Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for May 30, 2014

No one has come close to replacing Uncle Walt.

What a fine tribute. He was the best ever.

Different time and place before the press became a toolfor political agendas.

Travis, The journalists have always been tool for the political machine. They just were less obvious about it.Masterskrain, Those are entertainers, not journalists. Loud entertainers.

@Travis BickelI’m not sure when the press became a tool for political agendas, but the press certainly was a tool for extreme wealth in 1934* and quite likely long before. And extreme wealth influences politics.

*"The Plot to Seize the White House" by Jules Archer. 1973,2007 chapter 8, part 1. An excellent read.

Cronkite had Kansas City roots. A kc mayor, Kay Barnes, was his cousin.

They do have Peter Mansbridge up in Canada. He’s a not entirely inadequate substitute for Unca Walter.

I live on the border and watch him with interest and a degree of confidence in his integrity.

The most eloquent sigh I ever heard was Walter’s. It could be heard off camera at the end of his coverage of Nixon leaving the White House following his resignation.

@kd1sqAgreed. I live in MI within 55km of one of CBC’s affiliate stations.

mr.mansbridge has come under fire recently for accepting speaking fees from fossil fuel interests..we are aghast!

He also narrated2001 — The Twenty-First CenturyThe future looked bright, and here we areNearly as perfect as the show implied

@montessoriteacherAre you a fellow Kansas Citian?

Where have you gone, Walter Cronkite?A nation turns its lonely eyes to youOoo ooo ooo..What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson?“Uncle Walt has left and gone away”Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

I think if the conversation is about journalistic integrity, the name Edward R. Murrow should be mentioned, yes? I don’t think anyone could accuse him of being an entertainer. He stood up to the drunk demagogue McCarthy when everyone else was cowering in their boots. Or am I oversimplifying?

I don’t watch a lot of TV news – but Anderson Cooper isn’t that bad, is he? Wasn’t he the one who pitched a fit when the gummint was momicking up the Hurricane Katrina tragedy?

Those in power have always been the most ruthless, greedy, selfish and violent and have always had a stake in keeping the masses ignorant and obedient, wouldn’t you agree? Under the rule of divine right monarchs with no rule of law it was relatively easy with the help of organized religions to keep the masses ignorant, childlike, and under complete control. Then came democracy which was a threat but the most powerful segment, the super wealthy now feel they’re getting things back under their complete control with the help of the religious right to subvert democracy and thwart the good of the majority; witness the extreme redistribution of wealth in the past 30 years. So again it’s up to the masses to either fight for themselves or let themselves go back to that state of powerlessness which marked the vast majority of human existence. Getting control of media and eliminating true journalists like Murrow and replacing them with interchangeable talking heads has been a big step towards a form of government best characterized as an oligarchy/theocracy. Or am I not seeing things as they are?

Walter Cronkite would wipe the floor with Brian Williams at slow-jamming the news.

What kind of a day was it? A day like all days that alter and illuminate our lives, and you were there.

I feel like I can trust many of the NPR and KPCC (local) commentators.

When LBJ heard Walter criticize the Vietnam war, he said he knew right then he’d lost the country’s support for the war.

When Walter and Ed started out, the news division of a radio or television network were considered loss-leaders, not expected to generate any revenue. There was a lot of prestige in having a respected news show. That all changed in the 70’s, when eyeballs became more important than respect. That’s when we started getting the “Happy Talk” news, with witty repartee between the newscasters, more sensationalism and more fluff pieces. I still respect NPR and PBS news, where, surprise, surprise, generating ad revenue is not a factor.

CBS also had a radio version, before that, so Cronkite inherited an audience, wanting to see, what they had previously only heard.

I would like to add one more name to the list of journalists who are sorely missed: Peter Jennings. A man of experience and integrity.

Remember watching Cronkite. Even north of the border we were able to get him on the old telly..Peter Jennings started at CTV – then left for the States in 1964. Harvey Kirck took over. Then Lloyd Robertson. Lloyd has the voice for news, just like Walter.

We just lost Knowlton Nash at age 86. CBC. RIP, sir.

Nicely said