. >> i grew up in a 60s and for me walter cronkite was a hero. i didn't say is that by left-wing or right-wing? i didn't say exactly what is his opinion of this? i wanted to know the facts he was delivering. i don't think he would be successful in the current media environment. people would say he is boring and bland and always telling you what happened as opposed to pumping it up with some perspective, attitude and opinion. it is a huge shift that has taken place and right now we are in a niche media landscape. we do less of what i would say is walter cronkite type broadcasting. we do much more of what i think is more of the narrowcasting and you get people locked into these boxes perpetuated by the fact that the base wilton and and reaffirm their preexisting points a few and the people in the middle, you can count on them. this is driving the political polarization in washington too. where do we go in the next generation? how do we deliver an interesting and fun and sexy and compelling product and at the same time make it is a double of credibi

says, "walter cronkite is dead is and he?" and's a lot of for a moment she had a wonderful crooked smile. she smiled and looked the woman and said you know if he is in by now, the old sob probably ought to be. [laughter] that is part and parcel of what met -- what may well for a great man. he had someone to help steer him on a steady course. i want to talk about how wrote this book and about the craft that so many of us here at the national press club and joy. i have been at this for half a century this next year. my marriage coincide with my beginning as a journalist in a modest way in omaha, nebraska. i have won the lottery professionally and personally. i have a wonderful family. we have had an extraordinary life and now four granddaughters. i have had the privilege as a journalist to cover stories at the police precincts of all mall, atlanta, all the way to summit meetings in the kremlin and china. in the course of that time, i have never lost my sense of wonder at the change that we have all experienced. that change was,

older guys, even across i treasure that with walter cronkite. he's having a hard time.ill cherish that french . when i made him a member of the greatest generation he would just argue with me. i don't think i'm a member of the greatest generation. i don't even like the phrase veteran. finally said among going to put an estimate by your name and say everyone is a member except through me. >> you still hold on to that phrase. >> i hold on to the phrase the greatest generation. >> i do. you know, my defense is very strong. that is my story, and i'm sticking to it. before the book was written a lot of people responded to it. it was not a perfect generation. i don't say that. in fact in that generation came out of the depression where life was about sacrifice and not about a lot of hope. never wining and complaining. then one often thought the greatest war in the history of mankind, 1939 this country was the 16th military government to cut power in the world. by 1941 we are in the greatest war of all time. is in the pacific as well as europe, north africa, on six of the seve

and decades can go, walter cronkite was known as the most trusted man in america and i think that over time as news unfolded, vietnam war, watergate, investigative journalism and the rise of institutions like fox news, news organizations that give you the other side in a fair and balanced way, i think it's opened a lot of people's minds to the fact that what they've been said for decades is slanted and biased. >> whoa, whoa, whoa, you said in the beginning mainstream media bus the liberals. some of us who are liberal don't think that the press is very liberal, i just want to say that. >> i found despite the numbers and declining assessments of credibility of the news media, people mistrust news they get from the government or from business or from other sources even more. so, yes, they trust us less, on the other hand they don't seem to trust anybody very much, trust, but terrify may be a good motto for every news source. >> there was one particular case that caught our arey eye recently, it was natasha leonard new york times, pretty much into the gutter for good when she wrote this pi

stripes" and writing for big names in early television, them arthur godfrey, harry reasoner, walter cronkiteibutions to "60 minutes" were what connected him to millions of americans for decades. >> something i've been meaning to talk to you about for a long time now is faucets. why is we look forward to the mail coming every day? dogs are nicer than people. >> rooney often saying that many of us didn't realize we've been thinking, too. >> i wish there was something we could all take to cure us of stupidity. >> he would poke fun at himself sometimes. >> i draw the line when it comes to trimming my eyebrows. >> in his final essay, he made it clear through all his curmudgeonly observations he led a blessed life. >> i've done a lot of complaining here but of all of the things i've complained about, i can't complain about my life. >> and our pal diane sawyer said about him, she worked with him at "60 minutes" the resident eagle-eyed observer of sunday night. dogs are nicer than humans, aren't they? >>> when we come back, amazing sight in the sky literally flying across the internet tonight. i've

on sundays i remember watching walter cronkite during a sunday afternoon kinds of shows.row was a huge share of mind watching all of that. and i suppose then the thought began to form that you like to do that. the thing about network television in those days was a real meritocracy. he reached about across the country and "time" magazine and "the new york times" and the other great institutions -- print institutions you had to come from harvard or io or have a different pedigree. in television it was an open field. they often describe it as the oklahoma land rush or i was rushing across the landscape. so i started in omaha and when i was there, the station had a very good reputation and we would often see the stories to howard brinkley and one of the officers of nbc came out and they were going to go for 15 minutes to half an hour. they were worried they were going to be able to fill the half hour. say they were asking the affiliates to keep their eyes on stories. .. i thought maybe i could get the network to pay for me to see the world. i now realize a over wished on that

he turned around and she said to him, has anyone ever told you you you look just like walter cronkite did before he died? [laughter] walter turned around and began to clear his throat and now the woman is in a mild panic. she turns the women behind her not knowing it is betsy kohn cried and says to betsy, walter cronkite is dead, isn't he? [laughter] and betsy looked out for a moment and as you will well know his grandmother had a wonderful crooked smile and her eyes would crinkle. she smiled and looked to him and said you know if he is and by now the old sob probably ought to be. [laughter] that is part and parcel of what made walter a great man is that he had someone who kind of steered him on a steady course. i will take a few minutes of your time and talk a about how he wrote this book and b about perhaps what unites so many of us at the national press club. i have been at this for half a century this next year. my marriage coincided with my beginning as a journalist and in a very modest way in omaha nebraska. of course and a half century i have one they latta really both professi

he lost his close friend walter cronkite. at a loss for words. >> i just feel so terrible about walter's death that i can hardly say anything. he has been such a good friend over the years. please excuse me. thank you. >> in october of 2011. after 33 years, and 1097 essays, andy rooney signed off on "60 minutes" for the last time. telling viewers he has never seen himself as a tv personality but as a writer with the duty of telling the truth as he viewed it. >> all this time i have been paid to say what is on my mind on television. you don't get any luckier in life than that. >> recently rooney attended a tribute dinner and roast held in his honor at his beloved alma matter colgate university. rooney talked about his pride at being a news man. >> i am very proud of it's sort of a dumb word journalism. but i am very proud to be a journalist first. i consider myself that. >> rick folbaum, fox news. >> my goodness. what a career. he worked until he was 92 years old. >> that's amazing. >> it's amazing. >> goes to show what you a p

and decades can go, walter cronkite was known as the most trusted man in america and i think that overd, vietnam war, watergate, investigative journalism and the rise of institutions like fox news, news organizations that give you the other side in a fair and balanced way, i think it's opened a lot of people's minds to the fact that what they've been said for decades is slanted and biased. >> whoa, whoa, whoa, you said in the beginning mainstream media bus the liberals. some of us who are liberal don't think that the press is very liberal, i just want to say that. >> i found despite the numbers and declining assessments of credibility of the news media, people mistrust news they get from the government or from business or from other sources even more. so, yes, they trust us less, on the other hand they don't seem to trust anybody very much, trust, but terrify may be a good motto for every news source. >> there was one particular case that caught our arey eye recently, it was natasha leonard new york times, pretty much into the gutter for good when she wrote this piece for the left wing

i grew up one of these american kids, watching walter cronkite in black and white saying to myself, now the job, that's it right there. and how outlandish that in this great country a kid with my background could grow up, if you dream hard enough and get the right breaks, can you have that

she said, has anybody told you you look just like walter cronkite did before he died? laughter] walter turned it around and began to clear his throat. now the woman is in a mild panic. he turns -- she turns behind her and says, walter cronkite is dead, isn't he? betsy looked off for a moment. his grandmother had a wonderful crooked smile and her eyes would crinkle. she smiled and said, you know, if he is not by now the old as soviet probably ought to be. --the old s.o.b. probably ought to be. fewgoing to take just a minutes of your time and talk about how i wrote this book and also about to the craft that you that so many of us at the national press club. i have been asked this for a half century this next year. my marriage coincided as my career with a journalist in a modestly in omaha, nebraska. over the course of the half century i have won the lottery professionally and personally. i have had a wonderful family. i have daughters of accomplishment and now for granddaughters. we only make the girls in my family. i have had the privilege of a journalist to cover storie

>> rooney: walter cronkite. i can't believe i got to know walter. he was one of my best friends.ay he died. he was a g... a great friend. >> safer: after the war, andy tried his hand at comedy, writing for the popular radio- turned-television personality arthur godfrey. >> arthur godfrey: this is mr. rooney's joke. "the favorite dish of the men from another planet who pilot the flying saucers is 'venus - schnitzel'." ( moans ) >> safer: godfrey presented himself as the nation's kindly uncle, but... >> rooney: he was nasty, sometimes. but this was 1949, '50, '51. i was making something like $500 a week-- i mean, a fortune. >> safer: but you were writing for somebody else to read... >> rooney: yes, but that didn't bother me then as it would now. i can't imagine writing for anybody else now. but i was perfectly happy, and when he used something of mine on the air, i liked it. >> safer: from working for a fake good guy, he went to work for a real one, correspondent harry reasoner here at cbs news. >> harry reasoner: no thought has much meaning until it is written or spoken. >> rooney

has anyone ever told you look just like walter cronkite did before he died in? [laughter] walter turned around and began to clear his throat. now she is a mild panic. she turns to the woman behind her, not knowing it is that cn says "walter cronkite is dead is an't he?" his grandmother had a wonderful crooked smile. her eyes with critical. she said it is not the zero this -- if he is not the oldest sob, he ought to be. he had someone who helped steer him on a steady course. i will take a few minutes of your time to talk about how i d thete this book ant he craft that unites us. i have been at this for half a century. my marriage coincide with the beginning of my career as a journalist. i have a wonderful family. we have had an extraordinary life. i have four granddaughters. i had the privilege to cover stories in omaha and atlanta all the way to some it means in the kremlin. i have never lost my sense of wonder at the change we have experiences. that change was distilled in jun of 2009 when i was interviewing president obama in germany as he is preparing to go to

and even walter cronkite allowed himself a little show of national pride from the broadcasters chairet lifted off, cronkite rooted for the home team, saying, "go, baby, go." the context was important. five years earlier, russia had -- the soviet union had begun into space with an unmanned satellites. seven years after glenn circle the earth, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins put to rest any doubts about the position of the united states in the world. the cold war was now being fought in space, and these men proved that the u.s. was winning. it was not easy. as president eisenhower had stated at the outset, america's space program would be civilian rather than military lead. so no one would doubt our intentions. but this also meant that it would be conducted in the open, so every hitch and hold up could be seen and scrutinized. and this is just as it should have been. these missions, spanning two democratic and two republican administrations, show not only the power of the men we are today, but the power of a nation united in a common purpose. it took vision, will, lead

and even walter cronkite allowed himself a little show of national pride from the broadcasters chairet lifted off, cronkite rooted for the home team, saying, "go, baby, go." the context was important. five years earlier, russia had -- the soviet union had begun into space with an unmanned satellites. seven years after glenn circle the earth, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins put to rest any doubts about the position of the united states in the world. the cold war was now being fought in space, and these men proved that the u.s. was winning. it was not easy. as president eisenhower had stated at the outset, america's space program would be civilian rather than military lead. so no one would doubt our intentions. but this also meant that it would be conducted in the open, so every hitch and hold up could be seen and scrutinized. and this is just as it should have been. these missions, spanning two democratic and two republican administrations, show not only the power of the men we are today, but the power of a nation united in a common purpose. it took vision, will, lead

and even walter cronkite allowed himself a little show of national pride from the broadcasters chairet lifted off, cronkite rooted for the home team, saying, "go, baby, go." the context was important. five years earlier, russia had -- the soviet union had begun into space with an unmanned satellites. seven years after glenn circle the earth, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, and michael collins put to rest any doubts about the position of the united states in the world. the cold war was now being fought in space, and these men proved that the u.s. was winning. it was not easy. as president eisenhower had stated at the outset, america's space program would be civilian rather than military lead. so no one would doubt our intentions. but this also meant that it would be conducted in the open, so every hitch and hold up could be seen and scrutinized. and this is just as it should have been. these missions, spanning two democratic and two republican administrations, show not only the power of the men we are today, but the power of a nation united in a common purpose. it took vision, will, lead

throughout that afternoon walter cronkite continuously referred to adlai stevenson visiting dallas alier and being accosted and warning the president not to go there. i researched that and it seemed an airport event -- a woman struck governor stevenson over the head with a placard. it seemed a little bit more than that. i'm wondering if the panel can reflect on that. any regrets from the governor not stressing the -- >> you talked about this earlier. >> very briefly. he had gone to dallas for a united nation event and had been confronted by some angry people including the woman with a sign. i think he was spat upon and he was struck. he left with a vivid sense of potential dangers that the president might encounter. >> did he call the president and warn him, or was that just a thought? >> i don't know the answer to that. i am sorry. >> senator stevenson, you know the answer? >> my recollection is -- somebody said he was asked if he wanted this woman prosecuted. he said, no, i want her educated. my recollection is that he did not warn the white house. he deeply, deeply regretted it af

throughout that afternoon walter cronkite continuously referred to adlai stevenson visiting dallas aer and being accosted and warning the president not to go there. i researched that and it seemed an airport event -- a woman struck governor stevenson over the head with a placard. it seemed a little bit more than that. i'm wondering if the panel can reflect on that. any regrets from the governor not stressing the -- >> you talked about this earlier. >> very briefly. he had gone to dallas for a united nation event and had been confronted by some angry people including the woman with a sign. i think he was spat upon and he was struck. he left with a vivid sense of potential dangers that the president might encounter. >> did he call the president and warn him, or was that just a thought? >> i don't know the answer to that. i am sorry. >> senator stevenson, you know the answer? >> my recollection is -- somebody said he was asked if he wanted this woman prosecuted. he said, no, i want her educated. my recollection is that he did not warn the white house. he deeply, deeply regretted it afte

, rooney lost his close friend, waller cronkite and while stricken with grief, rooney for once seemed at a loss for words. >> i just feel so terrible about walter'snything. he's been such a good friend over the years. please excuse me. thank you. >> in october of 2011, after 33 years and 1097 essays, andy rooney signed off on "60 minutes" for the last time, telling viewers he has never seen himself as a tv personality, but as a writer with the duty of telling the truth as he viewed it. >> all this time i've been paid to say what is on my mind on television. you don't get any luckier in life than that. >> recently rooney attended a tribute dinner and roast held in his honor at his beloved alma mater, coal gate, university. he talked about his pride at being a newsman. >> i am very proud of -- it's a dumb word, journalism. but i am very proud to be a journalist first. i consider myself that. it the employee of the month is... spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back. that's setting the bar pretty

teach just fall, and then i have nine months off to work, and i've been working on a biography of walter cronkite who went to school here in austin at ut, and all his papers are at the briscoe center here, so i've been meticulously going through those. i'm coming out in may of '12, simply could "cronkite." >> we've been talking about "the quiet world: saving alaska's wilderness kingdom,