Goodbye, Mr. Cronkite: A Upstart Journalist Tips His Hat
ORIM's EIC Bradly McGarr pays tribute to a journalistic legend
Cronkite. Anyone who has had any interest in journalism has known the name, if not because they knew of the man but because one of the most prestigious journalism schools in America bears his name. I never knew Cronkite, neither as a journalistic personality or as a person, but I knew of him and what he meant to the industry. Cronkite was one of the greats, in line with names like Murrow, Brokaw, Jennings, and other great journalists. These weren’t always the guys on the street, many started off covering Korea and Vietnam from the front lines. By the time I saw any of them on television, they were the guys in suits in air conditioned studios in New York City or Washington, D.C.
Cronkite’s passing is going to be barely a blip on the radar for most people my age that are not part of the journalistic community. However, for those of us at all working in media, his passing deserves some acknowledgement. The legacy of Cronkite lives on today, with the now almost cliche use of the term “Anchor” to describe news casters in their studios. However, that’s just how most people are influenced by Cronkite. Students at the prestigious institution that bears his name, a central part of the Arizona State University Phoenix Downtown Campus, obtain their formal journalistic education in a place that has been advised by Cronkite himself.
So today, I write about a man I never knew, never saw, and never met, and only know about what I have read about him in books and online, pay just a little bit of tribute to an inspiration and a legend.
Goodbye, Walter Cronkite. You may have signed off for good, but your stories live on, inspiring journalists everywhere.