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 the U.S. over the last two-thirds of the 20th century.
At the age of eighty, Walter Cronkite wrote his life story--the personal and professional odyssey of the original "anchorman" for whom that very word was coined. 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 he reported about.
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, plenty of 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.
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