A reliable voice through changing times

NEW YORK - The last trustworthy American was born a Canadian.

Peter Jennings became an American citizen in 2003. But before that, he was an honorary American, one of the small handful of people we went to for the truth. And he came through. He never lied to us. He always gave it to us straight.

In the early years of television news, the beacon was Edward R. Murrow, whose integrity was unimpeachable. Later it was John Cameron Swayze, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, John Chancellor, and of course, Walter Cronkite.

While all were honorable men, Cronkite is widely recognized as the standard. He was known as “the most trusted man in America.” He broke the news to us about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He articulated the brutal reality of the Vietnam War. He was the avuncular presence that symbolized network news and comforted millions.

While Cronkite continued to anchor the CBS Evening News until 1981, it was Watergate that altered the perception of the media in general, and network news in particular. The scandal that erupted from the reporting of Washington Post staffers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein ushered in an era of cynicism which still exists today. But people didn’t just question the caretakers of their government, they also had issues with the messengers.

While American citizens have taken sides for years, this was an era in which polarization was being televised before a vast audience. When then-White House correspondent Dan Rather got into his infamous exchange with President Richard Nixon — Nixon to Rather: “Are you running for something?” Rather to Nixon: “No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?” — it divided viewers between those who wanted Rather to pursue Nixon vigorously, and those who insisted he show more respect.

Different times
On Feb. 1, 1965, Peter Jennings was selected to anchor ABC’s network news broadcast. He was 26 years old.

It didn’t work out at first. Three years later, he got the hook. But he went on to years of acclaim as a correspondent. One of his most memorable dispatches was a harrowing account of the Israeli hostage-taking by Arab terrorists at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Eventually, Jennings worked his way back to the anchor desk. He became one of three anchors on “World News Tonight.” On September 5, 1983, Jennings was named sole anchor.

A lot has happened between then and now. During the intervening years, Jennings competed with two distinguished colleagues, Rather and NBC’s Tom Brokaw. All three had paid their dues, working their way up as reporters.

But over the past 22 years or so, from the time Jennings took root in the anchor seat until his passing Sunday of lung cancer at age 67, trust in the news media has eroded. It has less to do with the training and attitudes and motives of reporters and more to do with special interests. The nation is so divided, with so many disparate groups vying for their piece of the pie that whenever a member of the news media reports on something that reflects badly on their point of view, he or she is immediately condemned as biased.

And when a reporter makes a mistake, he might as well polish his résumé, because he will be hounded and vilified until he pays for it with his job.

But Peter Jennings escaped all that. For the most part, he got a free pass. The hope here is that he was given special treatment because he was a special journalist. Even the most acidic advocate of a cause had to admit that Jennings was fair and honest, because the evidence was incontrovertible.

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