing for his concert tour as our soldiers hunkered down knowing they would face a certain death.
Those who died on the battle field, will not have anyone logging onto any website to take part in their memorial for a coveted spot. They will not have celebrities taking part in it like, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Smokey Robinson, Brooke Shields, Usher and so many others.
To this, I say, shame on all of us for elevating celebrities, while forgetting our troops. Yes, we may remember them on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, yet choose to forget about them all the rest of the days of the year. They are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and our fellow Americans!
Our troops do not seek out doctors to prescribe them pain killers and other narcotics as some believe contributed to Jackson’s death. They enter into a battle field none of us would dare to enter and where their lives can and have been taken in an instant by a road-side bomb. Their bodies are not intact as Jackson’s was at his time of death, but blown apart with their innards coming out of their bodies. I have seen their pictures where their faces have been completely blown off and other injuries just as devastating. Upon seeing these photos, I have cried and cried.
I do not care what you think of the war, but there are soldiers who are ready, willing and able to go into a hellfire none of us would venture into. As I read this: "The seven American deaths came as thousands of U.S. Marines continued with their major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province," the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
In war, I fully believe those who are called to fight in these wars act as if they are already dead in order to complete their missions. It was something I learned from watching the movie, "The Band of Brothers" which is one of my favorite movies.
I cry for our soldiers and their families and not for Michael Jackson. If that seems callous; well tough. I have followed these wars since they started and we have lost far too many brave soldiers, yet the focus is on one man some call an icon? Oh please, please help me understand this as I read where 7 soldiers lost their lives.
As the fans, celebrities and media focus in on his children, for many years, thousands of knocks have been knocked and where many children have learned that their mom or dad were not coming home. No one knows their names as the media has reported Michael Jackson’s children’s names. Children of military personnel do not stand a chance at inheriting millions of dollars and often are left with nothing.
The Reverend Al Sharpton has called for tomorrow to be a day of mourning for Michael Jackson. Me, I will call it a day of mourning for these seven soldiers who lost their lives. With that said, I will ask America: Where do your tears and sorrow belong?
Author’s email address, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
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