He was a freaking newsreader for crying out loud. He wasn't a great reporter, he wasn't particularly smart, and the only reason he was trusted was because in the early days of television no one knew any better. The fact he used his pulpit to express his unwanted opinion on the war shows how misplaced that trust was. He is a useless old windbag.
And still revered by the leftists (meaning all) in the MSM.