The Cronkite Legacy for Media Relations

After a week off on vacation with the family, it's back to the blog grind.
Last week we witnessed the passing of, for my money, the greatest television newscaster of all time, Walter Cronkite. This, of course, is old news by this week. We've watched the tributes, shared our public and private memories, and felt saddened by the death of "the most trusted man in America". But in that trust lies a lesson for dealing with the media.
Why was Walter Cronkite so trusted and beloved? The simple answer is, because he earned it. We're all familiar with Cronkite's work, having either watched firsthand or seen clips (for you younger readers). We all know Cronkite's reputation for honesty and integrity. But behind the reputation and behind the clips was an unquenchable thirst for "the story", and more importantly, the facts of the story. In the competitive world of network television news, Cronkite was as competitive as anyone, wanting to get the scoop first. But not at the sake of getting it wrong. So many times in recent years we've heard network anchors report on things that they've had to go back on later. Cronkite's successor Dan Rather comes to mind with his shaky reporting of the George W. Bush National Guard service story. Can anyone remember a time this happened to Cronkite? I'm not saying he never made a mistake, I just can't think of any here.
The result of this attention to the facts was that when Walter said, "That's the way it is" at the end of a broadcast, we all felt confident that that's indeed the way it was. In an era of newscasts from all sources that blend as much opinion with fact, Cronkite simply gave us the story uncolored by his "spin". And when, famously, he finally did give us his unvarnished opinion of a story, the War in Vietnam, he for all intents and purposes brought down a presidency. When Lyndon Johnson lost Cronkite, he "lost Middle America".
The lesson for media relations in Cronkite's legacy once again comes down to honesty and integrity. When dealing with the media, always tell the truth. If you can't tell all the truth at the moment, release the facts you can and admit you can't tell the whole story yet. Focus on your message, stick to it, and release the rest when the time is right. You can delay without obfuscation, play for time without misleading. That will build a level of trust with the media that will act like a checking account. You'll be able to draw on it to make sure your message gets delivered in a manner most effective for your needs. Then, when the time comes to for something really big, your version of Cronkite's Vietnam story, the media will be more inclined to report favorably, to give you the benefit of the doubt, to have a little patience for the whole story to come out. That will give you the upper hand in managing the story. Why? Because you earned it.
And really, that's the way it is.


Bob Campbell is a career broadcaster who consults individuals and companies in the art and science of media relations. Contact Bob at bobcampbell@hotmail.com