The Media Should Cover Earth Day the Way Walter Cronkite Did

This story originated in the Columbia Journalism Review and is part of “Climate & Democracy,” a series from the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. On the first Earth Day, in 1970, America’s TV networks were not shy about taking a position on the news of the day. CBS News produced a special titled “Earth Day: A Question of Survival,” which opened its flagship evening broadcast by showing biologist Barry Commoner telling a crowd, “This planet is threatened with destruction.… We are in a crisis of survival.” Anchorman Walter Cronkite then reiterated the theme, declaring this a “unique day in… Read Full Article