Colleagues remember Walter Cronkite

July 18, 2009

I find it hard to fathom how nowaday journalists can speak of themselves in the same breath as Mr Walter Cronkite. Here are a few of their sound bites from the news – which make me wonder how they reconcile what they honor about Mr Cronkite with how they have behaved in regards to barry.

Will they change their behavior now that they know he can hear them?

Originally, I wanted to know what Mr Cronkite thought about the obvious pro-barry media coverage – in particular what he thought about their nonvetting and embargoing of harmful information or just plain ignoring of it (Rezko). I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have asked barry straight out to produce his birth certificate. (I don’t know if he weighed in on it.) But then I realized that if he, too, was mesmerized it would be too much.

ROGER MUDD:

He was reassuring, he was comfortable. And when you listened to him you knew he knew his business. He had control of his broadcast and he was leveling with you. He was an honest man.

KATIE COURIC:

What I take away [shaking her head] from everything I know about Walter Cronkite is that good journalism matters. Seeking the truth is really important.

DAN RATHER (looks ill):

He was, literally, a living legend and now a legend in memory.

BARBARA WALTERS:

He was someone who made us feel safe and secure.

TOM BROKAW:

He was a quintessential American. He came from the Heartland. He wasn’t flashy one way or the other and his reporting was straightforward.

MADAME SECRETARY CLINTON (smiling): [full statement]

He was so kind to Bill and me. He took us sailing off of Martha’s Vineyard. Offered advice – both solicited and unsolicited - that we tried to follow.

POTUS statement

Major gaffe of the day: Jesse paved the way for an Osama bin laden

July 21, 2008
Morning Joe
Tiki Barber, Mike Barnicle, Dan Rather, Mika

They're discussing Jesse Jackson's castration comments.

video courtesy of tikarules

TIKI: In a different respect - you've been in the news business a long time. I want your take on this Jesse Jackson issue. First, on what he said. But secondly, and I think more importantly, the fact that it was released - because he was off-air. This wasn't something that was for broadcast. What's your opinion on that?

DAN RATHER: Well, these days with the 24 hour news cycles, you can never assume that anything is off-air or off the record. You have to - anything you say, you have to be prepared for it being on the front page of tomorrow's paper after it's been on cable television. With Jesse Jackson-I recognize this is not popular said to alot of people-I have a great respect for Jesse Jackson. That he was important figure in paving the way for an Osama bin Laden to appear. But this is one of those things, I think, that by the time we get to the convention nobody's going to remember it - it doesn't count for very much.