5 Things Walter Cronkite, the ‘Most Trusted Newsman in America,’ Will Be Remembered For

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

American journalist Walter Cronkite became a household name during his longevous career as news anchor for the CBS Evening News. Today, he is remembered for his objectivity and for delivering some of the biggest news headlines in television history.

Cronkite, a native New Yorker, was born on Nov. 4, 1916. He died in New York City on July 17, 2009, at the age of 92.

Having reported on some of the most pivotal historic events of the later half of the 20th century, Cronkite is widely remembered as the “most trusted newsman in America.” Here’s five things about the anchorman that substantiate that claim.

Cronkite attends the 2002 Tony Awards Party in Los Angeles, California, on June 2, 2002. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

1. He was the face of CBS News from 1962 to 1981

Cronkite pioneered and perfected the role of television news anchorman for almost two decades. As the figurehead of CBS News for 19 years, Cronkite’s reassuring manner and coiffed mustache fast made him a media icon, alongside his now-iconic catchphrase, “and that’s the way it is.”

Cronkite, dubbed "the most trusted man in America" for his calm delivery during a lengthy career on television, pictured field reporting AFP via Getty Images

2. He paved the way for objective, unbiased journalism

“A journalist covering politics, most of us are aware of the necessity to try to be sure we’re unbiased in our reporting,” Cronkite told PBS back in 2006, three years before his passing. “That’s one of the fundamentals of good journalism.”

“We all have our likes and our dislikes,” Cronkite continued, “but when we’re doing news, it is our duty to be sure that we do not permit our prejudices to show. That is simply basic journalism.”

Cronkite testifies before the US Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs concerning the Pentagon rules on media access to the Persian Gulf War in Washington on Feb. 20, 1991. LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images

3. He visited war zones for his work

Cronkite flew in a bombing mission over Germany during the Second World War, learned how to fire a machine gun on a B-17, witnessed D-Day from the air, and put himself in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge.

According to The Washington Post, Cronkite later visited Vietnam in 1968. Richard Perloff, Professor of Communications at Cleveland State University, lauded the news anchor as “the avatar of objectivity.”

Cronkite in Washington on Feb. 20, 1991 LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images

4. He reported John F. Kennedy’s assassination

Cronkite was tasked with delivering the news of John F. Kennedy’s assassination to the nation on Nov. 22, 1963, direct from CBS News headquarters, interrupting TV sitcom “As the World Turns” in the process.

The beloved news anchor uttered the now famous bulletin, “From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official: President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago.”

Betsy and Walter Cronkite arrive at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington on May 4, 2002. Manny Ceneta/Getty Images

5. He never lost his ambition for a good story

“From his earliest days, he was one of the hungriest reporters around, wildly competitive, no one was going to beat Walter Cronkite on a story,” wrote author David Halberstam in his 1979 book about the news media, “The Powers That Be,” as quoted by The New York Times.

“[A]s he grew older and more successful, the marvel of it was that he never changed,” Halberstam continued, “the wild fires still burned.”

Betsy and Walter Cronkite pose backstage at the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 21, 2003. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Cronkite won several Emmy and Peabody Awards during the span of his impressive career. According to his obituary, he was widely regarded as the most famous and most beloved broadcast journalist in the world.

Cronkite was married to advertising writer Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, nicknamed “Betsy,” for 64 years until her death in 2005. Cronkite is survived by a son, Chip, two daughters, Nancy and Mary, and four grandsons.