Evangelist on newsman's death: 'He was an icon'
Upon receiving the news that Walter Cronkite had died on Friday, evangelist Billy Graham released this statement from his home in Montreat, N.C.:
"Walter Cronkite was one of the closest friends I had in journalism. He was an icon. I doubt if anybody will replace him in the hearts and minds of Americans. I respected his views on so many subjects."
"I will never forget Walter's narration of a documentary film produced about my wife, Ruth. May God bless his family during these days." (Cronkite also narrated an audiobook about Ruth.)
In his 1997 autobiography Just As I Am, Graham wrote about meeting Cronkite during his famous 1957 New York Crusade:
"I went to be interviewed by Walter Cronkite for his CBS television news show, recorded for broadcast the following night. He was an amiable host, and we had a great time, sitting together in a room overlooking Times Square. He asked the kind of leading questions I love to answer, about our work, our objectives, the message we preached, and what we had to offer New York.
"The news staff then screened some film clips that they had taken around Times Square and Broadway, and Walter asked me to comment on them. I observed that thousands of frustrated and bewildered people there who were searching for reality, could find it if they would give their lives to Christ."
As for Cronkite's own religious beliefs, here's what Wikipedia says, FWIW:
"Cronkite's family was Protestant and changed their denomination three times while he was a child. Cronkite himself joined the Episcopal church as a youth explaining in a 1994 interview: 'I got into a Boy Scout troop that met in an Episcopal church. The church had a wonderful minister who was also the scoutmaster. And I suppose you can say he proselytized me. At any rate, I was much involved with the church, and became Episcopalian — and an acolyte. Later, when I worked for a paper in Houston, I was church editor for a while. The Episcopal House of Bishops met in Houston one year, and I became intrigued by the leaders of the church — fascinated by their discussions and their erudition.'"
share thisPosted by Mark Moring on July 18, 2009 12:46AM
Comments
Please tell me a journalistic publication did not just cite Wikipedia--even as FWIW? I am a college English instructor and I spend much time explaining the lack of reliability in such sites. This concerns me. Please keep your high standards.
Posted by: Susan at July 18, 2009
If your title is taken from the article, you are misquoting Graham. He did not identify Cronkite as a "close friend," merely as "one of his closest friends in journalism." Big, big difference.
Posted by: alison at July 18, 2009
And another thing. Why does this matter and why are you reporting on it?
Posted by: alison at July 20, 2009
I'm interested, so as far as I'm concerned, it's important.
Professor Susan's comment sounds rather quaint, doesn't it?
Posted by: Rodney Welch at July 20, 2009
Susan is right on. Wikipedia is notoriously unreliable.
Posted by: alison at July 21, 2009
Nothing is perfect, but studies have shown that Wikipedia's error rate compares rather favorablty with the Encyclopedia Britannica.
One thing Wikipedia has in its favor is that it can be constantly updated and corrected.
It's not 100 percent reliable -- no publication is -- and the quote in question is not sourced. Still, most readers (and I would think most readers of this site, certainly) know that Wikipedia has a sort of "buyer beware" sticker on it. So, if you quote Wikipedia, and you SAY you're quoting Wikipedia, and you even further say FWIW, and furthermore you do so on a blog, which by its nature is casual and conversational, then I don't really see the lapse in ethics -- anymore than if you and I were talking, and I were to say, "This is something I heard, and I'm not absolutely sure it's true..." I say that a lot, by the way, even when I'm quoting what are regarded as highly reliable news sources.
Posted by: Rodney Welch at July 22, 2009
Dear Mr. Mark Moring,
Not long ago I read a short article about the huge loss of membership of liberal denominations just their members are disenchanted with liberalism Christianity.
I really need to read it again. I know there are some books mentioned in this conneciton, which I would like to buy. Please help me.
Thanks!
Boxter Kharbteng
Posted by: Boxter Kharbteng at August 24, 2009
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