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Farewell to the Most Trusted Man in America
By Lauren | July 18, 2009
We lost a legend yesterday when retired anchorman Walter Cronkite passed away at the age of 92. For those of us who grew up with Cronkite, it seemed as though even the worst news wasn’t so bad when delivered by that calm, rational voice. It’s no wonder that, when someone dubbed him “Uncle Walter,” the nickname stuck.
What made him the “Most Trusted Man in America”? Simply this: Cronkite didn’t spin the news. A consummate journalist, Cronkite insisted on presenting his audience with unvarnished facts and trusting us to come to reasonable conclusions. In his long career there was only one notable instance when Cronkite let a personal opinion fly. After weeks of reporting from the front on the war in Vietnam, he returned to the studio, took off his glasses, looked America in the eye, and told us that he thought the war was unwinnable. (And even that wasn’t a “political” opinion, just a firm prediction that proved to be right.) The public responded with absolute trust - so much so, in fact, that when he learned of Cronkite’s statement, then-President Lyndon Johnson reportedly said, “if I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” No surprises there - when Cronkite closed each broadcast with his signature “and that’s the way it is,” we knew it was true.
It’s been almost thirty years since Walter Cronkite retired as CBS’s anchorman, and the media have become increasingly politicized (a trend that Cronkite detested). It’s always comforting to have one’s views reinforced, and I enjoy a hard-hitting editorial as much as anyone. But as newspapers and broadcast news struggle to remain relevant - and to stay financially afloat - in this post-Internet world, they might be wise to remember that Cronkite, in addition to being the most trusted news anchor, consistently drew the highest ratings in the business. Truth sells, folks, because people invariably prefer to do business with people and companies they trust. Tell us the truth without political spin, and you might just be pleasantly surprised.
Topics: Business Ethics, Professional Ethics, business communications, corporate responsibility, customer relations, ethics |