Walter Cronkite, legendary TV journalist,died Friday in New York City. He was 92. Mr.Cronkite was an American institution and the dean of American television journalism.
Walter Leland Cronkite,Jr was born in St.Joseph,Missouri. He lived in Kansas City,Missouri,in his early years and moved with his parents to Houston, Texas,when he was ten. Early in his career,he took a job with the Houston Post.
During World War II, he served as a war correspondent. In 1950,he took a job with CBS-TV and the rest is journalistic history. His mentor was the great Edward R. Murrow.
Mr.Cronkite was among the first to report that President John F. Kennedy had been shot and choked back tears when he reported the President's death to a national television audience. Though Cronkite was impartial during his newscasts, he was not shy about making some of his opinions known. During the Vietnam War, Cronkite came out in opposition to the war. The response of President Lyndon B. Johnson was reported to have been, "If I lose Cronkite,I've lost Middle America". Cronkite is well remembered for his coverage of the first time humans walked on the moon. In the 1970s, Cronkite brought the Watergate scandal to the forefront that ultimately resulted in the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. Cronkite's last newscast came in 1981. In the years since, Cronkite served as the elder statesman of American journalism. He coined the word "anchor" for television newscasters.
I grew up watching Walter Cronkite and have always had a tremendous respect for Mr.Cronkite. I will always remember his signing off with the statement "And that's the way it is". Even if I did not agree with Mr.Cronkite on every issue, he was still a fine man of integrity. Mr.Cronkite was voted the Most Trusted Man In America. He set the standard and helped shape television journalism. Cronkite lost his wife of 65 years in 2005. He is survived by two daughters and a son. Good night,Uncle Walter. You will be missed.
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