“Newsman Walter Cronkite, who died at the age of 92, was so thoroughly and uniquely linked with the word “trust” that it is tempting to say that the word should be buried with him. In the generation since he left the anchor desk at the CBS Evening News, there have been other public figures who inspire passion, devotion, confidence, intensity and personal identification. But trust, that milder but deeper sentiment — Cronkite owned it.” So writes Jim Poniewozik in a story for Time.com.
When is the last time you heard the words trust and news reporter in the same sentence? I posted a piece in May titled Who Do You Trust and Why Do You Trust Them? where I pondered this question of trust as a lost virtue in our fast-paced, take-no-prisoners culture. Is it possible that the death of this iconic American communicator marks the end of an era where one could be trusting without appearing to be a rube? Or, as the lede in Time Magazine suggests, have the Enrons, Madoff’s and their ilk pressed us so far beyond the point of no return that trust – like its cousins chivalry and honor – have gone the way of the dodo?
Would love to hear your thoughts on this…
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