How's Cronkite doing? Not as bad as previously reported ... but not great

UPDATE: Walter Cronkite's right hand, Marlene Adler, asserts that he is NOT "gravely ill," contrary to what Gail and Verne were reporting earlier. "He's ill, but the angel of death is not standing over his bed," Adler said.“He’s dealing with the challenges of being a 92-year-old man.” Boston.com says "fragile" would be a better description of Cronkite's condition.

God bless 'im.  Anyway, earlier I wrote ...

I think Walter Cronkite would understand if he were to learn that I am currently juggling two stories, one of which is his obituary. I am trying to write a thoughtful and locally-focused remembrance of the St. Joseph-born newscaster, who met his wife while working at KCMO Radio and included many happy (and colorful) memories of Kansas City in his 1996 biography A Reporter's Life. At the same time, I am trying to keep one eye on the remarkable people's media revolution happening in Iran. In fact, I am doing interviews and writing copy for both stories right now.

Some people on Twitter are questioning whether the factual information can be trusted that has been reported so far: Namely, that Cronkite, age 92, is "gravely ill" and near death. But the key source on these reports is Gail Shister, the former Philly Inquirer columnist who is about as well sourced with CBS News' old guard as anyone I know in my business. Of course, her best source was Cronkite antagonist Dan Rather, who forced Walter out of the anchor's chair in 1981, but my point is, if Gail is reporting it, and no one at CBS is denying it, it's probably true.