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DdC · 07-18-2009, 08:11 PM

Walter Cronkite Knew a Failed War When He Saw One By Ethan Nadelmann
CN Source: AlterNet July 18, 2009 USA

Everyone knows Walter Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America" and someone whose rare expressions of personal opinion -- such as on the Vietnam War -- could powerfully influence the views of middle America.

But fewer are aware of a passion of his that he came to relatively late in life -- ending the nation's disastrous war on drugs. continued

Walter Cronkite by Pete Guither

I'll miss him.

I grew up watching Walter, whether he was reporting the news or helping us be a part of the great and terrible moments in history, from the Apollo missions to the tragedies of the day. But he did more than report. He was a classic journalist -- he wanted to really know, so he could do his part to pass on the truth -- not a he-said, he-said political beltway mouthpiece (that dominate network and cable news today), but real journalism. It's no surprise that he was considered the most trusted man in television.

Many years later, I got a chance to see a rare interview with Walter on TV. Catherine Crier was talking to him one-on-one on the relatively new Fox News channel. Ironically, he was just getting into talking seriously about the dearth of real reporting today -- how the networks and cable cared only about bottom line to the detriment of the news -- and you could see Crier frantically signaling offstage to let the interview run and not cut to commercial... but he was cut-off mid-sentence for a commercial break, and when they came back he was gone.

In his later life, Walter discovered the truth about the drug war, and came out as a passionate reformer, working with Drug Policy Alliance.

Recollection of Walter Cronkite by Allen St. Pierre
Cronkite's "Drug war is a war on families" OpEd from 2004.

07-18-2009, 08:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
DdC Decade Yahookan Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: Santa Cruz,CA,USA Posts: 2,088 Blog Entries: 5 Thanks: 47 Thanked 570 Times in 378 Posts	And that's the way it is... Walter Cronkite Knew a Failed War When He Saw One By Ethan Nadelmann CN Source: AlterNet July 18, 2009 USA Everyone knows Walter Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America" and someone whose rare expressions of personal opinion -- such as on the Vietnam War -- could powerfully influence the views of middle America. But fewer are aware of a passion of his that he came to relatively late in life -- ending the nation's disastrous war on drugs. continued Walter Cronkite by Pete Guither I'll miss him. I grew up watching Walter, whether he was reporting the news or helping us be a part of the great and terrible moments in history, from the Apollo missions to the tragedies of the day. But he did more than report. He was a classic journalist -- he wanted to really know, so he could do his part to pass on the truth -- not a he-said, he-said political beltway mouthpiece (that dominate network and cable news today), but real journalism. It's no surprise that he was considered the most trusted man in television. Many years later, I got a chance to see a rare interview with Walter on TV. Catherine Crier was talking to him one-on-one on the relatively new Fox News channel. Ironically, he was just getting into talking seriously about the dearth of real reporting today -- how the networks and cable cared only about bottom line to the detriment of the news -- and you could see Crier frantically signaling offstage to let the interview run and not cut to commercial... but he was cut-off mid-sentence for a commercial break, and when they came back he was gone. In his later life, Walter discovered the truth about the drug war, and came out as a passionate reformer, working with Drug Policy Alliance. Recollection of Walter Cronkite by Allen St. Pierre Cronkite's "Drug war is a war on families" OpEd from 2004.