Journalism Heroes Pt. 2

-Walter Cronkite -

Early years :

Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Missouri. His father was a dentist and took up a position at the University of Texas Dental school. During this time he would read articles in the magazine American boy where he discovered articles about reporters working all over the world. It became a large inspiration to him and greatly encouraged his interest to become a reporter in his junior year of high school. During his high school years, he was a member of the school's yearbook and newspaper and was active in the student government. 

Then, in 1993, Walter Cronkite attended the University of Texas at Austin where he pursued his studies in political science, economics, and journalism. Simultaneously, he took a position for a part-time job at the Houston Post newspaper. This early experience opened many possibilities for Mr. Cronkite in the workforce. He ended up leaving University after two years to work in various journalism jobs such as a general reporter for the Post, a radio announcer in Kansas City, Missouri, and a sportscaster in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Additionally, he served as chief correspondent at the Nuremberg war crimes trials (1945-1946) and then as head of the Russian Moscow office from 1946 to 1948. 

Career:

In 1950, Walter Cronkite went on to work for CBS news. During this time, he was well known and recognized by the general public. In 1952, he was the narrator for You Are There which was a television program that focused on major historical events which were recreated to portray them as if they were current events in the news. Then, in 1954, he became the narrator of The Twentieth Century, a television documentary depicting the events of recent history. These jobs gave him further recognition and attention from the public. 

In 1952, he also served as an anchor for the CBS coverage of the Democratic and Republican national presidential conventions. By 1962, he became anchor and editor for the CBS Evening News. 

His most notable leading role specials during his role of narrator and correspondent of network specials included:

-Space shots

-Major documentaries

-Interviews with major world figures such as Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon Johnson 

After his retirement, he continued to add to his series on Walter Cronkite's Universe

Notable strengths as a reporter:

-Space shots

-Major documentaries

-Interviews with major world figures such as Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon Johnson 

After his retirement, he continued to add to his series on Walter Cronkite's Universe

Mr. Cronkite made it clear that he was concerned with not becoming a part of the story as World Biography reports, He stated, "I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. To do anything else would be phony. I'd be selling myself and not the news."

However, in certain instances in his memorable reports, he was completely engulfed by certain report topics such as his emotional (and infamous) reaction while announcing the death of President John F. Kennedy. Additionally, his broadcast pronouncement in 1968 when had just returned from Vietnam and doubted the United States policy for if the region could succeed as well as his intense enthusiasm when Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the moon in 1969. 

Additionally, Mr. Cronkite influenced the news during his 1977 televised interview with Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, which led Sadat to visit Israel and led Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to visit Egypt. He was also an unintentional news topic in 1980, when John Anderson, running as an independent presidential candidate, mentioned Cronkite as his likely running mate. (World Biography)

The impact and respect for Cronkite's work were reflected through the numerous awards he received: the Peabody for Radio and Television, the William Allen White Award for Journalistic Merit, as well as the Emmy. In 1981, during his final three months on the CBS Evening News, 

Cronkite received eleven major awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1985 he became the second newsman, after Edward R. Murrow (1908–1965), to be selected for the Television Hall of Fame. At his retirement, Cronkite was the most commonly mentioned person on the "dream list" for lecturers at conventions, clubs, and college campuses.

Walter Cronkite's broadcast on the JFK assassination (November 22, 1963):

Retirement:

Walter Cronkite formed his own production company and produced several award-winning documentaries, notably The Discovery Channel, the Public Broadcasting Service, and other networks. During the 1996 presidential campaign, he even headed efforts to convince networks to offer free television time for presidential candidates.

Most notably, he influenced and changed broadcasting as he displayed such a high level of professionalism that was and still is praised around the wor
ld. He was highly qualified through his many experiences as a newspaperman and war correspondent amid his unwillingness to stay away from hard news that only portrayed important events and the information involved with them. He stressed that popularity in television should not become the main focus as trivial topics are equally important. 

The Press:

The press mainly favored Walter Cronkite specifically for his coverage during the Vietnam war. As seen in "The Press in Vietnam as Agent of Defeat: A Critical Examination" by William M. Hammond, the extent to which Mr. Cronkites reports is represented as "powerful", "The impact of television on American public opinion was so powerful during the war, he added, that when Walter Cronkite announced during the Tet Offensive of 1968 that he believed the conflict was no longer winnable, the statement destroyed the American public's will to continue to resist the Communist aggression in South Vietnam". Correspondingly, it was noted in the Naval War College Review 

that when Cronkite lashed the administration in his post, it directly affected the president. "When Walter Cronkite lashed the Administration in his post- Vietnam visit report immediately following Tet, it apparently affected the President in two ways. "First, he realized that he had lost the center, that Walter both was the center and reached the center, and thus his own consensus was in serious jeopardy. Second, because he liked and admired Cronkite so much and thought him so fair a reporter, he found himself believing that if Walter Cronkite was reporting these things, he must know something. It was then that Johnson began to change the direction of his wartime policy." This quote is a direct reflection on the extent of Mr. Cronkite's knowledge, amount of power, and political strategy he had. Because he was so well-rounded in the topics of journalism, politics, wartime strategy, and public appeal, he was able to reach and convince a wide range of audiences through his reports. As a result, he was majorly successful and is now a lasting influence on the broadcast industry and an influence to many.  

Named after Mr. Cronkite, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism is an annual award presented by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The recipient of the award is recognized as a leading figure in the journalism industry, especially for ground-breaking achievements which have advanced the industry as a whole. The first award was presented by Walter Cronkite himself in 1984 and is now a reminder of his everlasting legacy.

My Inspiration:

Personally, I believe Mr. Cronkite is one of the most influential journalists I have ever learned about. I admire his strength, knowledge, and absolute power he was able to harness which was felt by thousands. He set a high and professional bar for the journalism community specifically in the field of broadcast. Its lasting effects within the industry prove the dominance he had within the field. His self advocation led him to the very peak of his career and because of it, he was actively able to seek out job opportunities and work experience to become something bigger and better. Walter Cronkite was truly one of a kind, I am touched by his legacy and am grateful to have learned about him and his incredible impact. 

Works Cited:

 (n.d.). https://i0.wp.com/www.heyuguys.com/images/2017/12/Walter-Cronkite-JFK.jpg?resize=570%2C456&ssl=1.

(n.d.). https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ed9B_5vUnLEewKTj88KLLlzMC6qlsr5A1k1G0n6-j6efcxvrfs9PbPXd8rei35bFxdR2Yw=s130.

(n.d.). https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QfT7Ogo1nC-zZqxXM2-a8jY6lZ5qYHXPqNKJFM5-UrRCyHMWqvrkRanFELBFQqqdrQJN4g=s130.

Hammond, W. M. (1989). The Press in Vietnam as Agent of Defeat: A Critical Examination. Reviews in American History, 17(2), 312. https://doi.org/10.2307/2702936

Mitchell, M. C. (2009). Naval War College Review. Volume 62, Number 1, Winter 2009. Television and the Vietnam War, 37(3), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.21236/ada618349

Walter Cronkite Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography. (n.d.). https://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Cronkite-Walter.html#ixzz6shPrXuiM.

https://cronkite.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resize/styles/panopoly_image_original/public/waltercronkite-250x313.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RsL3LQTQtV0aEgKzqXUBVOzk1cgELGhrxR7nSoN1okfVmT15MVkElT7iGOtjWnYyrDj4=s106