Published Thursday, April 5, 2001
Cronkite encourages editors to stick with ideals of ‘legitimacy’
BY MARY VOUNG
ASNE Reporter
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| Former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite stands near space memorabilia in his New York office. During his 60-year career, Cronkite has seen the first trip to space, the first walk on the moon and more. (Willie J. Allen Jr./ASNE Reporter) |
Walter Cronkite entertained editors with anecdotes of his 60 years in the news business Wednesday and encouraged them to continue upholding the ethics of journalism.
Co-convention chairman Earl R. Maucker, editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, gave Mr. Cronkite a glowing introduction, reminding the 300-plus ballroom crowd of his storied career, numerous achievements and often-mentioned reputation as “one the nation’s most trusted public figures.”
“I know I’m always in
the right place when the introduction is longer than my remarks,” Mr. Cronkite joked as he stepped to the lectern, drawing laughter from the audience.
The laughter would occur regularly throughout his 45-minute talk.
While Mr. Cronkite had humorous remarks for his audience, he stressed that “legitimacy is a key word in describing your role in the media. It’s important, very important.”
Editors set the agenda for their communities by weighing what the public needs and wants, he said.
“You all are living up to that today,” he added.
He went on to qualify his praise, however, reminding editors that the “question of the future” is how to carry on those ideal practices.
One concern is how the accuracy of reporters is monitored when there is a newspaper monopoly in many cities.
Today, newspapers have more competition from other forms of media – like television and Web news – than during the early part of Mr. Cronkite’s career. However, Mr. Cronkite reminisced about working in a “highly competitive game,” where readers had the choice of several different accounts of a story in newspapers daily.
In such an atmosphere, he said, reporters had more to lose if their stories were inaccurate.
Mr. Cronkite retired from his post as anchorman and managing editor of the CBS Evening News in 1981.
For the last two decades he has served as host on various TV specials – including special assignments for CBS, and his autobiography – “A Reporter’s Life” – was published in 1996.
Nostalgia crept in as he detailed his experiences as a journalist. He recalled the days before carpeting and computers, when the city room was noisy and crumpled pages of copy littered the place.
“God, how I loved it. I loved it,” he said.
As a United Press reporter covering World War II in Belgium, Mr. Cronkite filed a story, but when a message from his editor arrived, he began to question whether the story had been received.
The note read that young Cronkite’s story had been filed by another news organization. “Can you do anything?”
To this day, he wonders if his editor questioned his ability to work in the war-torn area, his ability as a journalist or his ability to do anything at all. The room erupted in laughter and applause.
Mr. Cronkite later sat down with Mr. Maucker, who fed him questions convention-goers had submitted ahead of time. When asked what editors can do in the face of growing pressures to increase profit margins, Mr. Cronkite hesitated.
“Oh, heavens, I don’t feel qualified. I’m not even acquainted with the nature or pressure” of today’s news business, he said. “Each of you out there knows (the problem) intimately.”
But he said he was glad to see that the fundamentals of journalism are still the same and encouraged newspaper editors to continue getting the facts right and to be fair and honest.
Editors in attendance were heartened by what Mr. Cronkite had to say.
“It’s good to hear from a professional that ethics and accuracy are fundamental despite changes in technology,” said Mark Bowden, executive editor of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The talk also reminded Mr. Bowden of “some of the excitement that we take advantage of in the newsroom each day.”
Mr. Cronkite is especially valuable as a TV critic to young people
coming out of journalism schools, many of whom immediately expect to become big-time news anchors, said David Levine, editor of The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa., and a part-time journalism instructor at Pennsylvania State University.
“He’s wonderful,” Mr. Levine said.
Saying his “crystal ball is so terribly clouded,” Mr. Cronkite was reluctant to make any predictions for the industry, but said newspaper editors must work to uphold the ethics of journalism.
“That has got to be reformed for the future, if indeed democracy is to be serviced with proper reporting.”
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| Walter Cronkite interviewed President Harry Truman in 1952 during a tour of the recently renovated White House. |
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