Missing Walter Chronkite

Today's post is from Maddy...........

When the television first came into my childhood home (we were late adopters) I associated the “the news” beyond newspapers as the talking heads of Walter Cronkhite and Edward R. Murrow.  My parents watched earnestly and over time I absorbed more of what “news” was about.  Murrow, with his stern demeanor and serious voice and cigarettes seemed vaguely threatening to me so I preferred the more avuncular Walter for that childlike reason-- because he didn’t smoke. And I was right!  The cigarettes killed him off and Cronkhite survived to take me through the Kennedy assassination, my Vietnam protest years, and not trusting anyone over 30. (How naïve we were!)

Now I’d be happy to have Cronkhite or Murrow back, especially if I could have George Clooney delivering the kind of commentary Murrow did.  (Admission: George was hot in ER and has stayed that way from my perspective.)  Apparently, he is rocking the role on Broadway and CNN is going to run it nationally on June 7. (Pearl Harbor Day is a brilliant choice intentional choice.) If Clooney as Murrow would run for office, I’d likely vote for him too.

I am SO weary of the partisan and blaming tone of broadcast news in these times, no matter which channel.  Yet it is hard to turn away.  But tuning out seems irresponsible.  My solution is news snacking—a bite of NYT front page, then a round of Wordle.  Not a balanced news diet but it keeps me sane.

Need a break from the news and haven’t read Not The Trip We Planned yet?  Find it through Bookshop or Amazon and escape the headlines… And after you love it, write a review on Amazon