A Tribute to Peter Jennings

Peter Jennings passed away yesterday, due to lung cancer. He was 67 years old. Today, most news programs touched upon his legacy in some way; some more than others. CNN's Anderson Cooper, Paula Zahn and Aaron Brown, all ABCNews alumni, spent considerable time interviewing current and former ABCNews correspondents. Cooper and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann used Peter's death to focus on the dangers of cigarette smoking. ABCNews, obviously, paid solemn tribute to Jennings on World News Tonight and Nightline.  Even Fox News got into the act, as Bill O'Reilly interviwed Barbara Walters (and couldn't stop making ridiculous comparisons between Jennings and himself). 


I am sure most of you have seen a tribute to Peter Jennings somewhere, but I wanted to add in my two cents. 


Peter Jennings was the first newsman I ever knew. I used to come home from school, and eat dinner in front of the TV every night, and the only thing that was on in our household was World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Everything I ever knew about the world, I learned first from him. When we moved into a new house and got cable for the first time, I vaguely knew about some channel called CNN but whenever anything in the world happened, it was Peter Jennings I turned to. The Berlin Wall. The Persian Gulf War. Every single Election Day. And, of course, September 11th. 


Why did my family turn to Peter? I don't really know, in all honesty. I guess now, it doesn't matter. For better or for worse (and before his death, and even, sickeningly enough, after it, many felt it was for worse) I grew up with him. Now he is gone, and with him, an era. 


He may not have been everyone's newsman. He may not have even been the best newsman. But he was my newsman. I will miss him so.