SoloJourno

Iconic news anchor, Walter Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America”, passed away today at age 92.

Walter Cronkite symbolised the power of broadcast news
photo credit: Reuters

He was born in St. Joseph, Mo., and raised in Houston, Texas. While he was in high school and college, he worked on the school papers. And as a young man, he covered World War II. He started at CBS News in 1950, and moved to the anchor desk in 1962. He became known at “Uncle Walter” and his signature sign off was “And that’s the way it is”. He retired from CBS in 1981, much to the dismay of many, including one fan who was wearing a t-shirt which read: “Oh my God, what are we going to do without Walter Cronkite?”

Walter Cronkite in his NYC office on March 6, 1981,
just prior to his final newscast as CBS anchorman (AP)

Cronkite remembered in photos: Life Magazine and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

According to Wikipedia:

Although he reported many events from 1937-1981, including bombing in World War II, the Nuremberg trials, combat in the Vietnam War, the death of JFK, Watergate, and the Iran Hostage Crisis, he was known for extensive TV coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings (with co-host Wally Shirra), to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award. The Beatles’ first American TV broadcast was for Walter Cronkite. Following one of his central tenets to “report the news, don’t become it,” the title “anchor” was invented as his role. In later years, he appeared as a host or guest-star in many TV broadcasts. (Read the rest of the entry)

BBC broadcaster and a former Washington correspondent Edward Stourton:

“Walter Cronkite stood for everything that drew my generation to television in the 1970s. More than anyone else, he symbolised the power of broadcast news; his career had demonstrated why television mattered, and why we thought evolving technology could have a moral purpose. It was an irony of this extraordinary successful life that he long outlived the golden age of the media he did so much to mould.” (Read the rest)

From the Telegraph obit:

Millions who watched his relaxed, reassuring delivery, gained a warm feeling that all was not lost, even as the nation faced the horrors of an unpopular war in Vietnam, scandal in high places in the capital, or the holding hostage of United States diplomats in Tehran. Seeing him sign off with his customary “And that’s the way it is”, viewers were left with a sense that here was a man you could indeed trust to tell it like it was.

With both television and newspapers often criticised for perceived bias, this was a reputation not to be sneezed at by a journalist – or by his employers, who sold advertising to go with the package.

Cronkite’s position was that of a fixed star in the television galaxy, rather than that of a comet which came and went. In an industry peopled by wildly ambitious personalities with vast egos, Cronkite managed to appear as a responsible, unflappable man who had happened to become a reporter.

Watching him, one knew from a pause and a glance, from the tilt of an eyebrow in a pleasantly rugged face, what to think about the turmoil in the great world outside. He was a sort of national conscience. His presentation of the news communicated what a sensible view of events might be, a view which would often later become broadly that of public opinion.

Perhaps alone among journalists he could make that difference to the nation’s attitudes. President Lyndon Johnson believed that Cronkite was in large part responsible for turning public opinion sharply against continued American involvement in Vietnam.

After a trip to the war zone in 1968, Cronkite concluded a special report: “It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honourable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.” Watching this, Johnson remarked to an aide: “If I’ve lost Cronkite I’ve lost Middle America.”

Read more.

Via Mashable:

Crowdfunding, or getting many people to donate small amounts of cash to fund a project, startup, or service, is nothing new. Think public radio or television pledge drives. Think political campaigns. Think tip jar. Now, as the media landscape changes and traditional revenue sources are beginning to disappear, some forward-thinking journalists and entrepreneurs are starting to apply the crowdfunding concept to the news. A new crop of sites are combining crowdfunding with volunteer and professional contributions in order to source news that people want to read.

There are two issues with crowdfunded sites that also have volunteer journalists, however: who’s going to pay for it and who’s going to write it. These sites are experimenting with ways of answering these questions.

Read the full article. See also A Guide to Crowdfunding Success

By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard that Apple has a new-new gen iPhone aka iPhone 3Gs with the “s” standing for speed (features, tech specs).

When it comes to mobile devices of this variety, I’m a hardcore Windows Mobile girl - they don’t call me the ‘Pocket PC Princess’ for no reason - BUT I’m a journalist and filmmaker, so the new video features really have me paying attention to the 3Gs, and I was delighted to find a detailed post by someone who actually is a serious filmmaker.

Yesterday, indie helmer Steve Ellington posted a great article called: “Everything You Wanted to Know About iPhone 3GS Video” in which he does a terrific rundown of the video shooting capabilities of this new iPhone. He shot the following video to illustrate his points, and he also wrote a comparison to his Flip MinoHD, and follows that up with a iPhone 3Gs ‘wish list’ - one very important feature missing from the 3Gs is HD.

On a side note, I’ve been hearing a lot about user frustrations over the lack of battery life of iPhones. Here’s a helpful review of an interesting product called Mophie Juice Pack Air, ‘an add-on battery pack that doubles as a case’ (PDF manual). Currently it’s available in white, black, and purple, but sadly, not a bright blue. Maybe that colour will be available by the time i get an iPhone, or a next-gen video-capable iPod Touch.

Via Learn-gasm:

Today’s journalism students are entering an industry that’s facing a crossroads. These days, newspapers and media in general are adapting and growing at a rapid pace, and it’s essential that students keep up, or they’ll be left in the dust. By reading these blogs, you can keep an ear to the ground on the latest developments that matter the most to journalism students.

Read the full article.