'And that's the way it was…'

Inter Lake editorial

Walter Cronkite was more than a newsman, he was an American icon - and his death Friday at the age of 92 has thus inspired America to take stock of itself.

Cronkite's tenure in the anchor chair at the CBS Evening News occurred as America was witnessing the best and worst of itself. He shared with us the tragedy and emotion of John Kennedy's assassination; the growing fatigue with the war in Vietnam; the wonder of America's space program; the collapse of the Nixon presidency; the success of the civil rights movement.

In the 25-plus years since Cronkite was replaced as anchor, we have seen more good and bad in our country, but it seems we no longer have a person like "Uncle Walter" who could put things in perspective. Indeed, while Cronkite was considered "the most trusted man in America," today's TV news personalities are often held in low esteem for reliability.

No doubt, Cronkite was a product of his times, and could not have achieved the same stature if he had been in television news today. But that's part of the reason why we need to take stock. America was richer by far to have Walter Cronkite around to tell them "that's the way it is," and we ought to seriously try to figure out why it's not that way anymore.

CRONKITE'S PASSING came right at the time of the 40th anniversary of the first men on the moon - a news event that Cronkite, of course, chronicled from his anchor chair.

The retrospectives of the 1969 lunar landing have included much speculation about the future of space exploration and whether the moon or Mars or beyond should be our next objective.

That speculation, which surely must be tempered by the financial reality of these times, should not overshadow the significance of that American accomplishment four decades ago.

The country rallied to the call of its president (John Kennedy) and, through an effort involving thousands of people and a handful of intrepid astronauts, managed to put men on the moon.

That achievement remains uniquely American and an accomplishment for all of us to be proud of.