
Walter Cronkite Walter Cronkite, the famous former CBS anchor, considered a libel suit when he found a fictitous story about himself on the Internet. Tim Hughes, an Internet applications developer, posted a web page entitled, Walter Cronkite Spit in my Food on a site called "The Circus of Fear." Hughes altered a photograph of Cronkite to make him appear to be spitting; another altered photo depicted a smiling Cronkite standing next to several costumed Ku Klux Klansmen. The story claimed Cronkite became enraged when Hughes and his wife took a photo of him in a restaurant at Disney World. The story also said Cronkite began yelling obscenities and boasting about his relations with a colleague's wife, then spit onto a slice of spice cake on Hughes' table. Hughes claims he wrote the story as a satire and in a purposefully unbelievable fashion. Cronkite said in an interview that he was stunned when he heard about the web page, saying, "The whole thing is just so outlandish...I don't think I've ever spit in my life." Hughes replaced the page with a notice explaining the site and saying, "It was never my intention to hurt anyone." Hughes further defended his page by arguing that the site was designed as entertainment, saying, "Who could surf to a page called Walter Cronkite Spit in my Food complete with disclaimer ("Actual events may differ substantially from those depicted here"), an oh-so-subtle animation of Walter spitting gobs of phlegm, and that ridiculous photo of me "with" Walter Cronkite -- and leave with the impression that the site was journalism? What serious journalist would refer to himself as a "crack-smoking devil worshiper" as I did on that page?" (For more details see Walter and me by Tim Hughes .) In an interview with David Donnelly concerning libel and the Internet, Cronkite asserted "I am absolutely opposed to any form of censorship whatsoever, but I do feel people who access the Internet must be held responsible for what they put on there in the same fashion that print publications and broadcast organizations are. In other words, they should be subject to libel and slander.... they should have to identify themselves with the work they do." Dr. David Donnelly's interview with Walter Cronkite is available in audio and transcript form. Please make sure to have Windows Media Player installed before viewing. Click the "Get Windows Media Player" graphic below to link to the Windows Media Player download site.

Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite, the famous former CBS anchor, considered a libel suit when he found a fictitous story about himself on the Internet. Tim Hughes, an Internet applications developer, posted a web page entitled, Walter Cronkite Spit in my Food on a site called "The Circus of Fear." Hughes altered a photograph of Cronkite to make him appear to be spitting; another altered photo depicted a smiling Cronkite standing next to several costumed Ku Klux Klansmen.

The story claimed Cronkite became enraged when Hughes and his wife took a photo of him in a restaurant at Disney World. The story also said Cronkite began yelling obscenities and boasting about his relations with a colleague's wife, then spit onto a slice of spice cake on Hughes' table. Hughes claims he wrote the story as a satire and in a purposefully unbelievable fashion.

Cronkite said in an interview that he was stunned when he heard about the web page, saying, "The whole thing is just so outlandish...I don't think I've ever spit in my life." Hughes replaced the page with a notice explaining the site and saying, "It was never my intention to hurt anyone." Hughes further defended his page by arguing that the site was designed as entertainment, saying, "Who could surf to a page called Walter Cronkite Spit in my Food complete with disclaimer ("Actual events may differ substantially from those depicted here"), an oh-so-subtle animation of Walter spitting gobs of phlegm, and that ridiculous photo of me "with" Walter Cronkite -- and leave with the impression that the site was journalism? What serious journalist would refer to himself as a "crack-smoking devil worshiper" as I did on that page?" (For more details see Walter and me by Tim Hughes .)

In an interview with David Donnelly concerning libel and the Internet, Cronkite asserted "I am absolutely opposed to any form of censorship whatsoever, but I do feel people who access the Internet must be held responsible for what they put on there in the same fashion that print publications and broadcast organizations are. In other words, they should be subject to libel and slander.... they should have to identify themselves with the work they do."

Dr. David Donnelly's interview with Walter Cronkite is available in audio and transcript form.

Please make sure to have Windows Media Player installed before viewing. Click the "Get Windows Media Player" graphic below to link to the Windows Media Player download site.