wow died right on my sister's birthday

Yeah, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcet died on my boyfriends birthday D: sucks for my BF and your sister

1981? that's why I don't remember his voice, or the way he said things, I love hearing the old legacys though, they had something that the new people don't.

Integrity was the difference between the old media and the new. Plus, all the old media guys got their start in radio, so voice was key, not how fancy a suit you wore.

Very true, I would also say there was class to them as well, but definitely the Integrity takes the top of the list. They were news reporters, not Gossip Peddlers.

That Edward R. Murrow hired him to work at CBS speaks to the style of newscaster he was. Then again, if someone like Edward R. Murrow was running the news section of a major network, we just might have some real reporting again...

Oh god.
I'm going to miss him, though I didn't see any of his broadcasts...
His voice is so familiar, and he seemed like a very genuine man, delivering the news with a sincerity I have yet to see a television newscaster top.
He spoke about all news with the same amount of respect, and was a great man.
I will miss him dearly.

I remember watching him rip apart the media people after the Persian Gulf War. Public TV had a show in which they brought in former war correspondants and the current media. Cronkite sat as one of the moderators, but he ripped a bunch of the guys for crying about censorship. He explained the censurship that he was under in WWII and they all shut up. He also ripped them about getting their facts straight before reporting instead of trying to be the first to tell a story that might be wrong.

Yes, he will be missed. I too grew up watching him and still remember him from Apollo 11 being the voice we listened to throughout the mission.

He will be missed.

I know I'll miss him, he was a big part of the years I grew up in.

- W -
* Sigh *

In his days, news anchors had integrity and the guts to report FACT, across all stations and timeslots. Now any news source is biased and you could have people from stupid to just plain retarded in any show at any time... what happened?

Damn. So many great people passing so close together.... >:(

Classiest guy in the news business ever.

Him and John Chancellor as well.

Edward R Murrell?

Edward R. Murrow... He was the guy that ran CBS news and hired Cronkite on. And yes, they were real reporters. I'd include Eric Sevareid in that class too (also hired by Edward R. Murrow).

Get the movie "Good Night and Good Luck" which was about Murrow taking on Eugene McCarthy during the Red Scare.

Just to point out the difference between the old newsman and the new, back when the Space Shuttle blew up (broke apart actually) back in 1986, I remember Tom Brokaw, upon seeing the parachutes from the SRB's drifting down, saying with utter conviction that paramedics were being dropped to rescue the astronauts. Walter Cronkite would have known what they were.

Uncle Walter always took the time to understand what he was going to report on. Plus, he was such a science junkie.

BYE, WALTER! 7;=e

I grew up on dear Walter. He was the NEWS for me and my folks. It is with great sadness that I say that I will miss him. "When Cronkite ended his CBS broadcasts with his trademark sign-off, 'And that's the way it is,' you could be sure that's the way it was."

It was one of the nice things about how they handled it last night on CNN. Everyone who worked with him would say how he handled the news and the integrity he always held up. He never played for hype. He had no problems with complaining about the 24 hour news channels that only did commentary and no substance.

Excellent post, Rabbi. Just excellent. I'll miss him too.

- Shado

He'll be missed, but how can anyone be sad - the man was 92!

I'll remember him not only for his historical news reports, but moreover for voicing Professor Neweyes in the film adaptation of "We're Back - A Dinosaur's Story".

Watch from 9:25 on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLdZwkajvY

(*Respectful silence for The Voice Of Reason*) (-_-)

The Jewish tradition is to leave a stone at the grave marker. Online, and especially on place such as MetaFilter, the tradition is to leave a lone period.

.

Farewell Walter. You are missed.

Are you making a set of death cards or something?

This is a big one. He'll be missed.

another treasure lost to time. He will be dearly missed.

So, I guess summer of 2009 is the summer of celeberty deaths? They seem to be dropping like flies.

As someone who grew up in the 60's and 70's, I remember most all of the major newscasters of that time. Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, Howard K. Smith, and Walter Cronkite. Back then, you trusted in these people to inform you, not entertain you as the news channels have become of late.

Cronkite's only regret? That he didn't get a chance to go into space and report from there.

30.

I had always hoped that NASA would have sent him up on a shuttle mission.

Of all the newscasters, I think he wanted it most of all. He was actually selected, and I would have enjoyed watching his reports from the high frontier. The only other one I would have enjoyed would be Jules Bergman, from ABC News. He actually took the astronaut training to get a better understanding for his reports.

His voice cracking when he read the news of JFK's death and needing a few seconds to compose himself.

Being giddy when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon.

His bold thoughts that the Vietnam War was unwinnable.

He brought out the human side to news reporting.

Goodbye Uncle Walter. R.I.P.

Another sad loss, although I wish he'd gotten more prime time news coverage and such like Michael and Farrah got given his massive contributions through the decades.