Editing Walter Cronkite (section)

== Other activities ==
[[File:President Ronald Reagan greeting Walter Cronkite for an interview in the Diplomatic Reception Room.jpg|thumb|right|Cronkite meeting with President [[Ronald Reagan]] at the White House in 1981]]

=== Post-''CBS Evening News'' ===
[[File:Walter Cronkite as featured on 1985 cover of "Premiere" issue of "Martha's Vineyard Magazine".jpg|thumb|Cronkite wrote an article for the first issue of ''Martha's Vineyard Magazine''.]]
As he had promised on his last show as anchor in 1981, Cronkite continued to broadcast occasionally as a special correspondent for [[CBS]], [[CNN]], and [[NPR]] into the 21st century; one such occasion was Cronkite anchoring the second space flight by [[John Glenn]] in 1998 as he had Glenn's first in 1962. Cronkite hosted ''Universe'' until its cancellation in 1982.<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Bedell| first = Sally| title = 'Cronkite's Universe Is Cancelled | newspaper = The New York Times| accessdate = April 27, 2021| date = August 12, 1982| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/12/arts/cronkite-s-universe-is-canceled.html}}</ref> In 1983, he reported on the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|British general election]] for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[current affairs (news format)|current affairs]] series ''[[World In Action]]'', interviewing, among many others, the victorious Prime Minister, [[Margaret Thatcher]].<ref>{{cite web |title=TV Interview for Granada World in Action |publisher=Margaret Thatcher Foundation |year=2009 |url=http://www.margaretthatcher.org/speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=105092 |access-date=July 20, 2009}}</ref> Cronkite hosted the annual [[Vienna New Year's Concert]] on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] from 1985 to 2008, succeeded by [[Julie Andrews]] in 2009.<ref name="pbs-vienna">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/from-vienna-the-new-years-celebration-2009/introduction/430/|title=From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2009|date=December 9, 2008|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|Educational Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref> For many years, until 2002, he was also the host of the annual [[Kennedy Center Honors]].

In 1998, Cronkite hosted the 90-minute documentary, ''Silicon Valley: A 100 Year Renaissance'', produced by the [[Silicon Valley Historical Association|Santa Clara Valley Historical Association]]. The film documented Silicon Valley's rise from the origin of [[Stanford University]] to the current high-technology powerhouse. The documentary was broadcast on [[PBS]] throughout the United States and in 26 countries. Prior to 2004, he could also be seen in the opening movie "Back to Neverland" shown in the [[Walt Disney World]] attraction ''[[The Magic of Disney Animation]]'', interviewing [[Robin Williams]] as if he is still on the [[CBS News]] channel, ending his on-camera time with Cronkite's famous catchphrase. In the feature, Cronkite describes the steps taken in the creation of an animated film, while Williams becomes an animated character (and even becomes Cronkite, impersonating his voice). He also was shown inviting Disney guests and tourists to the Disney Classics Theater.

On May 21, 1999, Cronkite participated in a panel discussion on "Integrity in the Media" with [[Ben Bradlee]] and [[Mike McCurry (press secretary)|Mike McCurry]] at the Connecticut Forum in [[Hartford, Connecticut]]. Cronkite provided an anecdote about taking a picture from a house in [[Houston, Texas]], where a newsworthy event occurred and being praised for getting a unique photograph, only to find out later that the city desk had provided him with the wrong address.<ref>{{cite web |title=Walter Cronkite and Ben Bradlee |publisher=YouTube |year=2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxASv4CymUY | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/zxASv4CymUY| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|access-date=July 20, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Voice-overs ===
Cronkite narrated the [[IMAX]] film about the [[Space Shuttle]], ''[[The Dream is Alive]]'', released in 1985. From May 26, 1986, to August 15, 1994, he was the narrator's voice in the [[Epcot|EPCOT Center]] attraction ''[[Spaceship Earth (Epcot)|Spaceship Earth]]'', at [[Walt Disney World]] in Orlando, Florida. He provided the pivotal voice of Captain Neweyes in the 1993 animated film ''[[We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (film)|We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story]]'', delivering his trademark line at the end. In 1995, he made an appearance on Broadway, providing the voice of the titular book in the 1995 revival of ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Canby |first1=Vincent |title=Theater Review: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying; Climbing The Ladder, Song by Song |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/24/theater/theater-review-succeed-business-without-really-trying-climbing-ladder-song-song.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 24, 1995 |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref>

Cronkite was a finalist for NASA's Journalist in Space program, which mirrored the [[Teacher in Space Project]], an opportunity that was suspended after the [[Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' disaster]] in 1986. He recorded voice-overs for the 1995 film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'', modifying the script he was given to make it more "Cronkitian." In 2002, Cronkite was the voice of [[Benjamin Franklin]] in the educational television cartoon ''[[Liberty's Kids]]'', which included a news segment ending with the same phrase he did back on the ''CBS Evening News''. This role earned him Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series, in 2003 and 2004, but he did not win. His distinctive voice provided the narration for the television ads of the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas, Austin]], his [[alma mater]], with its 'We're Texas' ad campaign.<ref>{{cite web |title=Giving to UT: Philanthropy at the University of Texas |work=Office of the Vice President for Development |publisher=University of Texas |date=1997–2009 |url=http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/campaign/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021202002703/http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/campaign/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2002 |access-date=July 20, 2009 }}</ref>

He held [[amateur radio operator]] license KB2GSD and narrated a 2003 [[American Radio Relay League]] documentary explaining [[amateur radio]]'s role in disaster relief.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arrl.org/shop/Amateur-Radio-Today-DVD|title=ARRL :: Videos :: Amateur Radio Today (DVD)|work=arrl.org}}</ref> The video tells Amateur Radio's public service story to non-hams, focusing on [[ham radio]]'s part in helping various agencies respond to wildfires in the Western US during 2002, ham radio in space and the role Amateur Radio plays in emergency communications. "Dozens of radio amateurs helped the police and fire departments and other emergency services maintain communications in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC," narrator Cronkite intoned in reference to ham radio's response to the terrorist attacks on [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]]. Unusually, Cronkite was a Novice-class licensee—the entry level license—for his entire, and long, tenure in the hobby.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amateur License – KB2GSD – Cronkite Jr, Walter L |url=https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=343375 |website=fcc.gov |publisher=Federal Communications Commission |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref><!-- I'm trying to find a cite for first licensure; he was probably the longest-duration Novice ever -->

On February 15, 2005, he went into the studio at CBS to record narration for ''WCC Chatham Radio'', a documentary about [[Guglielmo Marconi]] and his Chatham station, which became the busiest ship-to-shore wireless station in North America from 1914 to 1994. The documentary was directed by [[Christopher Seufert]] of [[Mooncusser Films]] and premiered at the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center<ref>{{cite web |title=Chatham Marconi Maritime Center |publisher=Chatham Marconi Maritime Center |year=2008 |url=http://www.chathammarconi.org/ |access-date=July 20, 2009}}</ref> in April 2005. In 2006, Cronkite hosted the ''World War One Living History Project,'' a program honoring America's final handful of veterans from the First World War. The program was created by Treehouse Productions and aired on NPR on November 11, 2006. In May 2009, ''Legacy of War'', produced by PBS, was released. Cronkite chronicles, over archive footage, the events following World War II that resulted in America's rise as the dominant world power.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Legacy of War – Legacy of War Spoilers, Episode Guides, Message Board |magazine=TV Guide |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/legacy-war/297302 |access-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref>

Prior to his death, "Uncle Walter" hosted a number of TV specials and was featured in interviews about the times and events that occurred during his career as America's "most trusted" man.<ref name="Philly" /> In July 2006, the 90-minute documentary ''Walter Cronkite: Witness to History'' aired on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]. The special was narrated by [[Katie Couric]], who assumed the ''CBS Evening News'' anchor chair in September 2006. Cronkite provided the voiceover introduction to Couric's ''[[CBS Evening News]]'', which began on September 5, 2006. Cronkite's voiceover was notably not used on introducing the broadcast reporting his funeral – no voiceover was used on this occasion.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

=== TV and movie appearances ===
Cronkite made a cameo appearance on a 1974 episode of ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', in which he met with [[Lou Grant (fictional character)|Lou Grant]] in his office. [[Ted Baxter]], who at first tried to convince Cronkite that he (Baxter) was as good a newsman as [[Eric Sevareid]], pleaded with Cronkite to hire him for the network news, at least to give sport scores, and gave an example: "The [[Minnesota North Stars|North Stars]] 3, the [[Los Angeles Kings|Kings]] Oh!" Cronkite turned to Grant and said, "I'm gonna get you for this!" Cronkite later said that he was disappointed that his scene was filmed in one take, since he had hoped to sit down and chat with the cast.

In the late 1980s and again in the 1990s, Cronkite appeared on the news-oriented situation comedy ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' as himself. Both episodes were written by the Emmy Award-winning team of Tom Seeley and Norm Gunzenhauser. He also continued hosting a variety of series.  In the early 1980s, he was host of the documentary series ''World War II with Walter Cronkite''.  In 1991, he hosted the TV documentary ''Dinosaur!'' on [[A&E (TV network)|A&E]] (not related to the documentary [[Dinosaur! (1985 film)|of the same title]] hosted by [[Christopher Reeve]] on CBS six years earlier), and a 1994 follow-up series, ''Ape Man: The Story of Human Evolution''. In 1995, he narrated the [[World Liberty Concert]] held in the Netherlands.

Cronkite routinely hosted the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] from 1981 to 2002.

Cronkite appeared briefly in the 2005 dramatic documentary ''[[The American Ruling Class]]'', written by [[Lewis H. Lapham|Lewis Lapham]], and the 2000 film ''[[Thirteen Days (film)|Thirteen Days]]'' reporting on the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]; and provided the opening synopsis of the [[American space program|American Space Program]] leading to the events of [[Apollo 13]] for the 1995 [[Ron Howard]] [[Apollo 13 (film)|film of the same name]].

=== Political activism ===
[[File:Cronkite Columbia tribute.JPG|thumb|200px|Cronkite speaking at a NASA ceremony in February 2004]]
Cronkite wrote a [[Print syndication|syndicated]] opinion column for [[King Features Syndicate]]. In 2005 and 2006, he contributed to ''[[The Huffington Post]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Walter Cronkite |work=Huffington Post |date=July 20, 2009 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/walter-cronkite |access-date=July 20, 2009}}</ref> Cronkite was the honorary chairman of [[The Interfaith Alliance]].<ref>[http://www.interfaithalliance.org/join/message-from-walter-cronkite/ Message From Walter Cronkite], The Interfaith Alliance. Retrieved August 3, 2012.</ref> In 2006, he presented the Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award to actor and activist [[George Clooney]] on behalf of his organization at its annual dinner in New York.<ref>{{cite web |title=9th Annual Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award Gala |publisher=The Interfaith Alliance |date=November 1, 2006 |url=http://www.interfaithalliance.org/site/pp.asp?c=8dJIIWMCE&b=937809 |access-date=July 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415042752/http://www.interfaithalliance.org/site/pp.asp?c=8dJIIWMCE&b=937809 |archive-date=April 15, 2007}}</ref>

Cronkite was a vocal advocate for free airtime for political candidates.<ref name="Philly" /> He worked with the Alliance for Better Campaigns<ref name="Philly">{{cite news |title=Walter Cronkite dies |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=July 17, 2009 |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20090717_Walter_Cronkite_dies.html?viewAll=y |access-date=July 18, 2009 |first1=Lee|last1=Winfrey|first2=Michael D.|last2=Schaffer}}</ref> and [[Common Cause]],<ref name="KTVN Channel 2">{{cite web |title=Former CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkite Dies |work=WorldNow and Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. |publisher=KTVN Channel 2 |date=July 17, 2009 |url=http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=10747545&nav=menu549_2_8 |access-date=July 18, 2009 |archive-date=July 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726020135/http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=10747545&nav=menu549_2_8 |url-status=dead }}</ref> for instance, on an unsuccessful lobbying effort to have an amendment added to the [[Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act|McCain-Feingold-Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2001]] that would have required TV broadcast companies to provide free airtime to candidates. Cronkite criticized the present system of campaign finance which allows elections to "be purchased" by special interests, and he noted that all the European democracies "provide their candidates with extensive free airtime."<ref name="FreeAirWaves" /> "In fact," Cronkite pointed out, "of all the major nations worldwide that profess to have democracies, only seven – just seven – do not offer free airtime"<ref name="FreeAirWaves" /> This put the United States on a list with Ecuador, Honduras, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Trinidad and Tobago. Cronkite concluded that "The failure to give free airtime for our political campaigns endangers our democracy."<ref name="FreeAirWaves">{{cite web |last=Cronkite |first=Walter |title=Free the Air Waves! |work=Citizens Union Foundation. |publisher=Gotham Gazette |date=November 4, 2002 |url=http://www.gothamgazette.com/iotw/campaign2002/}}</ref> During the elections held in 2000, the amount spent by candidates in the major TV markets approached $1 billion. "What our campaign asks is that the television industry yield just a tiny percentage of that windfall, less than 1 percent, to fund free airtime."<ref name="FreeAirWaves" />

He was a member of the [[Constitution Project]]'s bipartisan Liberty and Security Committee.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Constitution Project: Bipartisan Committee Denounces Illegal Spying Program |publisher=Common Dreams.org |date=1997–2009 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0725-01.htm |access-date=July 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725224139/http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0725-01.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2009 }}</ref> He also supported the nonprofit world hunger organization [[Heifer International]].

In 1998, he supported President [[Bill Clinton]] during Clinton's [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment trial]]. He was also a proponent of limited [[world government]] on the American federalist model, writing fundraising letters for the World Federalist Association (now [[Citizens for Global Solutions]]). In accepting the 1999 Norman Cousins Global Governance Award at the ceremony at the United Nations, Cronkite said:

<blockquote>It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government patterned after our own government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace. To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. That would be a bitter pill. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order. But the American colonies did it once and brought forth one of the most nearly perfect unions the world has ever seen.<ref name=cousins /><ref name=speechvideo /><ref>{{cite book |last=Cabrera |first=Luis |title=Political theory of global justice |publisher=Routledge Taylor and Francis Group |format=digitised online by Google Books online |page=166 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BFPFuta9jUC&q=%22that+if+we+are+to+avoid+the+eventual+catastrophic+world+%22&pg=PA166|isbn=9780203335192 |date=2004 }} Originally quoted for this book in Walter Cronkite. "The Case for Democratic World Government." ''Earth Island Journal''. Vol. 15, no. 2. Summer 2000. p. 45.</ref></blockquote>

Cronkite contrasted his support for accountable global government with the opposition to it by politically active Christian fundamentalists in the United States:

<blockquote>Even as with the American rejection of the League of Nations, our failure to live up to our obligations to the United Nations is led by a handful of willful senators who choose to pursue their narrow, selfish political objectives at the cost of our nation's conscience. They pander to and are supported by the Christian Coalition and the rest of the religious right wing. Their leader, [[Pat Robertson]], has written that we should have a world government but only when the messiah arrives. Any attempt to achieve world order before that time must be the work of the Devil! Well join me... I'm glad to sit here at the right hand of Satan.<ref name=cousins>{{cite web |title=A speech by Walter Cronkite – United Nations, national sovereignty and the future of the world |work=Upon receiving the Norman Cousins Global Governance Award, on October 19, 1999, at the UN Delegates Dining Room in New York City |publisher=Renew America |year=1999 |url=http://www.renewamerica.com/article/050525 |access-date=July 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=speechvideo>{{cite web|title=ASI presents: Hillary, Walter Cronkite and World Government |last=Cronkite |first=Walter |website=[[YouTube]] |year=1999 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95Jfa95PLSI | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/95Jfa95PLSI| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|access-date=August 3, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref></blockquote>

In 2003, Cronkite, who owned property on [[Martha's Vineyard]], became involved in a long-running debate over his opposition to the construction of a [[wind farm]] in that area. In his column, he repeatedly condemned President [[George W. Bush]] and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. Cronkite appeared in the 2004 [[Robert Greenwald]] film ''[[Outfoxed]]'', where he offered commentary on what he said were unethical and overtly political practices at the [[Fox News Channel]]. Cronkite remarked that when Fox News was founded by [[Rupert Murdoch]], "it was intended to be a conservative organization – beyond that; a [[Far right|far-right-wing]] organization". In January 2006, during a press conference to promote the PBS documentary about his career, Cronkite said that he felt the same way about America's presence in Iraq as he had about their presence in Vietnam in 1968 and that he felt America should recall its troops.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/01/15/entertainment/e154744S99.DTL&feed=rss.news|title=Cronkite: Time for U.S. to Leave Iraq|access-date=April 26, 2006|work=San Francisco Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002142916/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2006%2F01%2F15%2Fentertainment%2Fe154744S99.DTL&feed=rss.news|archive-date=October 2, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Cronkite spoke out against the [[War on Drugs]] in support of the [[Drug Policy Alliance]], writing a fundraising letter and appearing in advertisements on behalf of the DPA.<ref name="dpa cronkite letter">{{cite web |last=Cronkite |first=Walter |title=Why I Support DPA, and So Should You |publisher=Drug Policy Alliance |year=2006 |url=http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/cronkite022306.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304102521/http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/cronkite022306.cfm |archive-date=March 4, 2006 |access-date=July 17, 2009}}</ref> In the letter, Cronkite wrote: "Today, our nation is fighting two wars: one abroad and one at home. While the war in Iraq is in the headlines, the other war is still being fought on our own streets. Its casualties are the wasted lives of our own citizens. I am speaking of the war on drugs. And I cannot help but wonder how many more lives, and how much more money, will be wasted before another [[Robert McNamara]] admits what is plain for all to see: the war on drugs is a failure."<ref name="dpa cronkite letter" />