"Broken promises don't upset me. I just think, why did they believe me?" -- Jack Handey
Dan Rather announced on Tuesday that he'll step down as the managing editor and host of the CBS Evening News this coming March.
What took so long?
CBS stated that Rather's decision was independent of the recent "60 Minutes II" faux pas (commonly referred to as "Rathergate") regarding President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service.
Surrrrrre it is. *wink wink, thumbs up*
Rather, a "self-professed liberal," is notorious for his arrogance and inflexibility both on- and off-camera. From his work as CBS White House correspondent during Nixon's presidency to his recent defense of the bogus "60 Minutes II" story, Rather could be remembered most for being stubborn, even in the wake of credibility.
Stubborn as a mule, one might say.
Rather's sharpest criticism is that he's a biased liberal Democrat in an objective news anchor's clothing. The circumstantial evidence doesn't lie:
*Daughter works for the Democratic Party in Texas
*Once attended a fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Texas (which he claimed was a surprise to him when he arrived)
*Was repeatedly attacked by critics for going soft on negative stories regarding Bill Clinton's presidency
*Refused to cover or report any news regarding Chandra Levy's disappearance in 2002 after her affair with U.S. Representative Gary Condit (D-California) went public
*Infamous, televised (Live) interrogation of then-presidential candidate George H. W. Bush where Rather repeatedly interrupted Bush to ask questions about the Iran-Contra scandal
*The aforementioned "Rathergate"
In his retirement announcement, Rather stated that he's "always been and remain[s] a 'hard news' investigative reporter at heart." Judging by his history, that must mean when the news gets too "hard" -- just make it up and hope people don't question it.
Dan Rather has won numerous awards for excellence in both journalism and broadcasting during his 40+ year career. While the accolade list is impressive, it will NOT be Rather's legacy. Perhaps that legacy is exactly what the anchor hopes to polish in the future as a correspondent for both of CBS's "60 Minutes" programs.
After Rathergate, the criticism against CBS rose while ratings fell hard. The network likely had no choice but to force Rather's concession. If that indeed happened, Rather would be lucky CBS gave him an ultimatum at all. Instead of enduring the embarrassment of public dismissal, Rather probably chose to hang around in a less prominent role.
Two outcomes could stem from Rather's future reporting:
1) He will regress and revert to being an aggressively liberal reporter with a chip on his shoulder against conservative politics; OR
2) He will attempt to fix his legacy, clean up his image, investigate and report news fairly and objectively, and not let his arrogance and self-absorption get the best of him.
My favorite Rather moment was when he appeared on "The Late Show with Dave Letterman" one week after September 11, 2001. He broke down crying while recounting his thoughts of the tragedy. Never before or since have I trusted him so much.
My advice for Dan Rather? Have class, show grace, and take your bow on a positive note. Even if it takes some... *pause, nod* ...courage.
And that's part of my world.
3 comments:
I agree that Rather is doing the right thing stepping down from CBS News. He is not only past his prime, but the "Rathergate" incident hurt the network's image too much for him to drag them down. On the other hand, I take issue with your assertion that a liberal (or any person with political views, which is most people) cannot be an objective reporter. Journalists are overwhelmingly liberal in their own lives, but still try to keep the media objective. While I also think that the mainstream media has sunk to the level of simple-minded entertainment, there IS some objective, reasonable media out there, mostly foreign, ironically! In any case, Rather made a mistake, but I don't think his reporting over the years has been a result of his own political views, and I think that was a misleading assertion. Haven't talked to you lately--hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
Did I miss something? Where did you get the self-professed liberal thing? Rather did what a good journalist is supposed to do, ask tough questions. For the most part the media put kid gloves on when dealing with Reagan and Bush. They rarely quoted them verbatim because they both said such stupid things.
As someone who doesn't watch television, I'd urge anybody who wants to know what's going on in the world to shut their TVs off.
dave
Thanks for the comment, ibs. I provided a link to my source in the post itself regarding "where" I got the "self-professed liberal" statement. Feel free to look it up.
As for you not watching TV, I think that's great. But if you don't watch TV, how do you know Rather was just doing what a good reporter does? Is that what other people say?
I agree the media can sometimes, without explanation, go soft on presidents, like they also did with Clinton whenever the impeachment proceedings got most heated.
Personally, I recommend people listen to neither AM conservative radio not liberal Air America if they want the most BS-free news and information.
Thanks again for posting. Take care and have a good day.
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