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He was called the most trusted man in America. For a long time he was the most famous anchor on television, back when TV was how most people got their news. He

He was called the most trusted man in America. For a long time he was the most famous anchor on television, back when TV was how most people got their news. He had a stalwart reputation, which is rare among anchors (especially compared to the current batch).

quizbiz 17y ago
I'm just trying to figure out why. What did he do to earn such trust? Watching the news reports coming in I'm learning. Sad that it has to come to this but am I correct in saying that the way he reported about the war in Vietnam had a lot to do with it?
- zimbabwe 17y ago
  I don't know. I was born way after he retired. But this is what I know of him from reputation alone.
- evgen 17y ago
  He was the CBS news anchor when the transition from 15 min to 30 min nightly news occurred in the US (back when there were only three channels to watch), and he held his anchor chair for around two decades. Some of his reputation is due to being the product of the times (e.g. being the face of the most-watched news show during the growth of TV news to become the dominant news source in the country) and some of it was through conscious decisions he made to "tell it like it is." He was the first major news figure to tell the American population that the vietnam war was unwinnable. His distinctive, sonorous voice was also a big help.
- jsz0 17y ago
  Part of the trust he earned was a technical advantage. America at this time did not have half a dozen news networks. There were only a handful of men delivering the news via this medium. CBS as a pioneer of the medium had an incredible amount of reach from a technical broadcasting perspective. More (powerful) transmitters reaching more homes. Better entertainment programming keeping channel dials on CBS. It's also important to remember that TV news was still a new concept in those days. TV itself was still an incredibly powerful medium to people. It certainly helps he was a top notch journalist and could rival the more mainstream print media.
- kevbin 17y ago
  Back then, people didn't know any better than to trust the scripted talking head coming-out of the magic box across from the bed. I've never understood why newsreaders have been afforded any gravitas. Cronkite was much more of a reporter and journalist than any current teleprompter reader, but his effect on the public was due to being one of two or three "all knowing" entities beamed into people's homes.

quizbiz 17y ago

I'm just trying to figure out why. What did he do to earn such trust? Watching the news reports coming in I'm learning. Sad that it has to come to this but am I correct in saying that the way he reported about the war in Vietnam had a lot to do with it?

zimbabwe 17y ago
I don't know. I was born way after he retired. But this is what I know of him from reputation alone.
evgen 17y ago
He was the CBS news anchor when the transition from 15 min to 30 min nightly news occurred in the US (back when there were only three channels to watch), and he held his anchor chair for around two decades. Some of his reputation is due to being the product of the times (e.g. being the face of the most-watched news show during the growth of TV news to become the dominant news source in the country) and some of it was through conscious decisions he made to "tell it like it is." He was the first major news figure to tell the American population that the vietnam war was unwinnable. His distinctive, sonorous voice was also a big help.
jsz0 17y ago
Part of the trust he earned was a technical advantage. America at this time did not have half a dozen news networks. There were only a handful of men delivering the news via this medium. CBS as a pioneer of the medium had an incredible amount of reach from a technical broadcasting perspective. More (powerful) transmitters reaching more homes. Better entertainment programming keeping channel dials on CBS. It's also important to remember that TV news was still a new concept in those days. TV itself was still an incredibly powerful medium to people. It certainly helps he was a top notch journalist and could rival the more mainstream print media.
kevbin 17y ago
Back then, people didn't know any better than to trust the scripted talking head coming-out of the magic box across from the bed. I've never understood why newsreaders have been afforded any gravitas. Cronkite was much more of a reporter and journalist than any current teleprompter reader, but his effect on the public was due to being one of two or three "all knowing" entities beamed into people's homes.