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You know his views on war, presidents, press freedom, and space. Now, Cronkite on public education.
He hasn't anchored the CBS Evening News since 1981, but Walter Cronkite, now 82, is still probably the most trusted journalist in America today.
Cronkite was there for so many events in our lives, we think we know him. But what do we really know about Cronkite's views on education, teaching, and democracy?
NEA Today's Stefanie Weiss spoke recently with Cronkite about school. In your memoir, you rave about your high school jour nalism teacher.
Yes. Fred Birney was, to my mind, an inspired teacher-and he wasn't a teacher at all, at least not with regard to formal training.
He was a newspaper man, but he was dedicated to wanting young people to understand what journalism was about. He sold the school system on letting him go out and teach a journalism course-one hour, once a week in each of five schools in Houston.
Fred helped make the school newspapers much more professional. And he took us, for the first time, to the printing plant, taught us page make-up. He infected us with the excitement of newspaper work.
How can today's journalism teachers measure up?
Like all teachers, they should have enthusiasm for their subject. And...