PHOENIX – Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor, became the 26^th recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism at the annual luncheon held at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Phoenix. Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication sponsors the award.

Williams humbly and humorously addressed the news media dignitaries, local government officials, and Cronkite School students, faculty and staff who attended the luncheon. 

The award was designed to bring awareness to the school, raise funds for its programs, and recognize a journalist with unparalleled skills and values, says the school’s dean, Christopher Callahan.

Who Walter Cronkite deemed, “a fastidious newsman,” Brian Williams is known for assuming the job once held by Tom Brokaw, a previous recipient of the Cronkite Award, at NBC Nightly News. Williams is also commended in journalism for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina from the Superdome.

Walter Cronkite died earlier in the year, but his legacy will live on at the budding journalism school that bears his name and the winners of his prestigious award. Previous winners have included giants like William Paley, Ted Turner, Bernard Shaw, and Bob Woodward.

Remembering Cronkite at His School

By Anne Stegen
Sept. 30, 2009
 

          Walter Cronkite packed the house on Sept. 30, 2009 in the First Amendment Forum of the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University. Following Cronkite’s death on July 14, the Cronkite School on Arizona State’s downtown Phoenix campus deemed it “Walter Wednesday” and hosted events to honor their namesake.

The feature event was Professor Aaron Brown, of CNN fame, interviewing journalism giants Bob Woodward, Bernard Shaw and Jim Lehrer.

            Intermittent technical difficulties gave it a late start and shortened the event, but Cronkite School Dean, Christopher Callahan, began the evening’s celebration. He alluded to the spirit and values of Walter Cronkite that still remain at the school. Callahan announced the inauguration of the Cronkite School Alumni Association.

Brown conducted an audio interview with the three journalists in Washington. The three made light of the problems with the video feed, referring to their desire to conduct the interview within a Turkish bath.

Jim Lehrer lauded Cronkite as “the most trusted man in America.” Bernard Shaw described him as a tough managing editor who would be honest whether Shaw’s work was of good quality or not.

During another disruption in the audio feed, Aaron Brown filled in with his own recollections of Cronkite. He claimed, “He was extraordinary in his humanity. It was not his calm voice, not his extraordinary presence, but his humanity,” that set him apart.

The feed returned and Bernard Shaw said, “Great journalists are able and insist on stepping out of the mainstream.” Cronkite had this ability.

Bob Woodward recalled the decision by CBS, Cronkite’s network, to cover the Watergate story for half of the newscast. It was a risk for the network but it brought the allegations to light. Woodward and the staff of the Washington Post felt validated to receive “Walter Cronkite’s blessing” on the story that so shaped American politics of the time. “Nixon was a first-class hater,” Woodward commented.

Brown steered the direction toward Cronkite’s impact of Vietnam. In covering the war, Cronkite articulated his personal opinion of the bloody conflict. Lyndon B. Johnson is said to have commented, “If we’ve lost Cronkite, we’ve lost middle America.” The trio on satellite agreed that no other news anchor could have as great an impact as Cronkite did on Vietnam. They said that it was likely that Cronkite was one of the only anchors who could “get away” with a political commentary like Cronkite did during that one nightly newscast, however brief it was.
           The banter between the speakers and Brown was interesting, entertaining, and at times humorous. They succeeded in honoring a journalist who was honored, revered and missed by all of them.


Quantum of Solace Movie Review

I wrote this last year for the second edition of The Rattler Review at North Cayon High School. It was a fun piece to write.

 by Anne Stegen, Staff Writer

The Perils of a Sequel

        The newest edition to the James Bond legacy will be released November 14 this year. The plot is a continuation of Casino Royale, which hoped to give the infamous 007 some background to justify his attitude and womanizing. Bond’s love, Vesper, betrayed him in a plot twist at the end of Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace picks up with Bond trying to bring those responsible to justice. His challenge is to keep from seeking personal revenge. This kind of continuation makes Quantum Solace, in a sense, the first sequel to a Bond movie.
        The biggest question is, however, does Daniel Craig, the Blond Bond, bring to the table the same quality character made famous by Sean Connery in 1962-1971, Roger Moore in 1973-1985 and even more recently Pierce Brosnan? Many doubt that Craig falls into the same category. Perhaps the Bond movies do not pack the punch that they used to, but the action could make it worth seeing.