Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wowee Wednesday

Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009I grew up watching my parents and grandparents watch the news. There were only a couple of channels to choose from at the time, so Walter Cronkite was a fixture in either black and white or color. When I was small and at my grandparents house, Walter reminded me of my grandfather. If I saw him on at my house in color, he reminded me of Captain Kangaroo. Isn't it funny what our kid brains do?

As an politically aware adult, Walter was a reminder of where journalism came from, and how most of us wish it had remained; pure, honest, sincere, and valid. Modern "news channels" have sensationalized and cheapened our news experience to the point that it's easy to confuse the 6 o'clock nightly news with Entertainment Tonight. We are fed a direct line of news all day long, if we choose to plug in, and that direct access makes what Walter Cronkite did even more special. Each night he brought a nation together to listen, laugh, celebrate, mourn, and think. It is my hope that he will continue to guide and watch over the industry.

After all, Fox News needs a strong guiding hand.

1 comment:

Bren B said...

He was a legend. No doubt. Definitely a WOWEE!