'And that's the way it is'

For many of us who were born after the war and especially those in the broadcast industry, I don’t think there’s anyone who does not remember Walter Cronkite, the man who anchored the CBS Evening News for close to 20 years. He was known as “the most trusted man in America” not only for his demeanor but for his objectivity and dependability in delivering the news, always ending with his trademark “That’s the way it is” to cap the news of the day.

Many of us working in the broadcast industry during our days at Channel 9 considered Cronkite our idol. I had the chance and the privilege to meet him in 1976 when UPI (of which RPN 9 was a subscriber) arranged for us to visit the CBS studios in New York. I was so impressed by the man and his unflappable manner. He would pick up the news printout from the telex, read it and then deliver it extemporaneously in his rich voice that has become so familiar to countless Americans.

Cronkite was one of those men who had the amazing ability to talk about any particular news that would come in – and yet what made him really remarkable was the fact that he never had any biases. There were only two times however when he expressed his opinions. The first one occurred after his 1968 trip to Vietnam, calling it an unwinnable war, saying that that only rational way out was to negotiate. (In fact, his critical reporting of the Vietnam War prompted Lyndon Johnson to say, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”) The only other issue where Cronkite had been known to express his strong opinion is concerning the freedom of speech – having been a staunch defender of press freedom and the freedom of speech not only in America but all over the world.

For someone who was a college drop-out, Walter Cronkite certainly blazed a trail in the world of broadcasting. He started out as a newspaper reporter, became a radio announcer before joining UPI where he honed his chops and made a name for himself as one of the top American reporters covering the Second World War. He was eventually recruited to CBS in 1950, and it was here where he made headway in breaking through the consciousness of most Americans. During his coverage of the first nationally televised Democratic and Republican national conventions in 1952, he was described as an “anchor” – a title which many say was coined just for him. In fact, he became so identified with the word that even Dutch anchors are called “Cronkiters.”

It was, however, his stint as anchorman for the CBS Evening News which made Walter Cronkite a byword in most every American home, giving them the roundup of the most important events happening in the US and elsewhere. Anybody who was anybody knew “Uncle Walter,” and as US President Barack Obama said in his tribute, “He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down… His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged.”

Indeed, it was his no-nonsense delivery, his integrity and his honesty which made Americans trust him and rely on him as he led them through some of the most important events in the history of their nation. But although he was “a newsman’s newsman,” who epitomized all that was objective in reporting, there were moments when he could not but help reveal his humanity, blinking back his tears and trying to hold on to his emotions as he made an official announcement that stunned America and the world: “From Dallas, Texas… President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time…” As accounts would later put it, Cronkite paused, put back his glasses which he removed prior to making the announcement, and swallowed as if he was trying to choke back his tears, before continuing to deliver the rest of the report.

Going from the numerous accolades and tributes that are coming out from politicians and broadcast industry bigwigs, the 92-year-old former anchor – who died of cerebrovascular disease at his home in Manhattan after a long illness – was truly an icon and probably one of the journalists people can look up to even to this day. According to some accounts, his death was the only event that interrupted the unceasing coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, with CNN even showing a re-run of Larry King’s interview with Cronkite. In that interview, Cronkite said that the highest point of his career as a journalist was his coverage on the landing of the Apollo 11 on the moon, believing it was an event that would still be considered important even after 500 years.

It was no secret that Cronkite was a staunch supporter of the US space program, covering news about the Apollo 11 and Gemini religiously until that historic day when Neil Armstrong declared that “the Eagle has landed” on the moon. Just like the time of Kennedy’s death, Cronkite wasn’t able to hold back his emotions – exclaiming: “Man on the moon! Oh, boy!” His reporting of that event must have become so entwined with the man that perhaps it was no coincidence that his death came three days before the 40^th anniversary of the moon landing.

All his life, Cronkite maintained his integrity, and will always be regarded as an honorable man. Even today, broadcasters and all media men for that matter could certainly learn from his example of accuracy and fairness in delivering the news. He was a man of principle, who believed the news should not be colored by one’s biases. Because for Walter Cronkite, “that’s the way it is” – and that’s the way it should be.

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