A Reporter's Life

Rating:
Summary: Walter Cronkite forever!
Review: A REPORTER'S LIFE
by Walter Cronkite

Recommendation by Renee Cox ([e-mail])

Friday, November 22, 1963. We were living in Montreal, a city of cold and snow. I had one small infant, another on the way, and no car. So I took a taxi (a tremendous extravagance) to my mother-in-law's, where the family were meeting for an early dinner. Just before I left the apartment, a friend phoned me with the news that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. When I could finally get a phone line, I ordered a cab, and on the way over, the cabbie and I listened to the news on his radio.

We walked into the house and I told my mother-in-law what had happened. She had just come home from downtown by bus and said: "I wondered why everyone was stopped on the street." We turned on the television, and, to my utter disbelief, I watched Walter Cronkite in Washington confirming the President's death. As he did so, his voice broke with emotion. I decided then and there I loved this man.

After reading "A Reporter's Life," I haven't changed my opinion.

Despite the book's occasional contradictory ruminations and a closing summary that, although worthy and courageous, was so pedantic it almost lost me, I recommend this book highly. It is, in a word, a treat. I enjoyed the first half, dealing with his youth, more than the second, and I thought it was because I am older than many reviewers, but I have since come across opinions of other, younger readers which put forth the same thought.

Perhaps the reason we prefer the first half is to be found in Cronkite's own words: "[High] incomes must remove the anchorpeople from any pretense of association with or even understanding of the average person...just before World War II...nearly all of us newspeople, although perhaps white collar by profession, earned blue collar salaries. We could identify with the common man because we were him."

Yes, and there are understandable reverberations of ego between the lines of his memoirs. But in view of Cronkite's fame and accomplishments, overall he comes across as a genuinely modest and likable man.

The book is worth reading for the anecdotes alone, which are sharp and witty but never mean. The only time Cronkite takes his gloves off to deliver a full knuckle punch is in the last chapter, when he thumps the cost-cutting, "bottom-line" philosophy of current network bosses who have a separate agenda which puts ratings, stockholders, and advertisers far ahead of anything else. Quality, if it exists there at all, is an afterthought.

However, this final section of the book which criticizes the broadcast news industry and mulls over its future, is didactic in tone. If anyone has earned the write to comment on these issues, it is Cronkite. But it is too bad that the last chapter seems to contain more "tell" than "show."

A small quibble. He says his career cannot be looked back on as a success, because he does not feel he can say, upon reflection: "I made a difference."

Wrong, wrong, wrong. He is looking through a glass, darkly. The last line, when he says people stop him today to ask, "Didn't you used to be Walter Cronkite?" sums it up.

Of course, he always was and always will be Walter Cronkite, and this wonderful book should play its part in ensuring that we never forget him. Vive Cronkite!
---
(Based on the paperback edition: New York: Ballantine Books, 1997. Copyright 1996.)


Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look into the stories behind the news
Review: Although an avid reader of biographies, I am usually not a fan of memoirs that incorporate events of history. I usually find them far too dry and uninteresting with their rigid, chronological structure. A REPORTER'S LIFE by Walter Cronkite, however, is a rare exception. Cronkite narrates his own personal history while touching on many of the most significant events and people of the past 50+ years. Cronkite does so in a engaging and page-turning narrative.

As seen through the eyes of perhaps the most respected and trusted reporter of this century, events such as our involvement in war, particularly Vietnam and the division of our country over it, Watergate, the Nuremberg trials, South Africa, Communism, the first steps toward peace between Egypt and Israel, the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of John Kennedy, the NASA space program, and many more are given a more personal, and sometimes different, perspective than the "history" we have come to know or have been led to believe.

The Kennedys, Menachem Begin, Anwar Sadat, Martin Luther King, Jr., George Patton, Jimmy Hoffa, Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks, Adolf Hitler, and our presidents: from FDR to George Bush, are just a few of the many figures to be found here. Cronkite not only recounts stories about them, but in many cases gives us heretofore unknown and sometimes surprising insights into these colorful and complex personalities.

I found each of his recollections about these important people and events in history both absorbing and entertaining. Having personally reported on all these events, Cronkite is able to make them come much more alive and make them far more interesting than any typical history book's dry recital of facts and dates.

But it is Cronkite's personal history of the development of media journalism, and his own career in it, that makes for the more compelling story. From his beginnings as a newspaper boy, to newspaper reporter, radio announcer, becoming the first news "anchor" for the CBS Evening News, to the sad state journalism is in danger of becoming, as news stations are taken over by corporate conglomerates, more interested in "entertaining" the public in an effort for higher ratings and profits, than in educating and informing said public, we follow both the neophyte journalism student and newly developing industry as they grow up and mature side-by-side through the intervening years.

A REPORTER'S LIFE is a very fine book. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the life of one of our most distinguished news reporters and human beings, or a brief, but personal look into the history of media journalism.

Rating:
Summary: His voice still commands attention
Review: As a devotee of the CBS evening news anchored by Walter Cronkite before his retirement, I was pleased to hear his voice again. His tones always seemed to exude confidence and accuracy, leading to his being known as the most trusted man in America. His public statements about the futility of American involvement in Vietnam did as much as anything else to turn American public opinion against the war, a fact that even Lyndon Johnson understood.
He was present at many momentous events of this century, not the least of which was the beginning of both radio and television broadcast journalism. The stories that he recounts are factual, yet sometimes funny as he describes his role in developing two new mediums and how he watched events unfold. Had anyone else read this book, it would have had nowhere near the effect that it does. His is one of the most fascinating careers of all time, as he also had some form of interaction with nearly every major newsmaker of the last century.
One section that I found very interesting was when he was talking about the American presidents. I was very surprised that he ranked Jimmy Carter as the smartest president that he met, and from his statements it appears that the rest are considered a distant second While he was polite enough to avoid direct criticism of Ronald Reagan, it was clear that he does not have a high opinion of Reagan's intellect. His role in bringing about the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt was something that I had not known until now. It is an event that should be extensively examined by every journalism major.
If his career was examined in depth, it is possible that Walter Cronkite would be placed in the upper echelons of the most influential people of the last century. The changes that he helped bring about were more subtle, yet no less significant. From this tape, you get only a glimpse of that influence, but it still demonstrates how important he was to the flow of history.

Rating:
Summary: The Man Who Killed American Soldiers
Review: General Weyand presented this speech at the GEORGE CATLETT MARSHALL MEMORIAL RECEPTION AND DINNER for the Association of the United States Army Convention, held in Washington, DC on October 18, 2000 GEORGE CATLETT MARSHALL MEMORIAL RECEPTION AND DINNER Association of the United States Army Convention
Washington, DC October 18, 2000
"After Tet, General Westmoreland sent Walter Cronkite out to interview me. I was in Command of the Forces in the South around Saigon and below and I was proud of what we'd done. We had done a good job there. So, Walter came down and he spent about an hour and a half interviewing me. And when we got done, he said, "well you've got a fine story. But I'm not going to use any of it because I've been up to Hue. I've seen the thousands of bodies up there in mass graves and I'm determined to do all in my power to bring this war to an end as soon as possible." It didn't seem to matter that those thousands of bodies were of South Vietnamese citizens who had been killed by the Hanoi soldiers and Walter wasn't alone in this because I think many in the media mirrored his view. It was a far different situation for me than when I was in Korea with my Battalion. I had a fellow named John Randolph who was an Associated Press Correspondent. He literally lived with our Battalion and he wrote about the men in a way that was good for them. It raised their morale. He never undercut their effort nor maligned the cause for which they fought. He became like one of them. He was awarded the Silver Star for Valor for helping them retrieve wounded and dead from the field of battle under fire. When I was in Paris at the Peace Talks, it was the most frustrating assignment I think I ever had. Sitting in that conference, week after week listening to the Hanoi negotiators, Le Duc Tho and his friends lecture us. Reading from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Herald Tribune, the Atlanta Constitution, NBC, CBS, you name it. Their message was always the same. "Hey, read your newspapers, listen to your TV. The American people want you out of Vietnam. Now, why don't you just go ahead and get out?" So finally a Peace Agreement was signed that everyone knew would be violated and with no recourse or hope of enforcement on our part.

Walter Cronkite, the 'Reporter's Life' is a fraud, weak in story and rambles on and on about his sailing boat. In his first ever, televised editorial about the evnst of Tet 1968 barely offer a page in his book. He was not balanced or based on any facts whatsoever his fact-finding few days to Vietna during Tet 1968. It was his "personal opinion" telling his audience and or our government what he thought about foreign affairs. Sounds a lot like what is going on today with the media being more entertainment than news? It's like actors today criticizing American soldiers and Marines in Iraq. The massive numbers of dead were South Vietnamese that were murdered by the Viet Cong terrorists meant nothing to these liberal evil do-gooders like Cronkite, John Kerry and Hanoi Fonda. The "Killing Fields of Cambodian" mean nothing to these liberal holier-than-thou, know-it-alls. People who worshiped Mr. Cronkite as a so-called "fatherly figure" jumped on his bandwagon like Jane Fonda and college hippies. Walter had a new following of young minded zombies for peace.

As Richard Rowere wrote in his book, WAIST DEEP IN THE BIG MUDDY, "This is the first war of the century of which it is true that opposition to it is not only widespread but fashionable."

Sleep well Walter and that's the rest of the story he omitted in a 'Reporter's Spoiled Life.'

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new
Review: I enjoyed the book. But I felt the book lacked any new insights into all of the history this author lived through. While the book gave some interesting background on the author's family, the rest of it was like watching reruns of the 6:30 news.

It left me wanting more of what wasn't there.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book. Cronkite Ought to be Compared to Carol Lin
Review: I really enjoyed reading _A Reporter's Life_. I felt that Walter Cronkite gave a good insight into his life, especially in broadcasting. During his years as the anchor of the "CBS Evening News," he showed excellence as an anchor.

On November 22, 1963, millions of Americans first learned from Walter Cronkite when the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated. Everyone will remember Cronkite saying "From Dallas, Texas, the flash--apparently official--(Reading AP Flash) 'President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. (CST),' 2:00 Eastern standard time, some 38 minutes ago."

After reading the book, you ought to compare Cronkite to CNN Anchor Carol Lin, since people remember where they were and what they were doing when they learned that President Kennedy was assassinated and Cronkite was the first anchor to break it. For those born after the assassination, the following words were their generation's version of "From Dallas, Texas, the flash--apparently official--President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. (CST), 2:00 Eastern standard time, some 38 minutes ago:"

"Yeah. This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.

"CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources, and trying to figure out exactly what happened. But clearly, something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island Manhattan.

"That is, once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center."

(CNN Anchor Vince Cellini, seated beside Lin, added some words about the situation. Then they got Sean Murtagh, CNN vice-president of finance and administration, on the telephone then. From his office in the network's New York bureau on the 21st floor of 5 Penn Plaza, where he was when he saw the attack, he told them about what he knew about the situation. (Murtagh was in a nearby office, not in his office when the plane hit. He then went into his office, and using the telephone on his desk, he called CNN Center and was put on the air.)

Murtagh was the first eyewitness television networks heard on the air that day. He was also network employee to be heard on the air after the story broke. Thus, he became the first network employee to tell many Americans that a commercial jet hit the World Trade Center when he said that a "large passenger commercial jet" hijacked on its way from Boston to L.A. hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Both Cronkite and Lin said the first bulletins voice over. Cronkite broke into "As The World Turns" and said voice over a "CBS NEWS BULLETIN" slide that the president had been shot. Lin broke into an ad and said voice over a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center "with a huge smoking gaping hole in it" and at the bottom of the screen the graphic, "BREAKING NEWS: WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER--CNN LIVE--8:49a ET," that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.)

With those words, Cronkite, on November 22, 1963, became a generation's version of Carol Lin, because on September 11, 2001, she was the first anchor to tell many Americans of a series of audacious and devastating terror attacks on the United States--terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon--the most devastating terror attack ever waged on the United States, doing so at 8:49 a.m., ET.

Rating:
Summary: A good book by the best news man ever!
Review: I've always been a big fan of Walter Cronkite (I even got to meet and interview him while I was in college), but I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I was not disappointed. Cronkite takes the reader through his start in journalism and through all of the important events that he reported on while serving as managing editor of the CBS Evening News. He does jump around a little bit, but that is a very, very minor complaint.

What I like most about the book is that Cronkite is honestly and genuinely modest. If there ever was a news man that would have cause to brag and take stock in his accomplishments in a high-handed manner, it's Cronkite, but he does not at all. Uncle Walter writes his book like he conducted his broadcasts - he just tells it like it is. This is a wonderful book not only for newshounds and journalism aficionados, but also for anyone who would like to read about a figure of Americana. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Good, light read.
Review: I've always regarded Walter Cronkite simply a news-writer/wire service reporter/voice-over narrater/anchorman-presenter. I think he purposely reflects this same idea in his title, A REPORTER'S LIFE -- nothing more, nothing less. His memoir is written similiary in a frank, concise, matter-of-fact style, and is unpretentious (most mercifully). A blue-collar reporter; I was born, went to school here, got a job at the local paper there, went overseas and covered the war, did some radio work, went to TV, retired, and here's what I think of network news today... (That's all). Don't look for any insights or deep introspections. For instance; I was truly interested to know his thoughts, feelings, and dealings with Ed Murrow and The Boys, and how he won CBS news from them. Walt only devoted 2 short paragraphs bascially saying: They were editorialists, and I was more front page news. (That's it?) How about working with Eric Severide? A sentence here, another one there. (Yep, that's it).

The first half of the book is devoted to Walt growing up, working in newspapers, becoming a wire service reporter, and covering the war in Europe. This is some good stuff. Again, nothing intensive, but interesting. The second half of the book is about his television career with CBS. If you grew up watching Walt during this time, well -- there's not many surprises. He repeats how he choked up announcing JFK's death, calling the Vietnam War to be a lost cause, learning of LBJ's death with a phone call live on the air, watching Dan Rather getting slugged (woohoo!) at the Democratic Convention, etc. In the last chapter Walt gives his views on the state of network news and how it can be improved. To me, it was kind of sad. He doesn't fully appreciate or understand that it's dead. Yes, he gives some credit to the alternative news sources and how they're contributing to the demise of network news; but with all the 24 hour cable news channels, satellite TV, 2 channels of CSPAN; and the NY Times, Washington Post, BBC, foreign newspapers, and wire services on the Internet -- why would anyone want to suffer under the 3 network Ted Baxters we have now?

All in all, it is a light, entertaining, and enjoyable read. It's like sitting with a favorite, jovial uncle at the dinner table, while he recounts his life's adventures.

Rating:
Summary: A propagandist, not a reporter
Review: The most interesting part of "Uncle" Walter's book, nay, the only interesting part of this flimsy self-serving memoir, is the former CBS (as in "see BS") anchorman's statement that to avoid WWIII, "a system of world order--preferably a system of world government--is mandatory." He also speaks of "social and political and economic evolution, which will explode with such suddenness as to have the character of revolution." He adds that "the revolutionary forces are already at work today, and they have humankind's dreams on their side." Revolutionary forces? I thought he just said it would "have the character of revolution" but would, in fact, be an "evolution." Get your facts straight, newsboy.

Of course, I haven't heard about these "revolutionary forces" on the network news, and neither has anyone else. But then Walter and his fellow news reporters in the mainstream media are not and have never been reporters. They're propagandists, making and shaping the news according to the dictates of their corporate owners. If those elitists can benefit from a war, Walter and company will beat the drums so the American people will go along with it. As for that "world government," Walter promotes it because he's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and other New World Order groups who are, indeed, the "revolutionary forces" of whom he speaks. They're forcing their "revolution" on a world that doesn't want it, and the beast of the Bible's book of revelation will rule the one world government of which he speaks. And he knows it, too! Like most CFR members, and like all those who are promoting the New World Order, Cronkite is an occultist whose broadcasting career was all voodoo, a way to cast spells--broadly--on the viewers to prepare them mentally for the godless dictatorship that is soon to come.

Uncle Walter is going to Hell, kids. Weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth. Don't forget the Poligrip, grampa.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful But A Bit Superficial
Review: This book is a fast and fascinating read on Cronkite's 40 some year career in the field of journalism. I initially picked it up because I was interested in finding out the career path of famous journalists. I expected the book to offer an insightful recounting of the man's career, and being that it's an autobiography, I was also hoping for a deeply personal introspective from the author. I got the former, but I think the book runs a little thin on the latter.

Cronkite fills the book with facts and interesting anecdotes from his career as a journalist and reporter, and incidentally, it's also a historically look at our country's history from WWII and on. History buffs would enjoy that aspect of the book, which is broken up into several sections as organized by Cronkite, such as a section on the wars, a section devoted solely to the Presidents, and a section on the civil rights movements. What I took away is a pretty rosy picture of a man's career, which spans from newspaper to radio, and then finally TV, seemingly with always the right opportunities being offered and seized at just the right time. At times I felt it was either Cronkite was very lucky most of time in his career, or he's not telling you the full story.

What I liked about the book is Cronkite's style of writing, which is very approachable. He tells tales from his life as a reporter with the congeniality of a grandfather, and offers humours sidenotes that'll make you laugh along the way. He also maintains an air of genuine humbleness throughout. However, I also find his storytelling to be ultimately falling short on deep emotional substance. Maybe it's the man's near obsession with what he deems the "holy grail" of any good journalist - impartiality, or an unwillingness to be candid, but he seems to have little to say that's highly critical of any events or individuals that he's observed over the years. Even at points where he seems to be voicing opinions, he seems to be more objectively insightful and analytical rather than critical. It is only towards the end of the book, where we catch a glimpse of his more open criticism on broadcasting management and the state of the news media today.

The book is ultimately an enjoyable read on a man's life in journalism, a good review on history and evolution of the news media, but stops short on delivering strong emotional content.