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A visit with Walter Cronkite
An international correspondent's life can be exhilarating — the travel, the adventure, the sense of being right in the middle of where it's all happening. But it can also be very risky, especially in a war zone. And it can take an emotional toll on even the most seasoned journalist. The job comes with ethical and philosophical considerations, not to mention practical questions — like what do you pack? From the Second World War to present day, CBC Archives examines what it's like to be a CBC journalist abroad.
Walter Cronkite was the anchor of the CBS Evening News for 19 years on television. In this revealing interview with Paul Saltzman, Cronkite talks about his "luck" entering journalism, his hobbies and the news business. Cronkite also offers his thoughts for today's youth, urging them to become active in the world because "(it's) an exciting period in man's history."
• Water Cronkite was born in Missouri in 1916. He left college to work as a
newspaper reporter and radio announcer.
• During the Second World War,
Cronkite became renowned as a war reporter, flying in a B-17 bomber, covering
the front lines in Europe and North Africa and landing by glider in Holland. He
covered the Nuremberg warcrime trials and reported from Moscow for the United
Press.
• In 1962 Walter Cronkite became the anchor of the CBS Evening
News, a position he held for 19 years. He covered the Apollo 11 and 13
space missions, the Iran hostage crisis (1980-81), the assassination of John F.
Kennedy, the Vietnam war and Watergate scandal.
• "Uncle Walter" signed
off on March 6, 1981, saying, "Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away; they
just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is: Friday, March 6, 1981.
I'll be away on assignment, and Dan Rather will be sitting in here for the next
few years. Good night."
• Cronkite stayed active as a special
correspondent and political commentator until 2008.
Program: Through the Eyes of Tomorrow
Broadcast Date: June 26, 1966
Guest(s): Walter Cronkite
Interviewer: Paul Saltzman
Duration: 11:40
Last updated: February 10, 2012
Page consulted on August 22, 2012
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