Uncle Walter

Caught part of a PBS special on Walter Cronkite tonight. One of those programs that leaves you with chills--it's amazing America turned to one man for every big moment for 20 years, until he retired from the anchor chair at the age of 65 in 1981.

And not just America; the part I saw told the story of how Cronkite helped facilitate Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Jerusalem and meeting with Menachem Begin, an event that even nearly 30 years later still seems amazing.

It all, of course, makes you wonder about our journalists (and political leaders) today. I think it's safe to say there will never be another Cronkite--unless we shrink back to three channels, Americans will never all trust the same person for so much of their news for so long.

But in terms of the qualities that made Cronkite a great journalist--his exacting professionalism, his calmness, ability to put things in context on the fly and say the right things at the right time--he's merely first among equals.

Among people I watched I'd put Peter Jennings and Ted Koppel at his level. Although because I remember both working their way up neither sticks in my mind as perfectly sprung-like-Athena like Cronkite does. I'd put Dan Rather a notch below that group when it comes to anchoring ability, but above all but Ted as a reporter--I'm not sure any reporter was ever more tenacious than Dan (even Mike Wallace was only that way once a week). And Tom Brokaw doesn't really register in my mind, he was wonderfully affable but on his own path.

I would also add, though, that I think it's a lot harder being a journalist today then it was in Cronkite's day. There's just more of what we define as news--after all, the world's population has gone from 3 billion in 1960 to 6.5 billion. There's more competition, more people/bloggers playing 'gotcha', higher expectations for journalism....

But the one thing Walter had over all the others whatever their time period was people really liked him, in spite of his toughness. I'm actually having trouble thinking of a single person today who matches his mix of likeability with utmost competence.

In this day and age, we seem to get either one or the other; part of it is because everyone gets to weigh in nowadays on public figures--I mean short of anecdotal evidence we have no idea how blacks in 1963 felt about Cronkite. Part of it is we know a lot more about our public figures today than we did back then.

But I do think a big part of Walter's appeal was the way he looked. Even when he started anchoring he came across as grandfatherly. Just think of the way he took off his heavy black glasses, glanced at the clock, and then reported President Kennedy was dead; it's not a gesture anyone working today would have as part of their personhood.

So he just seemed like a revered yet sharp elder from the get-go; and either out of canniness or personality (and everyone underestimates how canny and aware he was), everything he did fed that image. And who doesn't like grandfathers, especially ones with a twinkle in their eye?

I met Cronkite once a few years ago, at a dinner where I had a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. Even though he didn't seem to be enjoying himself and was tired--I've never seen anyone swarmed like he was--and had trouble hearing--I wound up crouching next to him and speaking directly into his ear--and our conversation was totally mundane, it's not something I'll ever forget. Frankly, I was happy just being in the same room as him.

His wife Betsy, still alive at the time and pretty spry, seemed to function as his assistant and soon shuffled him out of there; leaving me thinking ah, how great would it be to download his brain!

Not to be morbid, but of people currently living he's got to be the one who'll get the biggest New York Times headline and lengthiest obituary when he dies. The only contenders I can think of are Jimmy Carter, Billy Graham, Fidel Castro, Muhammad Ali, and Elizabeth Taylor, and of those I'd say only Castro and Ali match his historical significance.

David Halberstam closed the broadcast appropriately tonight:

Walter's career curve and the curve of network television absolutely dovetailed. And, he held that position for so long under such vastly changing circumstances ... that it seemed to most people that as they got their first television set, Walter and CBS NEWS had joined their family.

Irving Haberman photo of Cronkite in 1978 via Temple University.