Cronkite, Walter
1916–2009

Cronkite was 'the most trusted man in America' through the 1970s and 80s, the plainspoken Texan whose pronouncement that Vietnam was unwinnable shifted public opinion in 1968. His values: fact-based reporting, institutional respect for journalism, civility in public discourse, environmentalism late in life, and deep concern about the erosion of public trust. Cornyn fits the Cronkite framework substantially better than Paxton — his measured rhetoric, refusal to attack journalists in the personal mode of contemporary populist politics, and consistent willingness to engage with the Texas Tribune Q&A and other established journalistic institutions track Cronkite's standards. He loses ground on the climate-change framework Cronkite came to in late life and on aggressive party-loyalty rhetoric on social media. Talarico's fact-based framing, civility, institutionalism, and commitment to journalism (he taught media literacy as a middle-school teacher) fit Cronkite's standards; Cronkite would dislike the sharper partisan rhetoric and some populist economics but recognize the temperament.