Was Walter Cronkite the greatest news anchor ever?

Yes. He set the gold standard for news anchors. Very few anchors have measured up to that standard.

It's amazing how news has changed over the decades. Once deregulation kicked in news reporting went down the tubes with it.

So true. As a veteran of TV news, I watched firsthand. With deregulation came the blurring of the line between news and opinion. Once, our goal was to produce a "newscast of record" - to report THE significant events of the day. That's long gone. Around the time Cronkite retired, I was asked to join an in-house discussion re: the direction our news product should take. One item on the table was to move toward "tabloid journalism" - sensational and highly promotable. This was a serious consideration from management. Those of us on the staff rejected the notion wholesale. The business as a whole has gone there, regardless.

Limbaugh was the vanguard of the movement. It's really a shame that an entire generation has grown up thinking that the "work" of people like Limbaugh represent news in any form.

Great man RIP

to the person who claimed Walter Cronkite was just an anchor man,

excuse me, you are incorrect. Cronkite was first and foremost a reporter. His experience as a reporter served as a backdrop when he anchored the evening news.

Cronkite gave it to us straight. Because Dan Rather forced Cronkite's retirement (ie, reported that ALL anchors must retire at 65) and Katie Couric used to anchor a morning talk show, I no longer watch the CBS Evening News.

I wanted to hear what Cronkite had to say. He told the story. He was not just an anchor.

Good bye Walter, I will forever remember how you and your trusted voice sold us out in Vietnam.......RIP

Walter Cronkite was more than just an anchorman... he was THE anchorman. He was so good a new word had to be invented just to descrive him.

He was more than just a great newsman, he was a great man. Period. Simple, honest, trustworthy, dedicated... he set the gold standard of news that others since could only hope to live up to.

The era of news/journalism with any shred of integrity to it has died with him. And that is the greatest tragedy of all.

Well done good and faithful servant. Godspeed.

Walter is still passionate, committed, accurate, articulate, and loved; in Heaven as well as on Earth.

I was saddened when I heard the news of Walter Cronkite's passing. He was a giant in news journalism. I remember as a kid sitting with my family watching the evening news with Walter Cronkite. He was great, especially when we watched him cover the Apollo moon landing.

News organizations who don't strive to tell the news accurately, damage the facts of the events. Trying to change history is nearly impossible and dead wrong. These so called news journalist warp reality and hoodwink their audience. It's a disservice to everyone , really.

I'll miss America's favorite Uncle. God rest in peace Mr. Cronkite.

So very true, North Park!

I agree. Today it is all about ratings. Not the TRUTH. Everything has to be POLITICALLY CORRECT.

Define "politically correct". As I see it, no one's immune. One man's notion of truth equals another man's derisive notion of "PC". We all have our sacred cows and we don't want them slaughtered, and that holds true regardless of your political leanings.

We hear what we want to hear.

North Park, Pryo and Inga

Right on - if it's not politically correct or entertainment - it is not reported.

I also think that mainstream media has developed a bias that did not exist before which is the reason why the ultra opposite of this bias (Limbaugh, Coulter, etc.) came in to popularity.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I thought the same thing too. I thought the timing of his death and the anniversary of the Apollo landings were uncanny. Good point Mike.

When Katie Couric retires, how many weeks will it take for someone to notice?

Will anyone really?

Probably not, but her legs are better than Uncle Walter's.

Hey, you guys why bring Katie into this-- this is about one of the best and honest reporters we were fortunate to have. Why even be in this discussion, if you want to cut other repoters down--you are off of the subject. God be with you Walter and your family .

BoyP,hil, you hit the nail right on the head-- the news was honest when he reported it , not like today, He didn't play guesssing games .Walter was truly an icon, in an era gone by!He reported as it was, and if he stepped on a few toes they deserved it.