Difference between revisions of "Walter Cronkite"
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| − | '''Walter Cronkite''' was an anchorman for CBS Evening News, 1962-1981. Widely regarded as authoritative, he was known as "Uncle Walter". Unfortunately, he was soft on [[Communism]] <!-- and began to oppose the US & South Vietnam's side in the Vietnam War? --> | + | '''Walter Cronkite''' was an anchorman for [[CBS]] Evening News, 1962-1981. Widely regarded as authoritative, he was known as "Uncle Walter". Unfortunately, he was soft on [[Communism]] <!-- and began to oppose the US & South Vietnam's side in the Vietnam War? --> |
*From the outset, critics accused Cronkite of politically slanting the news to the left. This bias, they said, was evidenced not so much by Cronkite's words as by his choice of what stories CBS covered, and by his habit of raising his eyebrows and scowling to show his disapproval of statements made by conservatives and Republicans. | *From the outset, critics accused Cronkite of politically slanting the news to the left. This bias, they said, was evidenced not so much by Cronkite's words as by his choice of what stories CBS covered, and by his habit of raising his eyebrows and scowling to show his disapproval of statements made by conservatives and Republicans. | ||
Revision as of 02:51, September 27, 2007
Walter Cronkite was an anchorman for CBS Evening News, 1962-1981. Widely regarded as authoritative, he was known as "Uncle Walter". Unfortunately, he was soft on Communism
- From the outset, critics accused Cronkite of politically slanting the news to the left. This bias, they said, was evidenced not so much by Cronkite's words as by his choice of what stories CBS covered, and by his habit of raising his eyebrows and scowling to show his disapproval of statements made by conservatives and Republicans.
- Cronkite strongly influenced the politics and outcome of the Vietnam War. In 1968 the Communist forces in South Vietnam, facing defeat, staged massive kamikaze attacks on U.S. positions in Saigon and elsewhere during the Chinese New Year celebration called Tet. This suicidal "Tet Offensive" was a military disaster that cost the lives of 100 Communist fighters for every American killed. But as a top Communist general said years later on the Public Broadcasting Service documentary series Vietnam, those on the left in the American press turned this Marxist military defeat into a political victory for the Communist side. [1]
Cronkite's influence on the America's public perception of the Vietnam War was recognized by President Lyndon Johnson when he stated after a critical report on the war, "if we've lost Walter Cronkite, we've lost the country."[2]
Cronkite has also stated support for other leftist causes, such as tax increases.[3] During and following his anchorage tenure, Cronkite has placed a disproportionate amount of criticism towards Conservatives while aligning himself with Liberal figures such as Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and John Kerry.[4]
In 2004, he appeared in the Liberal documentary Outfoxed which criticized Fox News for being too Conservative.[5]
References
- ↑ http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1795
- ↑ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0312/28/rs.00.html
- ↑ http://www.mrc.org/Profiles/cronkite/welcome.asp
- ↑ http://www.mrc.org/Profiles/cronkite/welcome.asp
- ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41604-2004Jul10.html