Perhaps if all the peoples of the world understand what war really means, we would eliminate it.
Walter CronkiteRead
I can swear on a stack of Bibles that not once in doing the 'CBS Evening News' for 19 years - well, I take it back. Once perhaps. But during 19 years, with perhaps one exception, was I ever aware of any political or commercial pressure on that broadcast whatsoever.
Interpretation
Walter Cronkite emphasizes the independence of journalism from external pressures.
In this quote, Walter Cronkite reflects on his extensive career as a news broadcaster, asserting that his reporting on the 'CBS Evening News' was largely free from political or commercial influence. He acknowledges a rare exception but underscores the importance of maintaining journalistic integrity and objectivity in delivering news to the public, which he considers crucial for a functional democracy.
In practice
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of independent journalism.
Perhaps if all the peoples of the world understand what war really means, we would eliminate it.
The death of Churchill at 90 was one of those watershed moments in which the obituary rises to a special calling beyond the sharing of remembered times. It gave an older generation a rare opportunity to explain something of itself to its children.
I suppose popularity is measured by ratings. If a broadcaster is known as the leader because of ratings, then that's where people most want to be seen and heard, so there's no question that there's an advantage.
Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.
I feel no compulsion to be a pundit. As a matter of fact, I really don't have that much to say about most things. Working with hard news satisfies me completely.
I think that our comfort is in our history.
I'm 68 and a half years old; I grew up with newspapers; I love newspapers; I love the news business. I started CNN; I'm a journalist and proud of it.
I really do think we're going through a period of concentration of ownership of media, and we're starting to see the effects at the editorial level, and it's all bad. This increased pressure for profits every quarter, smaller news hole, less coverage of important stuff - the extent that it's become one giant infotainment industry.
Too many of our conversations in the media hinge on conflict delivered in three-second sound bites.
Media outlets that are exploiting Ebola because they want a sensational story and politicians using it to their own ends ought to be ashamed.
The most puzzling thing about TV is the steady advance of the sponsor across the line that has always separated news from promotion, entertainment from merchandising. The advertiser has assumed the role of originator, and the performer has gradually been eased into the role of peddler.
Television is simultaneously blamed, often by the same people, for worsening the world and for being powerless to change it.
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