Colleagues, friends react to death of Walter Cronkite

Colleagues, friends react to Cronkite’s death

Reaction to the death of Walter Cronkite:

“His passing is, of course, a major loss for journalism. He was a great broadcaster and a gentleman whose experience, honesty, professionalism and style defined the role of anchor and commentator. For almost two exciting and turbulent decades during the 1960s and 1970s he helped inform our nation, and bring us together.” — CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves.

“How many news organizations get the chance to bask in the sunshine of a half-century of Edward R. Murrow followed by a half-century of Walter Cronkite?” — CBS News executive producer Don Hewitt, who created “60 Minutes” and was Cronkite’s first executive producer on the CBS Evening News.

“I’ve been proud over the years to see Walter become not just one of the best-known people on television but one of the best-known people in the whole world of people. He was proud of me, too and there’s no better feeling in life than that. I wouldn’t trade Walter Cronkite liking me for just about anything I’ve ever had.” — “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney.

“He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know. And through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland. But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day.” — President Barack Obama.

“Walter Cronkite was an icon of American journalism who shaped his profession in countless ways during his decades on the air. Tonight, his family is in our thoughts and prayers.” — Former President George W. Bush.

“I’m saddened to learn of the passing of Walter Cronkite, one of the most influential newsmen of our time. I will never forget our memorable visit together to Hanoi on the 10th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.” — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

“You will never meet anyone who is as warm and as much of a gentleman as Walter Cronkite. He loved music, he loved the Grateful Dead. He collected drums, including one from the drummer of the Grateful Dead. He adopted them and they adopted him; he was totally a fan. There were many sides to Walter.” — CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus.

“It’s hard to imagine a man for whom I had more admiration than Cronkite. … He was a superb reporter and honorable man, a fine friend and I have nothing but admiration for Cronkite.” — CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent emeritus Mike Wallace.

“He was so revered and beloved here. … He was a personification of integrity and decency and humanity.” — CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

“He was wise and good and fun. He was America at its best. We loved him dearly and shall miss him deeply.” — Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson.

“He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience. He will be missed.” — Astronaut Neil Armstrong.

“From the earliest days of the space program, Walter brought the excitement, the drama and the achievements of space flight directly into our homes. But it was the conquest of the moon in the late 1960s that energized Walter most about exploration. He called it the most important feat of all time and said that the success of Apollo 11 would be remembered 500 years from now as humanity’s greatest achievement.” — NASA director Charles Bolden.

“A call, a note, a compliment from Walter was pretty much the Nobel Prize for a young reporter.” — ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, who worked at “60 Minutes.”

He was “a jolly and supportive friend. He will be missed by each of us individually who knew him and by the whole country who loved him.” — ABC’s Barbara Walters.

“What was so remarkable about it was that he was not only in the midst of so many great stories, he was also the managing editor of CBS News and the managing editor for America. Walter always made us better. He set the bar so high.” — Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw.

“Walter Cronkite was and always will be the gold standard. His objectivity, his evenhandedness, his news judgment are all great examples. He, as much as anyone, is responsible for developing network television news.” — ABC News anchor Charles Gibson.

“One of the things we tell students is if you can meet the values of Walter Cronkite-style journalism — accuracy, objectivity, fairness and thoroughness in your reporting — you’re going to be pretty great.” — Christopher Callahan, dean of The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

“Walter was who I wanted to be when I grew up. After I got there, I discovered he was exactly the same off the air as he was on the air. He was a great mentor of mine and he always encouraged me.” — CBS “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer, who started work at CBS News in 1969.

“America has lost an icon, our industry has lost its living giant, and all those who learned about the world from Walter Cronkite have lost an exceptional teacher.” — NBC News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams.

“As president, I knew I would be treated fairly by Walter. Although his questions might be tough, I always enjoyed the challenge.” — Former President Jimmy Carter.

He was “the father of television news. … The trust that viewers placed in him was based on the recognition of his fairness, honesty and strict objectivity … and of course his long experience as a shoe-leather reporter covering everything from local politics to World War II and its aftermath in the Soviet Union. He was a giant of journalism and privately one of the funniest, happiest men I’ve ever known.” — “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer.

“It’s a great time to look back and think about someone who played such a major role in explaining what was going on and did it in a calm, fact-based way without embellishments that too often get in the way of really understanding what’s going on.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.