Status
Available
Call number
Call number
B Cro
Collection
Publication
New York : A.A. Knopf, 1996.
Description
Overview: He has been called the most trusted man in America. His 60-year-long journalistic career has spanned the Great Depression, several wars, and the extraordinary changes that have engulfed our nation over the last two-thirds of the 20th century. When Walter Cronkite advised his television audience in 1968 that the war in Vietnam could not be won, President Lyndon B. Johnson said: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America." Now, at the age of eighty, Cronkite has written his life story-the personal and professional odyssey of the original "anchorman" for whom that very word was coined. As a witness to the crucial events of this century-first for the Houston Press, then for the United Press wire service, and finally for CBS in the fledgling medium of television-Cronkite set a standard for integrity, objectivity, enthusiasm, compassion, and insight that is difficult to surpass. He is an overflowing vessel of history, and a direct link with the people and places that have defined our nation and established its unique role in the world. But Walter Cronkite is also the man who loved to drive race cars "for the same reason that others do exhibitionist, dangerous stunts. It sets us apart from the average man; puts us, in our own minds, on a level just a little above the chap who doesn't race." He is also the man whose "softheartedness knows no rational bounds" and who always had "great problems at the theater, tearing up at the slightest offense against animals and people, notably the very old or the very young." He is the man who could barely refrain from spitting on the defendants at the Nuremberg Trials, and who could barely announce President Kennedy's assassination over the air for the sobs in his throat. Walter Cronkite helped launch the juggernaut of television, and tried to imbue it with his own respect for quality and ethics; but now he occupies a ringside seat during the decline of his profession and the ascent of the lowest common denominator. As he aptly observes, "They'd rewrite Exodus to include a car chase." Still, the American people know the difference. They know that for decades they have had the privilege of getting their news from a gentleman of the highest caliber. And they will immensely enjoy A Reporter's Life.… (more)
Original publication date
1996
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member mellonhead
Interesting, but surprizingly not very well written. Lots of ranting about how he felt, or how he feels currently about social issues, decline of journalism and society.
LibraryThing member carterchristian1
I read this twice to really take it in because Cronkite skips around a lot. This is not arranged in clear chronological order. However the second read was worth it. Cronkite's life spanned the introduction of radio, television and finally the Internet. He had an opportunity to have sometimes very
Today looking at Afghanistan his observations on the Vietnam War are worth repeating
When not to send troops
page 265 Ballentine Books paperback
"A corrupt, incompetent, unpopular government that we were committeed to support"
"An allied army that often preferred not to fight"
"A resourceful dedicated enemy resolved to struggle on regardless of casualties"
then there is also an early view of Cheney's attitude toward disclosure of vital information to the press
page 267
"Richard Cheney delayed tghe press call-up with full knowledge as he put it until it was too late to cover the crucial five hours of the invasion (Grenada).
In summary I would say this is a vital book to an understanding of the presidency in the last half of the 20th century as well as a vital history of the development of communications during that period.
Much of what even in 1996 the author has to say about the decline of responsible journalism in all forms (he speaks of one newspaper readings, of the move from information to entertainment)that is now increasing.
Show More
long interviews with most of the presidents since Roosevelt and gives good opinions of them. Two observations really grabbed me that are well worth repeating (as this book has no index). Today looking at Afghanistan his observations on the Vietnam War are worth repeating
When not to send troops
page 265 Ballentine Books paperback
"A corrupt, incompetent, unpopular government that we were committeed to support"
"An allied army that often preferred not to fight"
"A resourceful dedicated enemy resolved to struggle on regardless of casualties"
then there is also an early view of Cheney's attitude toward disclosure of vital information to the press
page 267
"Richard Cheney delayed tghe press call-up with full knowledge as he put it until it was too late to cover the crucial five hours of the invasion (Grenada).
In summary I would say this is a vital book to an understanding of the presidency in the last half of the 20th century as well as a vital history of the development of communications during that period.
Much of what even in 1996 the author has to say about the decline of responsible journalism in all forms (he speaks of one newspaper readings, of the move from information to entertainment)that is now increasing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member burnit99
I grew up getting a good portion of my news from Walter Cronkite. The chief impression one gets from his on-air style is one of trust: You want to believe that he's telling you what he knows to be true. To the extent that you can believe an autobiography, that impression is borne out here, although
Show More
he does admit to a couple of peccadilloes in the early days of his radio career that would get any newbie fired nowadays. "Uncle Walter" comes across here as an earnest man who takes journalism and its responsibilities seriously. The self-deprecating style here shows an occasional amusement that middle America takes him just as seriously. Of most interest to me was Cronkite's recollections of the major stories that he and his team informed America about, many of which I remember seeing him report. Being in elementary school, I missed his announcement of JFK's death; now I'll have to find it online. Cronkite wasn't above using his influence to shape the news. His negative comments about the course of the Vietnam war helped influence LBJ's decision not to seek re-election. And he was instrumental in getting Anwar Sadat to sit down and talk peace with Menachim Begin. Cronkite was a giant of American electronic journalism who contributed, albeit with regret, to the dominance of TV news over newspaper reporting. And he seems like a genuinely decent man, worthy of the trust that America bestowed upon him every night for years. Show Less
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Entertaining and illuminating memoir of the reporter often said to be the most trusted man in America. Walter Cronkite was an old-school journalist, trained in the daily newspaper school of hard knocks before moving on to jobs in the newswire service, radio, and television. Along the way, he gained
If it happened in the 60's, 70's, or early 80's, Cronkite covered it. The space race, the JFK assassination, the Vietnam war, Watergate, political conventions.
Cronkite's memoirs are modest (though sometimes a tad smug) and revealing.
Perhaps the most valuable portion of the book are its final pages, when he analyzes the gradual erosion of both broadcast and print journalism. He acknowledges the damage done by the increasingly cutthroat attention to the bottom line and the rise of the infotainment phenomenon.
Show More
experience in areas as diverse foreign correspondence (spending a couple of years in the Moscow bureau during the early years of the Cold War) to the early days of network morning television (when he regularly discussed current events with a lion puppet operated by Bill Baird).If it happened in the 60's, 70's, or early 80's, Cronkite covered it. The space race, the JFK assassination, the Vietnam war, Watergate, political conventions.
Cronkite's memoirs are modest (though sometimes a tad smug) and revealing.
Perhaps the most valuable portion of the book are its final pages, when he analyzes the gradual erosion of both broadcast and print journalism. He acknowledges the damage done by the increasingly cutthroat attention to the bottom line and the rise of the infotainment phenomenon.
Show Less
LibraryThing member trdsf
Breezy and conversational, if not actually chatty. It's a whirlwind tour of the life of a newsman the likes of which we have never more desperately needed than we do right now.
The only flaw is that there were several events in his career that he seemed to touch on briefly that I would have liked to
All in all, though, a fast and fascinating read.
The only flaw is that there were several events in his career that he seemed to touch on briefly that I would have liked to
Show More
have seen expanded on, particularly his coverage of the space program, of which he was an unabashed admirer.All in all, though, a fast and fascinating read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member tarliman.joppos
Absolutely brilliant. Clear, lucid prose recounting some of the great turning points in history by a man who was there. Fare thee well, Walter; your kind is not seen but once in a generation.
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
Fantastic. Cronkite was an icon & actually lived up to his reputation. A fantastic reporter with real integrity. I was sorry this was abridged, but it was still really good.
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
very good info — until end — a few sour grapes
He has been called the most trusted man in America. His 60-year-long journalistic career has spanned the Great Depression, several wars, and the extraordinary changes that have engulfed our nation over the last two-thirds of the 20th century. When
He has been called the most trusted man in America. His 60-year-long journalistic career has spanned the Great Depression, several wars, and the extraordinary changes that have engulfed our nation over the last two-thirds of the 20th century. When
Show More
Walter Cronkite advised his television audience in 1968 that the war in Vietnam could not be won, President Lyndon B. Johnson said: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America." Show Less
LibraryThing member erwinkennythomas
Walter Cronkite’s A Reporter’s Life is an excellent biography of one of America’s outstanding journalist. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri in on November 4th, 1916 Cronkite began his journalism career as a campus correspondent at the Houston Post. He later worked as a local radio station reporter
In the 1950’s Cronkite joined CBS News in Washington as a correspondent, and in the 1960’s he assumed duties of the “Evening News.” It was while at CBS he broadcast national political conventions, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, assassination of John F. Kennedy Jr, and the Vietnam War. After stepping down as anchorman and managing editor he became a special correspondent at CBS. Cronkite later hosted public affairs and cultural programs for PBS and produced documentaries for the Discovery Channel, PBS, and other networks.
Cronkite was critical of the role media was playing in America. He saw this problem caused by the growth of media monopolies, shrinking budgets, having sound bites of politicians, and the lack of what news should be in a democracy. He spelled out the limitations and strengths of TV as a news source, stated politicians had greater beliefs in their images portrayed, but not the content and analysis of the stories. Cronkite saw the decision of the American government not to have correspondents accompany the troops in the Persian Gulf War as a problem if Americans were to know the true meaning behind such conflicts.
Show More
in Oklahoma City as a sports broadcaster. Cronkite went on to have a career at the United Press where he was a correspondent for eleven years. The 1940’s World War Ⅱ saw him as a correspondent in Europe, and he became the chief of the Moscow bureau.In the 1950’s Cronkite joined CBS News in Washington as a correspondent, and in the 1960’s he assumed duties of the “Evening News.” It was while at CBS he broadcast national political conventions, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, assassination of John F. Kennedy Jr, and the Vietnam War. After stepping down as anchorman and managing editor he became a special correspondent at CBS. Cronkite later hosted public affairs and cultural programs for PBS and produced documentaries for the Discovery Channel, PBS, and other networks.
Cronkite was critical of the role media was playing in America. He saw this problem caused by the growth of media monopolies, shrinking budgets, having sound bites of politicians, and the lack of what news should be in a democracy. He spelled out the limitations and strengths of TV as a news source, stated politicians had greater beliefs in their images portrayed, but not the content and analysis of the stories. Cronkite saw the decision of the American government not to have correspondents accompany the troops in the Persian Gulf War as a problem if Americans were to know the true meaning behind such conflicts.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Coutre
Walter Cronkite’s autobiography fascinates on at least two levels: 1. the storied life of a well-traveled and internationally acclaimed television journalist; 2. the prominent figures that played a part in his life due to his position and popularity.
One anecdote involves the discovery of shady
Cronkite was a radio announcer and was famous for being able to fill in details when the communications went down during a football game. He could make up plays and then smoothly dovetail his made up events with the actual progress when the communications came back online.
One of Cronkite’s first brushes with celebrity was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Due to the limitations of technology at the time, some of the interesting anecdotes involve the ways they had to improvise to get film from the live event to the studio in time to show footage during the evening broadcast. This was especially challenging getting footage from England to New York on the same day.
TV made Cronkite the famous figure that he became. So it is with some irony that he marks the end of democracy with the beginning of TV. Politicians and political conventions suddenly became sanitized and dishonest when cameras were trained on them. The exposure of the democratic process could appear ugly to the untrained eye. It’s like some dishes, they are excellent, but it’s not a good idea to watch the chef create it.
By sanitizing the process itself, the end product became sanitized. The end product is the political reality today. The goal was to look polished for the camera, not to honestly work the process to the best possible outcome. “The conventions were reduced to marketing tools. From that day forward, the image on the tube has been the most important aspect of a political campaign, and politics and television have gone skipping hand in hand down this primrose path” (182–183).
Despite the demise of democracy, Cronkite remained an optimistic personality and a revered leader, or at least an accurate reflection, of mainstream American public values. His many decades of journalistic writing gave him a way with words that shows in the present autobiography. It’s an exciting travelogue through the figures and events of the twentieth century, which he covered so well for the CBS Evening News.
One anecdote involves the discovery of shady
Show More
dealings. He worked for a newspaper and made the mistake of changing something on a page he didn’t usually work on. The firestorm that followed shocked him, until he learned that the numbers on the page were communicating the winning numbers in the Mafia’s Numbers Racket.Cronkite was a radio announcer and was famous for being able to fill in details when the communications went down during a football game. He could make up plays and then smoothly dovetail his made up events with the actual progress when the communications came back online.
One of Cronkite’s first brushes with celebrity was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Due to the limitations of technology at the time, some of the interesting anecdotes involve the ways they had to improvise to get film from the live event to the studio in time to show footage during the evening broadcast. This was especially challenging getting footage from England to New York on the same day.
TV made Cronkite the famous figure that he became. So it is with some irony that he marks the end of democracy with the beginning of TV. Politicians and political conventions suddenly became sanitized and dishonest when cameras were trained on them. The exposure of the democratic process could appear ugly to the untrained eye. It’s like some dishes, they are excellent, but it’s not a good idea to watch the chef create it.
By sanitizing the process itself, the end product became sanitized. The end product is the political reality today. The goal was to look polished for the camera, not to honestly work the process to the best possible outcome. “The conventions were reduced to marketing tools. From that day forward, the image on the tube has been the most important aspect of a political campaign, and politics and television have gone skipping hand in hand down this primrose path” (182–183).
Despite the demise of democracy, Cronkite remained an optimistic personality and a revered leader, or at least an accurate reflection, of mainstream American public values. His many decades of journalistic writing gave him a way with words that shows in the present autobiography. It’s an exciting travelogue through the figures and events of the twentieth century, which he covered so well for the CBS Evening News.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rynk
Cronkite the cocktail-party raconteur is well represented in this memoir, which is long on self-effacing stories about his radio and wire-service days.
Pages
viii; 384