From The Vault: Cronkite On Kennedy Assassination
We've done a few posts examining whether the "Evening News" has gotten better or worse, and we wanted to continue that discussion by posting this video of Walter Cronkite's report on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Video: It's a bare-bones affair – just Cronkite sitting at his desk explaining what had happened, his only visual aide four pictures he holds up for the camera. I've heard the argument that improved technology and storytelling have made the "Evening News" a better product, and there's certainly something to that. But the starkness and simplicity of Cronkite's report seems exactly right for the gravity of the news he is delivering, and I feel like computer animation or slick graphics could only have diminished it.
Anyway, you can click on the video box to watch the report. It runs about three minutes.