MSNBC was already fully prepared and just waiting for Cronkite to die.

[Towlie]

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I'm sure all the networks were.

He was 92, after all.

[GoCubsGo]

13. Not to mention sick...

He was ill for weeks. David Schuster just reported that he had "cerebrovascular disease". In other words, this is no surprise.

[AngryOldDem]

2. As are most major news outlets as it concerns well-known people.

Stories are ready to go; all they need is to insert the age and day of death.

[SoCalDem]

11. Yes. No matter the age, "prominent" people always have obits all ready to "go".

Young people crash cars & overdose, middlers catch terrible diseases sometimes or get killed by lovers/spouses, and then the old ones all eventaully die..

[babylonsister]

3. I'm sure everyone was. He's been rumored to be on his

deathbed for awhile.

[azmouse]

4. His death was expected. He was very ill.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Well, considering his age, and the rumbled rumors from last week,

I can see that being the case.

It would be more strange if they were not prepared.....

So I can't call this nefarious, coming from a news organization.....do you? :shrug:

[blogslut]

6. A little advice

Take some time to learn about news reporting.

[Towlie]

14. Why? Did I say something that wasn't the absolute truth? Why the abuse?

[Sukie]

18. I liked your title.

Just because that's what the news organizations do, doesn't make it any less uncouth.

[blogslut]

22. Not abuse

Simply a constructive observation. Granted, people in the news media are often painted as vultures but they are tasked with bringing us these sad moments. Perhaps you don't remember Mr. Cronkite telling Americans that their president was dead. I do and I was all of three years old. When noted people die, reporters are the people that break it to us. It is a duty that nobody likes but it must be done.

[Towlie]

26. That little voice in your head did not come from me. I just made a simple statement of fact.

"Vultures"? Where in the world did that come from?

[blogslut]

28. I really don't want to continue this

So, until we meet again...

[elocs]

33. The word for today is: "disingenuous", and butter wouldn't melt in your mouth. n/t

[aquart]

7. I'm sure all the news outlets were.

[HopeOverFear]

8. Did seem a little morbid

but I agree with the other posters here

[quiller4]

39. How so? They prepared a great tribute to a great man. n/t

[Contrary1]

And that's the way it is...

Rest in peace Mr. Cronkite.

[Palin delenda est]

9. That's what they do. You can be sure they're ready for Jimmy Carter,

Jerry Lewis, (add names of any number of elderly people here) also.

[pdxmom]

16. Not just old, but anyone of large significance. They've got it packaged

and ready to go and update their packages fairly regularly.

[AngryOldDem]

25. I used to work at a newspaper....

...and one job of one of the older reporters was to do just that.

And having worked on the copy desk, I have to say that knowing something was ready to go helped a lot in meeting deadlines when the inevitable happened.

Sounds callous, I know, but there it is.

[Palin delenda est]

37. Correct. I should've said that...old isn't the only criterion.

(Thinking of all the Michael Jackson coverage...and he was not 'old')

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

Every TV network has a pre-canned video obit for every old celebrity,

just waiting. A little vulturish, maybe, but that's the way they do it.

[HopeOverFear]

10. Question: Why do journalists love to talk about themselves so damn much?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. Cronkite was special. He deserves to be talked about.

[HopeOverFear]

24. granted

[calimary]

29. Yes. He does. He. Just. DOES.

He was a one-man Mt. Rushmore of broadcast journalism.

[rsmith6621]

12. Please Can We Not Have The Twelve Days of Michael Again

...For Walter.....I pray that the family allows some light coverage but not drag it out till the end of the month like they did JACKO.

[hedgehog]

42. It's either that or debating whether flu vaccine shots will be

mandatory or in short supply or both.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

15. All good news organizations would have something prepared

are you that naive?

[LLStarks]

17. As morbid as it may sound, and god forbid, they probably even have pieces for Obama and Biden n/t

[WolverineDG]

19. So was CBS

Morbid fact, but true: all news organizations have obits of famous people already written up/in the can & ready to go.

dg

[Raine]

20. ALL media are prepared for the deaths

of anyone notable.

[Boomerang Diddle]

21. I wouldn't say "just waiting" but of course they are prepared. n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

27. It had been reported weeks ago that he was

likely near death. So no surprise that they were prepared.

I think that's quite common in newsrooms - either print or TV. Famous people have obits, ready to go - just updated with the latest pertinent facts.

[Are_grits_groceries]

30. I think it was the

"just waiting" that sounds off. It makes it seem like they were vultures on a fence looking at him. I doubt that's what you meant.
Every media outlet in the world probably was prepared. It was something people knew would happen, but in this case it was not something people wanted to think about. I know I didn't.

[johnfunk]

31. Every network has bios of major figures ready to air.

It's been well known for some months that Cronkite was in failing health. CBS has a full hour special ready to go, and it will air on Sunday at 7pmEST. I'm watching NBC's obit video, narrated by Brian Williams, no doubt prepared months ago.

We will never see his like again.

[Egalitariat]

32. Good journalism, IYAM****

nm

[democrat2thecore]

34. The Irony Of Dan Rather.....

We've been listening a lot to Dan Rather talk about Walter Cronkite. He's said a lot of nice things, but truth be told, Cronkite never liked Dan Rather as an anchor. He was furious that Roger Mudd didn't get the job (as everyone had expected) and CBS gave it to Rather. Cronkite thought Rather was a great reporter but wasn't anchor material. History really proved Cronkite right. Dan Rather was a reporter's reporter. Cronkite even publicly questioned why Rather still had the job when the ratings tanked and Jennings and Brokaw were kicking his butt. I love Rather - but, like Cronkite - for his excellent reporting skills.

[quiller4]

40. I've never been a Rather fan. You are right. Cronkite didn't

want Rather. It didn't help that he was pushed to retire 3 months early because CBS was afraid Rather was about to jump ship.

However, Rather and Cronkite patched over the rough spots in their relationship just after Betsy Cronkite died and they became rather close.

[Marr]

35. Of course. Don't you remember Cheney's obituary?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/cnnobit1.html

[Berry Cool]

36. Every outlet that issues news does this, even on a small level.

I used to work in media for a university. It had canned obits ready for everyone who had ever played a prominent role in the history of the school. I was pulled away from a lunch break once to proofread one when a longtime donor died and a news release had to go out right away. The bulk of the thing had been sitting there a long time.

[quiller4]

38. What is your point? Every major news organization keeps an obit file for

significant individuals and updates it regularly. Since the family released work that his death was imminent, I'm sure all the networks updated their files and prepared their tributes.

[upi402]

41. Yeah, CBS went to Michael Jackson coverage

while MSNBC explained how concerned Cronkite was about the corporatising of TV news. I sure hope they were prepared for the passing of this American icon from our glory days.

[rucky]

43. When I was a reporter, I was on Bob Hope death watch for almost a year.

Frank Sinatra, too.

[donheld]

44. So What

Unrecommend

[Vidar]

45. They all do this. They had Lou Grant episode on obituaries in advance once.