"And that's the way it is"
About this Quote
A small sentence that carries the full authority of a broadcast era: closure as comfort, certainty as a public service. Walter Cronkite’s “And that’s the way it is” isn’t merely a sign-off; it’s a ritual. Night after night, it told Americans that the day’s chaos could be gathered, verified, and placed into a coherent narrative before bedtime. The genius is in the phrasing’s plainness. No flourish, no sermon, no invitation to debate. Just a calm declaration that reality has been weighed and rendered.
The intent is editorial without sounding like it: to end the segment by converting information into settlement. “That’s” points to a shared object on the table, as if the facts are already mutually agreed upon. “The way it is” implies not only accuracy, but inevitability - a subtle move from report to verdict. In a medium built on immediacy, Cronkite offered finality.
The subtext is trust, and also power. When one voice can confidently pronounce “the way it is,” the audience is asked to outsource uncertainty. That worked in the mid-20th-century media landscape, when three networks functioned as a national commons and the anchor was closer to a civic referee than a brand. Cronkite’s reputation - amplified by moments like Kennedy’s assassination coverage and the Vietnam commentary - made the line feel earned.
He wasn’t claiming omniscience so much as modeling a standard: facts exist, they can be checked, and they matter. Today, the phrase lands differently, almost wistful, because it comes from a time when consensus reality still had a microphone.
The intent is editorial without sounding like it: to end the segment by converting information into settlement. “That’s” points to a shared object on the table, as if the facts are already mutually agreed upon. “The way it is” implies not only accuracy, but inevitability - a subtle move from report to verdict. In a medium built on immediacy, Cronkite offered finality.
The subtext is trust, and also power. When one voice can confidently pronounce “the way it is,” the audience is asked to outsource uncertainty. That worked in the mid-20th-century media landscape, when three networks functioned as a national commons and the anchor was closer to a civic referee than a brand. Cronkite’s reputation - amplified by moments like Kennedy’s assassination coverage and the Vietnam commentary - made the line feel earned.
He wasn’t claiming omniscience so much as modeling a standard: facts exist, they can be checked, and they matter. Today, the phrase lands differently, almost wistful, because it comes from a time when consensus reality still had a microphone.
Quote Details
| Topic | One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Britannica entry "Walter Cronkite" — notes his tenure as CBS Evening News anchor (1962–1981) and his customary sign-off "And that's the way it is." |
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