JFK: One PM Central Standard Time on PBS

Category: Television and Streaming

 

PBS’ Secrets of the Dead series airs a special presentation about the way the news of President Kennedy’s death was reported to the American public fifty years ago. JFK: One PM Central Standard Time is not a show about the assassination of the president as much as it is a show about reporting the event, and especially how news anchor Walter Cronkite conducted his reports throughout the fateful day in Dallas and the following days through President Kennedy’s funeral and burial.

 

Walter Cronkite and John Kennedy had many similarities. They were the same age, they had both been involved in the fighting in World War II and seen their share of war horrors, and they both held powerful positions. Walter Cronkite had started as a newspaperman and became the most trusted man in America. The term “Anchor Man” was coined for him. He wanted to get his stories right, and because of that he held off as long as possible on November 22, 1963 with the news that the president was dead. He would not commit to that statement until it was confirmed by a number of sources.

 

Cronkite insisted on being the Managing Editor when he took over the anchor desk at CBS. As Managing Editor he had the power to decide which stories to tell and how to tell them. But whatever he did, he made sure his reporting was above reproach.

 

On November 22, 1963 175 million Americans turned on televisions to watch the assassination story unfold. Through the events of that day and the following days, Cronkite was the man America looked to for not only the news, but also solace. “He was a rock,” one reporter said. “You could count on him.”

 

Today in this age where rumors are published as truths online and spread in other formats, it might be difficult for younger people to understand the concept of “getting it right.” Sure, everyone wants to be the first to break a story, but if it isn’t right, then what good is it? That was the feeling of Cronkite.

 

Narrated by George Clooney, JFK: One PM Central Standard Time is the story of the news reporters who were in Dallas and the ones who were back at their desks. Everyone frantically tried to weed out rumors from facts, and in the end, it was Walter Cronkite who got it right. The time of death might be the only thing wrong, but that was the official statement from the press at the hospital. The president was dead long before that, but for the sake of history, his death is reported as One PM.

 

Aspiring journalists should definitely watch this show, as well as anyone interested in history. 1963 was a turning point in American history, and this is just one of many great documentaries airing this month about the various aspects of the Kennedy assassination.

 

JFK: One PM Central Standard Time premiers Wednesday, November 13, 2013 on PBS.