Cronkite, Walter
1916–2009

Cronkite was 'the most trusted man in America' through the 1970s and 80s, the standard against which all news anchors and public information sources are still measured, the plainspoken Midwesterner from Missouri/Texas 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. Paxton would be appalled at the post-truth political style, attacks on press, institutional norm-breaking, and abandonment of fact-based discourse. 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. Cronkite was politically a moderate Texan who voted for both parties in his lifetime — his verdict isn't ideological, it's about how a public figure treats truth.