Peter Jennings, the last of the three network television anchors who dominated TV news for the last few decades, died last night of cancer. He was 67.
I met Jennings in 1987 while participating in a panel on politics and journalism before the National Press Club in Washington. Of the three anchors on the panel he was the most self-effacing. Brokaw had the humor, Rather the partisan intensity but Jennings seemed most uncomfortable with the attention and fawning by some at the event.
"I'm just a reporter who got lucky," he said.
A Canadian, Jennings came under fire from conservatives but shrugged it off. He questioned America's invasion of Iraq and predicted no weapons of mass destruction would be found. Critics called his comments un-American.
"It comes with the territory," he said. And it did.
His death follows NBC anchor Tom Brokaw's retirement last year and Dan Rather's embarassing step down from CBS after a major faux pax on Bush's military service during last year's campaign.
Rest in peace Peter, and thanks for all of your contributions.
Life is way too short.
I would like to be able to thank Mr Jennings personally for a lifetime of commitment and honor him with some "great American" tribute....maybe he deserves more than that.
Last of a breed with some kind of backbone, don't see anymore journalists coming up behind him. Rest in Peace.
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I've never been to speedy to deify someone merely because they've died. Like a cop who dies in the line of duty from driving a car recklessly in a car chase "he's a hero." BS. Like Reagan, the walking alzheimer's patient who trashed our environmental laws and sustainable energy efforts. Call it like it is. Death cannot bestow honor on a dishnorable man.
So a quick trip down the memory hole for Jennings. Anyone recall his dismissal of the 2000 election fraud? How about that giant suck1ng sound Jennings made cooing about how "presidential" W. looked after Jenning's favorite ceremony? How about the way he stood up for Dan Rather when he got hung out to dry for reporting on Bush being AWOL during guard duty? Oh wait, that never happened. Never forget how Jennings sold himself out to push the "magic bullet theory" of the Kennedy assassination. But since his presentation was oh-so-newsanchorly, we'll overlook it, right? The a--hole could at least have apologized for repeating as fact Bush's lies about WMDs. I hope the dead in the Middle East kick Jennings soul around hel1l after promoting Bush's wars. He should have signed up to serve in Iraq, and not as an embed.
Never forget Jenning's legacy of lying to the American people.
Plenty more on Jennings at MediaMatters.
Is it possible that Peter Jennings came down with lung cancer from breathing the air during 9/11 in New York City, from smoking again after 20 years, and from going often to Iraq which is saturated with depleted uranium dust? Asbestos, DU, and cigarette smoke all cause lung cancer. Has anyone determined the source of his?