LETTERS

Voice of the people: Gone are the days of Walter Cronkite

The Ledger
TV news anchorman Walter Cronkite talks on the phone at his office, prior to his final newscast as CBS anchorman on March 6, 1981, in New York City. Behind him is a framed Mickey Mouse cartoon and his Emmy award.

Gone are the days of Walter Cronkite

The question of equitable justice has been one that the nation has grappled with as a whole regarding Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal. On one side, you have some defining Rittenhouse as someone who does not deserve to be free. On the other side, some paint him as the hero of self-defense and the Second Amendment.

Yet, in this era of hyper-partisanship, neither were found to be important in regard to the facts and the law. The continual mistrust of the laws and judicial processes are in large part due to the media. Gone are the days of Walter Cronkite and other reporters that defined what journalism depends on: facts and impartiality.

This is not to say that what occurred that day should be taken lightly, as the loss of life is a burden on the family, the community and the nation as a whole. It is time to reflect as a nation and understand that the processes in place will allow for us to continue with our democratic principles - including the rule of law.

On September 17, 1787, delegates left the Constitutional Convention in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. As they exited, Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government do we have? "A Republic," he replied, "if you can keep it."

Carlos Gamez, Lakeland

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