Walter Cronkite

American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

Walter Cronkite was an iconic American broadcast journalist who served as the anchor for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. He was often referred to as “the most trusted man in America” and covered major events throughout his long career, including World War II, the Vietnam War, and the U.S. space program. Cronkite received numerous honors and awards for his exceptional journalism.

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About the Walter Cronkite

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr.was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll. Cronkite received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award and in 1981 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.

Cronkite reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; the Dawson’s Field hijackings; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award. Cronkite is known for his departing catchphrase, “And that’s the way it is”, followed by the date of the broadcast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Walter Cronkite was an American broadcast journalist who served as the anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. He was often cited as ,the most trusted man in America, during the 1960s and 1970s.

Walter Cronkite reported on many significant events, including World War II bombings, the Nuremberg trials, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Iran Hostage Crisis, and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program.

Walter Cronkite received numerous honors, including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 from President Jimmy Carter. He was also the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award.

Walter Cronkite was known for his departing catchphrase, ,And that’s the way it is,, which he would say at the end of each broadcast, followed by the date of the broadcast.

Walter Cronkite served as the anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981.

Walter Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, and passed away on July 17, 2009.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Walter Cronkite was often cited as ,the most trusted man in America, after being so named in an opinion poll.

18 Quotes by Walter Cronkite

  1. 1.

    Everything is being compressed into tiny tablets. You take a little pill of news every day – 23 minutes – and that’s supposed to be enough.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  2. 2.

    The perils of duck hunting are great – especially for the duck.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  3. 3.

    I think it is absolutely essential in a democracy to have competition in the media, a lot of competition, and we seem to be moving away from that.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  4. 4.

    I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  5. 5.

    And that’s the way it is.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  6. 6.

    Dan Rather and I just aren’t especially chummy.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  7. 7.

    America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  8. 8.

    We are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  9. 9.

    Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  10. 10.

    In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  11. 11.

    I’ve gone from the most trusted man in America to one of the most debated.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  12. 12.

    There’s a little more ego involved in these jobs than people might realize.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  13. 13.

    I want to say that probably 24 hours after I told CBS that I was stepping down at my 65th birthday, I was already regretting it. And I regretted it every day since.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  14. 14.

    Our job is only to hold up the mirror – to tell and show the public what has happened.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  15. 15.

    The great sadness of my life is that I never achieved the hour newscast, which would not have been twice as good as the half-hour newscast, but many times as good.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  16. 16.

    When you’re bringing in a fairly unknown candidate challenging a sitting president, the population needs a lot more information than reduced coverage provides.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  17. 17.

    There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)

  18. 18.

    I think somebody ought to do a survey as to how many great, important men have quit to spend time with their families who spent any more time with their family.

    Walter Cronkite

    American broadcast journalist (1916-2009)