Biography paints Cronkite's darker side Biography paints Cronkite's darker side - Talk of The Villages Florida

Biography paints Cronkite's darker side

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-24-2012, 04:40 PM
manaboutown manaboutown is offline
Sage
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: NJ, NM, SC, PA, DC, MD, VA, NY, CA, ID and finally FL.
Posts: 7,870
Thanks: 14,323
Thanked 5,109 Times in 1,955 Posts
Default Biography paints Cronkite's darker side

This guy was probably the most trusted mainstream media newsman of his time. Check out what he really was like.
Biography paints Cronkite
  #2  
Old 05-24-2012, 06:40 PM
rp001 rp001 is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: glenbrook
Posts: 735
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default good man

I saw nothing in the tease for the book that paints him as a bad person, just a normal person...And based on the situation at the time he did the right thing. Being painted "as a liberal" does not make him a bad person, in spite of what the reviewer slanted him to be in the article.
  #3  
Old 05-24-2012, 06:56 PM
RichieLion's Avatar
RichieLion RichieLion is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: grew up in NYC and lived my adult life in Northern NJ; and now a resident of TV in Bonita
Posts: 5,997
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Send a message via AIM to RichieLion
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rp001 View Post
I saw nothing in the tease for the book that paints him as a bad person, just a normal person...And based on the situation at the time he did the right thing. Being painted "as a liberal" does not make him a bad person, in spite of what the reviewer slanted him to be in the article.
I guess the part about planting bugs at the GOP Convention was the "right thing".

I guess the unlimited freebies he accepted, as he did from Pan Am Airlines was the "right thing"

I guess his manipulating and reediting of an interview with LBJ in order to destroy him politically was the "right thing".

I'm not so sure.

New Biography of CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite Dents His Halo - The Daily Beast
__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania (1759)
  #4  
Old 05-24-2012, 07:21 PM
Mikeod's Avatar
Mikeod Mikeod is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Caroline
Posts: 5,021
Thanks: 0
Thanked 50 Times in 28 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by RichieLion View Post
I guess the part about planting bugs at the GOP Convention was the "right thing".

I guess the unlimited freebies he accepted, as he did from Pan Am Airlines was the "right thing"

I guess his manipulating and reediting of an interview with LBJ in order to destroy him politically was the "right thing".

I'm not so sure.

New Biography of CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite Dents His Halo - The Daily Beast
I guess I wonder about the purpose of writing biographies of deceased people that reveal potentially negative aspects of their lives or beliefs that were not apparent when they were alive. They (the subject of the book) are not going to change. Are we enhanced by the knowledge of their frailties? Does this negate or diminish the rest of their lives or accomplishments? Is it fair to judge actions done so many years ago by today's standards?

When I was growing up, my grandparents believed a good meal consisted of meat, potatoes, and gravy. Nutritionists today would not think that a proper meal and one that may predispose someone to future health problems. We're my grandparents bad?
  #5  
Old 05-24-2012, 08:55 PM
Sally Jo Sally Jo is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 583
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

I never understood why people said he was the most trusted man in America. While he covered it up better than they do today he was very bias.
  #6  
Old 05-24-2012, 09:06 PM
RichieLion's Avatar
RichieLion RichieLion is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: grew up in NYC and lived my adult life in Northern NJ; and now a resident of TV in Bonita
Posts: 5,997
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Send a message via AIM to RichieLion
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeod View Post
I guess I wonder about the purpose of writing biographies of deceased people that reveal potentially negative aspects of their lives or beliefs that were not apparent when they were alive. They (the subject of the book) are not going to change. Are we enhanced by the knowledge of their frailties? Does this negate or diminish the rest of their lives or accomplishments? Is it fair to judge actions done so many years ago by today's standards?

When I was growing up, my grandparents believed a good meal consisted of meat, potatoes, and gravy. Nutritionists today would not think that a proper meal and one that may predispose someone to future health problems. We're my grandparents bad?
I don't think it's a negative biography, per se. It appears it just doesn't gloss over the man's foibles.

I don't think that's a bad thing.
__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania (1759)
  #7  
Old 05-24-2012, 09:12 PM
manaboutown manaboutown is offline
Sage
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: NJ, NM, SC, PA, DC, MD, VA, NY, CA, ID and finally FL.
Posts: 7,870
Thanks: 14,323
Thanked 5,109 Times in 1,955 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally Jo View Post
I never understood why people said he was the most trusted man in America. While he covered it up better than they do today he was very bias.
The mainstream media is very biased. It does not attempt to present the facts. It is only a propaganda organ.
  #8  
Old 05-24-2012, 09:17 PM
FMF Doc's Avatar
FMF Doc FMF Doc is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 349
Thanks: 2
Thanked 13 Times in 9 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by manaboutown View Post
The mainstream media is very biased. It does not attempt to present the facts. It is only a propaganda organ.
There's a lot of that going around. The brainwashed and those lacking an open mind are the worse.
  #9  
Old 05-25-2012, 05:42 AM
thekeithfan thekeithfan is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: The Villages
Posts: 179
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

When I watched Walter on the news I could never detect HIS opinion of the story at that time. Certainly not like his predesessor Dan Rather. With Dan you could always tell which side of the story Dan was on. He never for a second tried to hide his liberal bias.
  #10  
Old 05-25-2012, 06:21 AM
2 Oldcrabs 2 Oldcrabs is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 546
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default Bias

Certainly not like his predesessor Dan Rather. With Dan you could always tell which side of the story Dan was on. He never for a second tried to hide his liberal bias.[/QUOTE]

Is it any difference than the "conservative bias" on fox news? There are good & bad views on both sides of the equation! We could use a little "middle of the road".
  #11  
Old 05-25-2012, 06:24 AM
Moderator's Avatar
Moderator Moderator is offline
TOTV Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 25,435
Thanks: 18
Thanked 877 Times in 338 Posts
Default

Please try to address the topic of Walter Cronkite....this thread is straying into the political arena and may have to be moved to the political forum.
  #12  
Old 05-25-2012, 06:36 AM
paulandjean paulandjean is offline
Gold member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,327
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Who cares about his views on a story.
  #13  
Old 05-25-2012, 06:47 AM
OldDave OldDave is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Hutchinson, KS
Posts: 389
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Default

Since I've been a journalist for 40+ years, I'm sure my take on this is a bit different than others. Cronkite always said he worked hard to not let anyone know his political views. I think that's the best a journalist can hope for. And I believe he accomplished that pretty well. That was the pricipal that guided me in my career. I always turned down offers to express my personal opinion or to become involved in anything that required me to take sides. That's pretty hard to do sometimes. Reports today don't even think about that as is seen with reports sitting in on every opinion show you can find. (I mentioned I ran NPR stations. Their reports are all over the place offering personal opinons.)

Or course I haven't read the book yet, so I will not come to any conclusions until I do. Whether you think he was "the most trusted man in American" or not he certainly was in a position to be one of the most influencial. And as we've seen over the years, not many people manage to avoid the temptations that come with that kind of influence.

I hope the Adminstrator will allow me to just briefly comment on some of the asides here, because I do think they are relevant to this topic. I continue to be amused that people who watch Fox or MSNBC believe their channel of choice is telling the absolute truth in a "fair and balanced" way. People want to be told that their prejudices are OK. It makes them feel better.

For me both FOX and MSNBC in no way even imagine to be fair or balanced. They have each become the mouthpiece for the two extremes that seem to be dominating the "news" in this country. And I find them both truly sad.

It is an odd notion to me that the media is liberal. Nearly every radio commentator that is successful is conservative. Liberals have attempted to be, but have failed. On TV again you have the split of polar opposites, with CNN trying to find the middle ground. But ever since they swore off shows with two people from different views talking over each other, their ratings have gone done. Apparently viewers do view the fighting more than they like news.

No matter your opinion, the era of Cronkite is gone. People younger than us probably don't even know who he is so his legacy is mostly becoming a moot point anyway. Someone asked why we have to write negative books about people after they're dead. The answer remains the same as it always has been: it sells newspapers.
__________________
Finished 40+ years in radio and looking for a new adventure.
  #14  
Old 05-25-2012, 07:10 AM
senior citizen senior citizen is offline
Sage
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,813
Thanks: 0
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Default

...

Last edited by senior citizen; 05-27-2012 at 07:57 AM.
Closed Thread


You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:15 AM.