My journalism hero is Walter Cronkite. According to
biography.com’s biography of him, Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916.
He decided he wanted to be a foreign correspondent, which is a journalist who
reports news from another country, as a young boy, according to Leslie Clark’s
article Walter Cronkite:
Witness to History on pbs.org. Cronkite began his journalism
career with jobs from small newspapers and radio stations and moved his way up
to the United Press wire service, as Clark states. Clark continues, mentioning
that there, he learned much of his steady, accurate reporting skills before he
joined the army during World War II as a war correspondent and was later asked
to join CBS radio, who noticed his hardworking nature in the army. According to
Clark, Cronkite turned down CBS’s offer, and it was only years later when he
was again offered the job as a TV reporter that he took it.
Clark explains that Cronkite began reporting for CBS when television was still relatively new, so he had to make the rules up as he went. Cronkite, according to Clark, received further popularity when heading a program called “You Are There”, in which he and other CBS journalists would pretend to report on a famous historical event. Clark states that he later became anchor of the CBS Evening News. In my opinion, Cronkite is most well-known for this position, for here was the segment in which he would address important issues such as President Kennedy’s assassination, the imprisonment or Americans in Iran, the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and the news that the U.S. could not win the Vietnam War, signing off every single time with the words, “And that’s the way it is.” According to Clark, Cronkite resigned from CBS Evening News in 1981, continuing to sometimes do special reports.
I like Walter Cronkite because of his steady, accurate, and honest way of reporting. He told the facts straight-up without dressing them up, as shown in his report on Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. He also reported for the people, always keeping to his strong moral fiber, as present in his breakdown of the Watergate Scandal, which Clark reports to have made the White House threaten to revoke CBS’s station licenses, although CBS stuck to their story. Cronkite kept his emotions in check when reporting, but when he did show a display of sadness or happiness on camera, it meant a great deal, as is evident in the moment he took off his glasses in sadness over President Kennedy’s assassination and when he also removed his glasses, but this time grinned, in his excitement over the first landing of man on the moon. Walter Cronkite was known as the most trusted man in America and was called “Uncle Walter” by many for his trusting manner and accurate reports. There is something about this man who told stories well enough to keep America captivated for almost twenty years that makes me aspire to be as good as him one day: good, honest, and ever serving the public.
Clark explains that Cronkite began reporting for CBS when television was still relatively new, so he had to make the rules up as he went. Cronkite, according to Clark, received further popularity when heading a program called “You Are There”, in which he and other CBS journalists would pretend to report on a famous historical event. Clark states that he later became anchor of the CBS Evening News. In my opinion, Cronkite is most well-known for this position, for here was the segment in which he would address important issues such as President Kennedy’s assassination, the imprisonment or Americans in Iran, the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and the news that the U.S. could not win the Vietnam War, signing off every single time with the words, “And that’s the way it is.” According to Clark, Cronkite resigned from CBS Evening News in 1981, continuing to sometimes do special reports.
I like Walter Cronkite because of his steady, accurate, and honest way of reporting. He told the facts straight-up without dressing them up, as shown in his report on Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. He also reported for the people, always keeping to his strong moral fiber, as present in his breakdown of the Watergate Scandal, which Clark reports to have made the White House threaten to revoke CBS’s station licenses, although CBS stuck to their story. Cronkite kept his emotions in check when reporting, but when he did show a display of sadness or happiness on camera, it meant a great deal, as is evident in the moment he took off his glasses in sadness over President Kennedy’s assassination and when he also removed his glasses, but this time grinned, in his excitement over the first landing of man on the moon. Walter Cronkite was known as the most trusted man in America and was called “Uncle Walter” by many for his trusting manner and accurate reports. There is something about this man who told stories well enough to keep America captivated for almost twenty years that makes me aspire to be as good as him one day: good, honest, and ever serving the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment