I wasn’t really a TV news-watcher during his heyday (actually, it was a habit I’ve pretty much avoided all my life), but Jesse Walker sums up my feelings nicely here:
It [Cronkite running for president] was a joke, of course. But it was a wistful what-if of a joke, and it resonated. Time soon ran letters hailing the idea. “He knows more about national and international problems than any other two candidates put together,” declared one reader, “and, as a duty, I think he would accept the miserable job.” Four years later, the newsman was still fending off suggestions that he run for the office and “make a difference.” Can you imagine anyone spouting such a fantasy about any of our anchors today? Maybe Stewart or Colbert, but not someone who delivers the news with a straight face.
And that’s good. Cronkite’s influence was a product of the three-network era, a time we should be happy to have put behind us. I’m sorry to see the man die, but I’m glad no one was able to fill his shoes.
(Cross-posted to the old blog, http://bolditalic.com/quotulatiousness_archive/005594.html.)
