Of the "big three" anchors of the '80s and '90s, it always seemed like Peter Jennings was the most intellectual. Hard to believe that in his 22 years as anchor, he covered the collapse of the Soviet bloc and later September 11. As I understand it, early criticism of him came because of his more circumspect approach to certain topics than other anchors (or maybe it was just because he was Canadian).
Still, from what I've heard, it would have been good to see "ABC Evening News" during the Vietnam War and hear John Chancellor's indictment of that war. I remember when Peter Jennings showed the 25th anniversary of the modern broadcast's first airing (they reported on the trial of some Soviet Jews): John Chancellor correctly identified that the USSR was dooming itself to failure.
But no matter. Had Peter Jennings survived a few more weeks, he could have covered Hurricane Katrina. I had never known that he smoked. But a radio station noted that he reported on anti-war protests when the US invaded Iraq, so you gotta give him credit for that.
So, for all it's flaws, I recommend this news show.
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