The Death of Authority

Trust, legitimacy, and the fragmentation of reality

I was 16 years old when Walter Cronkite retired in 1981. He had been the anchorman of the CBS Evening News throughout my life. I vaguely recall his narration of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 moon missions. I remember with certainty his daily signoff: “And that’s the way it is.” And while I was not born at the time, I repeatedly saw the clip of Cronkite wi…