Walter Cronkite didn't invent network television news, but he refined it. He didn't invent the anchorman role, but he perfected it. He didn't tell you what to think about the news, but when he offered his methodical and reasoned commentary of Vietnam as a stalemate, an earthquake shook the Johnson administration.
Cronkite was a legend because he communicated the facts with unshakable grace and cool. You're bound to see that clip over and over again this weekend of him taking off his glasses while stating, "President Kennedy died at 1pm," with that tinge of sadness. What you may not see replayed is Cronkite quietly composing himself, putting the glasses back on and relaying the latest information on Lyndon Johnson and whether he had taken the presidential oath of office.
Here's more of Cronkite's coverage, starting from that landmark moment and continuing for nine minutes after:
Cronkite was no glamor boy. He didn't look like an anchor. But that didn't matter in Cronkite's time, when consultants didn't shape your wardrobe... or anything about you on the air. We'll never have another anchorman like him because the industry demands more style and more emotion. But you knew that already, and maybe you were lamenting that long before Uncle Walter passed away.
No comments:
Post a Comment