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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
July 20, 2009 Rick Chessen at (202) 418-2000
STATEMENT BY FCC COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS 
ON THE PASSING OF WALTER CRONKITE
One of my fondest memories during my time at the FCC will always be the opportunity I 
had to get to know the legendary Walter Cronkite.  I was privileged to visit with Walter on 
several occasions and to imbibe some of the unmatchable feel he had for journalism and its 
crucial role in sustaining a healthy and vibrant democratic dialogue.  
On one occasion, in 2007, we shared a platform at a Columbia University forum on the 
future of the media.  By then, Walter had been speaking out for a number of years about 
excessive media consolidation and the declining resources that were going into journalism—
particularly investigative journalism.  He ended his remarks this way: “America is the most 
prosperous and powerful nation in perhaps the history of the world.  We can certainly afford to 
sustain a media system of which we can be proud.”
I will miss this good and wise man.  And the country will miss his sage counsel as we 
finally begin to grapple with the crisis in journalism that he saw coming long ago.  We will best 
honor Walter Cronkite’s memory by tackling this issue with the urgency it deserves.