US veteran newsman Walter Cronkite, who was the face of CBS television news for more than two decades, is reported to be gravely ill. The 92-year-old former anchor of “The CBS Evening News,” who has been ailing for some time, has apparently taken a turn for the worse, according to TVNewser and other online sites. CBS News spokesman Kevin Tedesco had no comment on Friday. The host of CBS' “Face the Nation” and a longtime Cronkite colleague, Bob Schieffer, said, “All of us are praying for the best, and our thoughts are with Walter's family.” Cronkite was named “the most trusted man in America” in a 1972 “trust index” survey, and he ended each broadcast with the reassuring signoff, “And that's the way it is.” He left the “Evening News” anchor desk in 1981, but after that kept a busy schedule both in journalistic and other activities.
