Walter Cronkite

Eastwick Communications bids a fond farewell to Walter Cronkite, the quintessential anchorman and once most-trusted person in America.

He wasn’t the first anchorman, and only time will tell if he was the best, but he, more than anyone in recent history, personified respectability.

The landmark events he covered during his 46-year career as a journalist are too numerous to list; fortunately, we have a permanent record of each and every one.

While significant, that aspect of Cronkite’s legacy pales – for those of us in the media industry – in comparison to his post-retirement achievements.

Cronkite used his reputation and influence to elevate causes like ethics in journalism, environmental sustainability and interfaith understanding, to name just a few.

A tireless activist, he serves as an inspiration to those of us using the power of the word to affect positive change.

It is cliché to say his passing marks the end of an era. What kind of era? Civil unrest? Global conflict? Space exploration?

From a communications perspective, his passing marks the end of the era when influence was so centralized that most of us believed when one well-respected person declared, “… that’s the way it is.”

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The aforementioned catch-phrase that concluded Cronkite’s CBS Evening News broadcasts, belied his deep concern that so many people were willing to take his or any other media professional’s word at face value.

He carried the banner for fact-checking and ethics in journalism with him into the digital era, too, but media channels – especially online ones – cannot be measured as they once were.

What happened to Cronkite’s influence when he served as a columnist for the Huffington Post in 2005 through 2006? Probably, it was equally or even more respected than when he was an anchorman, but it was among a narrower audience with more specific, passionate interests.

As the media – marketing and PR included – struggles to adapt to a new landscape, the goal is the same as it ever was for our beloved anchorman: get the most important message to those the most need to know as fast as you possibly can.

Now, instead of relying on a handful of universally respected people to broadcast groundbreaking stories, we are exploring how to create a new kind of network – an Influence Map that unites special voices, fascinating stories and very specific audiences via on-demand channels.

If we do the Influence Map right, we will honor the incredible legacy Cronkite left us.