Much has been said about famous CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite in these last few days. As one who grew up watching the CBS News and as someone who turned to it to watch the great historical events of my then young life unfold ( Vietnam, Watergate, the deaths of JFK, Bobby and Martin Luther King and, of course, the landing on the moon), the death of this great newsman strikes me as quite significant.
Yet of all the accolades Mr. Cronkite has justly received, the one that stood out to me came from Don Hewitt, former producer of 6o Minutes, who called Cronkite' America's minister, priest and rabbi.' Well, as a minister, that sure got my attention......and with good reason. At a time in our history when traditional organized religion was undergoing tremendous upheaval and a real shaking of its foundations, we human beings needed the kind of rudders which religious leaders are called to be. We needed people who could get us to examine the deeper questions, in the case of the news, those crucial matters of PUBLIC morality. It's clear that Walter Cronkite was truly that kind of rudder and, for that, those of my generation as well as those earlier and somewhat later, should quite rightly be grateful.
PB
2 comments:
I agree We need that kind of integrity in the news as well as in most other aspects of public life. As well our religious leaders from ALL faiths need to really come together and focus on what unites us rather than what divides us-our focus on issues of Justice and peace and making sure that those in society who are in need are taken care of.
...As well as and most importantly, reverence and awe and trembling toward the ONE GOD who unites us regardless of race, religion,gender, nationality , sexual orientation or creed.
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