Tributes Censor Cronkite's Anti-Iraq War Stance

Walter Cronkite believed his "proudest" moment as a journalist occurred when he told the nation that the Vietnam War was unwinnable, despite rosy rhetoric from the Johnson White House and Defense Department. Following his death last week, various network news tributes replayed footage of Cronkite's influential '68 on-air editorial.

Cronkite's Unintended Legacy

With his measured calm and seriousness of purpose, Walter Cronkite set a high standard for television journalism that has rarely been met since his retirement in 1981. But the legendary CBS anchorman who died Friday also may have unintentionally contributed to the American Left's dangerous complacency about media.

The feeling of many Americans (especially liberals) about the Cronkite era was that journalists could be trusted to give the news reasonably straight.

Beyond the Hype: Cronkite and the Vietnam War

Media eulogies for Walter Cronkite -- including from progressive commentators -- rarely talk about his coverage of the Vietnam War before 1968. This obit omit is essential to the myth of Cronkite as a courageous truth-teller.

But facts are facts, and history is history -- including what Cronkite actually did as TV's most influential journalist during the first years of the Vietnam War.

Censored by ABC, Obama's Doc Speaks Out

In the wake of Republican charges that ABC was attempting to "exclude opposing viewpoints" from its June 24 forum on healthcare reform, the media was awash in concerns that the "town hall" would not allow for challenging questions to President Barack Obama.

Give Canadians the Choice of Al Jazeera TV

The most vocal critics of human rights commissions often invoke freedom of speech. Yet they were strangely silent when Ottawa effectively blocked Al Jazeera Arabic TV's entry into Canada in 2004. And they are mostly silent now about Al Jazeera English's application before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Being treated like that in Canada is a minor irritation for the folks at the Qatar-based Al Jazeera, including the Canadian Tony Burman, managing director, English. They have seen far worse.

Bearing Witness 2.0: You Can't Spin 10,000 Tweets and Camera Phone Uploads

China just delivered a stunning, real-world demonstration of the changes rocking -- and transforming -- modern journalism.

Fearing the Future: The Corporate Press Makes the Case for Being Saved

Corporate media are in a state of severe business shock, it seems—layoffs at newspapers large and small, due to advertising revenue drying up and readers ceasing to pay for a printed copy of a newspaper that they can usually read for free online. The state of the press has generated an enormous amount of attention in the press itself, with journalists and pundits offering any number of plans to "save" dying newspapers. Congressional hearings on the state of the media suggest that lawmakers are worried about what might happen next.

Before We 'Save' Journalism

One thing to keep in mind while worrying about the future of journalism is that its past hasn’t been all that great either.

The Still-Growing NPR 'Torture' Controversy

There are several noteworthy developments since I wrote on Tuesday about the refusal of NPR's Ombdusman, Alica Shepard, to be interviewed by me about NPR's ban on using the word "torture" to describe the Bush administration's interrogation tactics.  Given the utter vapidity of her rationale ("there are two sides to the issue.

L’Affaire Froomkin, as Told by Froomkin

Jay Rosen calls it "the Froomkin kissoff." Others call it, less colorfully, "l'affaire Froomkin." Many call it politically motivated. Some call it "dumb, short-sighted, and self-destructive." Some just call it stupid.