When Walter Cronkite delivered his familiar sign-off, “And that's the way it is,” millions of Americans knew the evening newscast had come to an end. On November 4, 2026, the 110th anniversary of the birth of the journalist who turned the television anchor into one of the most influential storytellers of 20th-century history will be marked.
Cronkite was born on November 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Missouri. He grew up in Kansas City and Houston, and his interest in journalism began during his school years. In 1937, he joined the United Press news agency, where he gained experience as a reporter and correspondent. During World War II, he covered the Normandy landings, and after the end of the conflict, he reported from the Nuremberg Trials.
From the Front Lines to the Evening News
In 1950, Cronkite joined CBS News. Twelve years later, he took over as anchor and editorial head of the network’s evening news program. Until his retirement in 1981, he became a constant television companion to Americans, covering events that changed the country and the world.
On November 22, 1963, Cronkite announced the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on the air. The camera showed him removing his glasses and, for a moment, setting aside his professional composure to wipe away his tears. Six years later, he also brought viewers the landing of “Apollo 11” on the Moon—another event that turned the television newscast into a shared national experience.
The Vietnam Commentary That Broke the Rule
His most famous journalistic moment came after his trip to Vietnam in 1968, when he covered the aftermath of the Tet Offensive. In a special commentary broadcast on February 27, Cronkite moved beyond his usual neutral tone and offered an assessment of the course of the war.
“To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.”He went on to say that the sensible way forward was negotiation, not victory on the battlefield. The commentary caused a powerful public reaction because it came from a journalist regarded as impartial and exceptionally trustworthy. President Lyndon Johnson was later associated with the line, “If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America,” but historians and journalists debate the extent to which the phrase was actually uttered in that form.
“The Most Trusted Man in America”
Cronkite also covered the civil rights movement, presidential elections, the Watergate scandal and the Iran hostage crisis. In 1972, a public opinion poll named him “the most trusted man in America”—a description that remains firmly associated with his name. CBS described him as an anchor who reported the news calmly and directly, without turning the airwaves into a stage for personal fame.
In 1981, Cronkite stepped down from the anchor desk and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He continued to work on documentary projects and special programs, and in 2006 became the first person outside the astronaut corps to receive NASA’s Ambassador of Exploration Award.
Walter Cronkite died on July 17, 2009, at the age of 92. His legacy is measured not only by the number of historic events he covered, but also by a more difficult journalistic currency to earn—the trust he accumulated night after night in front of the television screen.
Sources: cbsnews.com, pbs.org, theguardian.com