Perhaps if all the peoples of the world understand what war really means, we would eliminate it.
Give news a little more time, and don't request that they also, in their news time, entertain. We're not entertainers. We're journalists. And we need more time to do our job well.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of allowing journalists sufficient time to report news accurately without the pressure of entertainment.
Walter Cronkite highlights the distinction between journalism and entertainment, advocating for an understanding that journalists require adequate time to cover stories thoroughly. His statement is a call to prioritize factual reporting over the sensationalism often seen in the media landscape, urging the audience to appreciate the depth of journalism beyond surface-level entertainment.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the importance of journalistic integrity, you might reference Walter Cronkite's views on the role of time in reporting.
More from Walter Cronkite
All quotes →The death of Churchill at 90 was one of those watershed moments in which the obituary rises to a special calling beyond the sharing of remembered times. It gave an older generation a rare opportunity to explain something of itself to its children.
I suppose popularity is measured by ratings. If a broadcaster is known as the leader because of ratings, then that's where people most want to be seen and heard, so there's no question that there's an advantage.
Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.
I feel no compulsion to be a pundit. As a matter of fact, I really don't have that much to say about most things. Working with hard news satisfies me completely.
I think that our comfort is in our history.
Similar quotes
In the normal course of things, journalists want their story, and as soon as they are through with it, they pack their cameras and go. That was never the impression that David Astor gave when you were interviewed by him. It was far deeper than that.
Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible. You want to ask the tough questions.
My function is, as objectively and accurately as I can, to present reality to people out there, and doing that as quickly as we do is quite difficult enough, thank you.
I don't think that my kind of journalism has ever been universally popular. It's lonely out here.
The Center for Public Integrity is the real thing. A group of dedicated people who remember that great journalism is about grit and guts and stamina and razor-sharp instincts. They are, thank heaven, here to stay.
As I occasionally survey the pack of sycophantic shih tzus in the Washington press corps, wriggling on their bellies to kiss the feet of those in power, I feel plumb discouraged about the future of journalism.