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A REPORTERS LIFE

BASED ON WALTER CRONKITE BY SARA GONZALES

April 4, 2017
Introduction and Early Life

Walter Cronkite was born on November 4th, 1916 in Missouri; Cronkite claims he was an

adorable baby in his book, A Reports Life, then admits he doesnt know if the nurses actually

made such claims at his birth, illustrating early on his in autobiography his wit. He and his

family relocated to Kansas where they lived in a middle-class apartment. Cronkite often found

himself looking out his window, timing the cars that went by and making various observations of

the events and people looming around his neighborhood. He recalls this being the budding start

of his journalistic instincts. Realizing his passions and fasciation of interesting people he so

often puts in his book he took on his first job in the press selling a magazine called the Liberty.

The magazine sold for a nickel, and Cronkite was allowed to take home one penny of his

earnings of the day. Much to his mothers dismay (out of fear for his safety), Cronkite became a

newspaper delivery boy when he turned nine. His mother would look upon the boy holding as

many papers as he could carry from home to home for pennies a day. However, if it wasnt for

these simple beginnings Cronkite would have never become one of the most iconic and

innovated journalists of all time.

At age ten the Cronkites moved to Texas marking the start of a prosperous and difficult

path to becoming the most trusted man in America. It was within the first week of living in

Texas that Cronkite was struck with confusion and somber emotion. While visiting with a local

dentist at his home, Cronkite witnessed his first instance of racism- a concept foreign to him at

the time. In Kansas Cronkite recalls knowing it existed but never saw; it because in Kansas both

colored and white peoples moved freely in his society. At least that is what he observed in his

days of people watching out his window. On this particular afternoon, a black delivery boy

carrying a brown sack noticed Dr. Smith (Cronkite refers to the Dentist as Smith in his book to

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evade embarrassing the family) and (presumably) decided to hand the man his goods today as

oppose to leaving them by the kitchen doorway. However, before he could even set foot on the

last step Dr. Smith slapped the boy and told him his porch had no room for colored.

Out of anger and disappointment, Cronkite watched his father fume at the dentist then

dismissed themselves from Dr. Smiths home. The pair walked off and Cronkite, startled,

listened to his father fume about the importance of being objective to all people. At just ten years

old Cronkite after a traumatic experience, Cronkite took that boys pain and discrimination and

turned into a lifetime of looking at people fairly and objectively. This moment remained with

Cronkite, and he carried this experience during the times of greatest change where remained fair

and gave personal commentaries on the importance of moving forward with each other not

against each other. He would display this same kind of innovated attitude again during Vietnam,

when he gave a personal commentary about the ordeal. While his evening news casts were

objective and honest, his personal commentaries portrayed a collected and calm man, telling his

people how we can move forward. Never confusing opinion with news, but drawing clear lines-

all because of one incident at the age of ten.

When Cronkite entered high school, he became editor of his schools press club called

The Campus Cub. While he was writing about the various topics about adolescences the oil

craze took the interest of all the other men around him. He even once considered a job in mining

engineering as well, but soon discovered it was not his forte when he could not even construct or

figure out how a pulley worked in physics class. He still only cared looking for all the interesting

people in his school. In college Cronkite finally found his voice behind a microphone working

for a local station in Austin (where he attended university) called KNOW. However, the station

had no network press outlets. Being a problem solver and true curious journalistic instinct,

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Cronkite would walk down the street to a smoke shop where he would memorize eight of the

sixteen major league stats on the blackboard the smoke shop kept updated. He would then rush

back to the station to type the information before it fled his memory.

Getting into the Industry

After dropping out of college (because of the overwhelming radio jobs he was receiving)

he met his wife Betsy at one of the various stations he worked at before finding his true place at

the CBS Evening News. He remembers watching her walk through the door and falling in love

with her before ever knowing her name. Betsy supported her wandering newsman all the way to

becoming a house hold name where Cronkite finally found his true home- the evening anchor for

CBS. Taking over for Douglas Edwards on April 16th 1962.

Television had become a regular household item and the symbol of the middle class who

flocked to their television sets every evening to hear Cronkites spiel of the happenings of the

world. The most memorable, arguably cementing Cronkite as the face of breaking news was his

emotional announcement and coverage of John F. Kennedys assassination. Cronkite recalls

having a heavy a heart upon hearing the news of a man whom he had just spent a vast amount of

time with. Emotionally the toughest moment in his career in journalism; he writes it was one of

the few times on camera he felt as if he was going to lose it. Clearly in pain Cronkite took off his

glasses and rubs his temples, later saying that its safe to show emotion on camera because we

should never hide that we are human. (Cronkite, 1997)

His two greatest challenges, and a battle he felt he often fought was the war on

censorship. The US government denied him and others press access to cover the invasion of

Grenada for 48 hours. Censorship was Cronkites biggest enemy; he felt as if the public had the

right to know about the world around them uncensored- especially militia actions. He claimed

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the men overseas as their men, and pushed the message that we as the public had the right to

know what was happening to our men. In addition, Cronkite showed commitment to the

American people in situations like this. In another instance during the fall of Saigon Cronkite

was unable to report due to a back injury. He jokes about what a trivial problem this was and that

his responsibility to the public was greater than his pain; he writes that he called on a doctor to

tie him to chair so he may still report the inevitable end to Vietnam.

Conclusion

What made Walter Cronkite a great leader and an iconic figure in the media was his

honesty. Through his visible emotions on screen during tough moments (such as the

assassination of Kennedy) that brought people together and his outspoken sense of justice when

people attempted to silence him. Cronkite pledged himself to report only the truth objectively

and as humanely as possible. His human emotional approach (such as the clear excitement he

displayed during the moon landing) made him an empathetic figure on television; he created a

relationship with his viewers without knowing most of them because he told them the true stories

going on in the world around them. Americans trusted him because of the dedication, honesty

and relentless attitude he conveyed to his responsibility in informing the public. He never told

the people what to think but what to think about; which was the biggest attribute in what made

Cronkite a great leader. He set the precedent that the news is not a job, but a responsibility. This

way of thinking set a precedent for the journalists that followed.

Cronkite has always been a huge inspiration in my life. His commitment to the public,

relentless way of fighting against censorship and most importantly his integrity is what stands

out the most about Walter Cronkite. I learned that if you want people to trust you be honest and

never hide that emotional appeal that makes us human. Have empathy for the people around you

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and remain committed to those people. Being a great leader means being responsible, and

through honesty youll earn that eternal loyalty. Which is how Walter Cronkite became cemented

as the most trusted man in America. Walter Cronkite inspired me, and changed my life by the

way he lived honestly and humbly. His humble-ness and love for his work inspired me to take

pride in everything I do, and always try my best.

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References

Cronkite, W. (1997). A Reporters Life. New York: Knopf.

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