Jack Shafer Hates Walter Cronkite

As much as the public may have trusted Cronkite, he didn't top all surveys. In 1974, before the Cronkite-equals-trust clich? took root, the Phillips-Sindlinger organization conducted a nationwide poll to determine viewers' attitudes toward the top TV newscasters. Cronkite won the "best-known" category, but John Chancellor took the honors for "best-liked" and "most-watched" TV newsperson. Cronkite finished fourth in "best-liked," behind Harry Reasoner, who placed second, and Howard K. Smith (ABC News), who placed third.