Cronkite Remembered, Media Critiqued By Obama

By: Amy Johnson

Walter Cronkite was one of the most influential people in the realm of media. An anchorman for the CBS Evening News, he was often called “the most trusted man in America." The media and world of journalism has come a long way from having a journalist that America can trust.

President Obama paid respect to the late Cronkite recently, who died this past July.

He stated that “ 'the most trusted man in America' -- wasn't bestowed upon him by a network or advertising agency, but earned through decades of painstaking effort."

It's true. Many Americans that were fortunate enough to watch Cronkite nightly had a voice they could trust. He told the news exactly like it was. In comparison of the serious news that Cronkite reported on in years past, today's journalism has gone soft. Celebrity scandals and reports on the intimate, personal lives of people through the United States have taken over the front lines of the news.

What will it take to get back to the investigative journalism that Cronkite so skillfully mastered? It is tough to say. Perhaps getting back to a way of journalism where reporters don't have to stay neutral and unbiased because of fear they'll be fired. Or maybe it is such a thing that the internet and television has taken over, showing more and more soft stories such as the "Jon and Kate Plus 8" scandal over those with more substance; or perhaps it is America the people's own fault, loving the softer stories more than those that actually impact their own lives.