New building takes shape - The Walter Cronkite School of ...

Photo by Tom Story
cronkite luncheon
Tom Brokaw receives
Cronkite Award
Tom Brokaw doesn’t miss his seat in
front of the camera.
The former “NBC Nightly News”
anchor, who retired in 2004 after more
than 20 years on the air, said he always
preferred reporting the news on the
ground, where it was happening.
“Believe me, the least interesting part
of the job is to present the news on-air,”
said the retired 66-year-old anchor. “The
greatest satisfaction comes from getting
our hands on the material and preparing it
for TV.”
Brokaw was the 2006 recipient of the
Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence
in Journalism. He accepted the award in
November 2006 before more than 1,200
students, faculty and community leaders.
It was the 23rd time that the Cronkite
School has given the award. Previous
recipients have included such media
notables as Bob Woodward, Bill Moyers and
Cokie Roberts.
Before handing him the award, former
CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite said
that listing Brokaw’s achievements is
staggering. “Frankly, your success begins
to bore me,” he quipped.
“Now you sit down and let me talk,”
Brokaw retorted.
Brokaw said he was honored to receive
an award from a towering figure in
journalism – and from someone whom he
considers a friend. “Thanks for being able
40 2007-2008
to call you a friend, Walter,” he said.
Brokaw spoke about humorous times
with Cronkite, his life as a retired
anchor, the war in Iraq and the “Greatest
Generation,” the generation that fought
World II.
He also talked about the way the
Internet is redefining journalism, calling
the information revolution the second
“Big Bang.” “We as journalists are still
grappling with how to deal with it,” he said.
Brokaw recalled his teenage years in
South Dakota, when he’d rush home to
watch European football matches on TV.
“There was no Internet back then and
certainly no TiVo,” he said.
Despite changes in delivery, the basic
tools of journalism remain the same.
“You still have to learn how to write and
organize material in a coherent form,”
he said. “Then you can present it on a
BlackBerry or online.”
Brokaw said he admires young people for
how quickly they adapt to new technology
and use it to achieve success. But those who
impress him most are people like a young
surgeon he met in Somalia. The surgeon
had been living in the United States but
volunteered to go back to his country with
the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.
“Such people are not living virtual lives.
They’re for real,” Brokaw said.
Tom Brokaw addresses students, faculty and staff at
the Galvin Playhouse.
“If you start at a lower
level, you can make
big mistakes there
and learn from them
before moving up.”
– Tom Brokaw
By Sonu Munshi
“Welcome to a world in which war is
not a video game, where genocide is not
eliminated with a delete button and you
won’t find the answer to global poverty in
‘Tools’ or ‘Help.’”
Brokaw recalled a visit to the Walter
Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,
D.C., where he grew disheartened at seeing
the injured soldiers, mostly from working
class backgrounds, some without even
a high school education. He urged the
audience to acknowledge their sacrifices.
“We need to think about our men and
women who are in alien territory, hearing
an alien language, with families back home
living in perpetual fear,” he said.
BROKAw P. 43