The Bad Penny (beta)

(This article – originally published in July 2009 on IndiePit as a reflection of Frank Zappa’s legendary debate with CNN pundit Robert Novak in 1986 – is, sadly, even more relevant today than it was when the notions of tyranny and fascism taking hold in the U.S. were mere flights of fancy.)

As a writer who occasionally pretends to attempt to hold up a few of the traditional tenets of journalism – while in my pajamas, of course – on this Friday evening, reverence for Walter Cronkite is on the brain. It’s sad to see him go, as it seems the institution he devoted his life to – journalism – is also on the way out the door. But thankfully, his death could not have been more different than Michael Jackson’s.

Cronkite was the real most trusted name in news (not CNN). And watching cable-news talking heads recite his résumé, it’s refreshing to hear these pundits who often falsely pride themselves as “reporters” actually say words like “objectivity,” “truthfulness,” “public trust,” “journalistic standards,” etc. Hopefully those terms don’t fade from the public memory along with “Cronkite.”