26 X World Champs said:
What an odd question? Because I point out that Rather is almost always fair and balanced (not always, but usually), and that O'Reilly is almost NEVER fair and balanced I get a label attached to me now?
Can you imagine what would happen if O'Reilly, Hannity, Rush or Coulter were the anchors of CBS Evening News? Do you think that after 24 years they would have more or less biased news reports than Dan Rather?
Yeah. It would not be news. It would be the same shows they have now. Why are you comparing Dan Rather to O'Reilly?
Dan Rather was a newsman. O'Reilly has an entirely different agenda obviously. If you think O'Reilly is trying to be a fair/balanced reporter then you are wrong. He is driven by his need to sell crap on his website and books. Facts alone do not sell. Conflict sells. If O'Reilly was actual news his show would not be named as it is. Rather was supposed to be reporting the facts.
This reminds me of That comedy central guy getting teased on crossfire because he didnt ask "hard questions" of Kerry. THAT IS NOT HIS JOB!
Dan Rather did some good work in the course of his career but he was always obviously biased. No more than most. Too bad that was not his job.
Journalistic history and influence
During the presidency of Richard Nixon, conservative political figures accused Rather of being unfair in his coverage. At a Houston, Texas news conference in 1974, Nixon fielded a question from a ABC reporter, but Rather, still CBS's White House correspondent, jumped in: "Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News. Mr. President..." The room filled with jeers and applause, prompting Nixon to joke "Are you running for something?" Rather replied "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?"
CBS apparently considered firing Rather and its news president met with administration official John Ehrlichman to discuss the situation. According to NBC's Tom Brokaw, the network considered hiring him as its White House correspondent to replace Rather. But CBS' plans to do so were scrapped after word was leaked to the press.
Afghanistan, Reagan and George H.W. Bush During the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Dan Rather was filmed wearing a traditional Mujahadeen headress and garments while reporting from near the front lines. These reports were some of the first by Rather which helped him gain national prominence.
Later on during the 1980s, Rather gained further renown to some for his forceful and skeptical reporting on the Iran-Contra Affair that eventually led to an on-air confrontation he had with then vice-president George H. W. Bush.
This incident was widely believed to have been a notable event in Bush's campaign to win the presidency in the 1988 election. It also marked the beginning of Rather's ratings decline, a slump from which he has never recovered. Bush never forgave him and refused to grant Rather an interview after their initial tangle. His son George W. Bush has apparently followed suit, and has thus far declined to grant Rather an interview during his presidency.
Shortly after the Gulf War began, Dan Rather secured an interview with Saddam Hussein
which, among other things, captured the flavor of Saddam's boldness towards the US. (*)
"There is no powerful and quick strike that a people could deliver, whatever their overall power. The United States depends on the Air Force. The Air Force has never decided a war in the history of wars."
Saddam Hussein in interview with Dan Rather, Aug 29, 1990
The Wall WithinOn June 2, 1988, Dan Rather hosted the CBS News special, The Wall Within. In the special, Dan Rather interviewed six individuals who presented themselves as Vietnam veterans. All six men purported to have witnessed horrible acts in Vietnam. Some said that they killed civilians and others said that they saw friends die. Each man talked about the effects that the war had upon their lives such as becoming mentally depressed, becoming unemployed, using drugs, and becoming homeless. Upon further scrutiny of the claims made by the six men it was discovered that only one of the six men was actually in Vietnam. He claimed to have been a 16 year-old but was actually an equipment repairman. While researching for his book (ISBN 096670360X), B. G. Burkett claims that he easily obtained the service records of all six men which records where each man was stationed during the Vietnam War. Burkett's book relied entirely on "easily obtained" military records from that era, which were often incomplete or conflicting with personal accounts. For example, clandestine missions into Laos and Cambodia were almost never a part of the official record. Since the program's airing in 1988, neither CBS nor Dan Rather have issued a retraction for the content of the CBS News special.
Clinton Some conservatives accused Rather of going easy on stories critical of President Clinton. These critics gained further ammunition when The Washington Post revealed (*) Rather had raised money for the Democratic Party
The older of two major political parties in the United States Democratic Party of Texas. The incident dogged Rather for weeks and he was asked about it repeatedly by fellow journalists.
Asked why he attended it Rather answered that he didn't ask whether it was a fundraiser, but that he should have. "I take full responsibility for it. I'm responsible and I'm accountable." Without being paid, Rather said he had agreed to discuss election coverage at his old friend's Austin City Council member Will Wynn's back yard, but which was to his surprise a fundraiser when he arrived.
Recent years Rather has drawn some criticism for his unabashedly pro-American slant in covering international politics. In a 1999 speech he conceded "I'm an American reporter. Yes, I'm a reporter and I want to be accurate. I want to be fair. But I'm an American. I consider the U.S. government my government. So yes I do--when U.S. pilots in U.S. aircrafts turn off the lights, for me, it's 'we.'" (*) He elaborated on this theme in 2003: "Look, I'm an American. I never tried to kid anybody that I'm some internationalist or something. And when my country is at war, I want my country to win, whatever the definition of win may be. Now, I can't and don't argue that that is coverage without a prejudice. About that I am prejudiced." (Larry King Live, April 14, 2003)
George W. Bush and the Killian memos On Quick Facts about: 60 Minutes
A period of time equal to 1/24th of a day60 Minutes on September 8, 2004, Rather went public with a series of documents concerning
President George W. Bush. The documents in question purported to indicate that Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian declared Bush unfit for flight status for failure to obey an order to submit to a physical examination. The authenticity of these documents was quickly questioned by experts and critics as well as Killian's son and widow. Most document analysts quoted by the media stated that the memos are forgeries. Initially strongly standing by the memos, Rather and CBS later announced that they could not vouch for the authenticity of the documents. CBS stated that using the memos was a "mistake" and Rather apologized for the incident. Their source, former Texas Army National Guard officer named Bill Burkett, initially misled a CBS producer about the source of the documents and now states they came from another source.
See Killian memos for more information.
Retirement from the Evening News Rather is scheduled to retire as the anchorman and Managing Editor of the "CBS Evening News" in March 2005. He will have worked as the anchorman for 24 years, the longest tenure of anyone in television history. He will continue working as a correspondent for "60 Minutes".
Awards Rather is one of the most awarded figures within the journalism community. He has received numerous Emmys, and Peabodys.
Criticisms of Rather As one of the last people from the era of network news primacy, Rather is highly regarded within his profession by many long-serving journalists. However, others who have since come into the field express dislike for Rather's methods, views and delivery. Some argue that Rather is too "traditional" or "old-fashioned".
Conflict along these lines most recently came to light when he refused to run stories about Chandra Levy, a former Congressional intern who went missing for several months before her remains were found in a Washington park about two miles from The White House. Levy disappeared after having an affair with U.S. Rep. Quick Facts about: Gary Condit
Quick Summary not found for this subjectGary Condit who was suspected of playing a part in her disappearance. During most of the search for Levy, Rather refused to run any stories about the case and routinely condemned his colleagues for giving air time to the search for her.
Why are we even arguing about this? Can someone name a reporter that did not show much bias?
I can. He was the most boring newscaster I have ever seen but he did present the facts.His name was Walter Furley.
KZTV Channel 10, is the CBS affiliate for Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend of South Texas.
This station was home to
Walter Furley, Guinness Book of World Records holder for Longest Duration Newscaster. He was at the station for 45 Years.
The station has also had a reputation over the years of being low-budget and a student training station. This is due to the fact that its previous owner, Vann Kennedy was fiscally conservative, and believed in giving those that wanted the opportunity the chance to learn the proper ins and outs of televsion journalism. The station's newscasts were constantly at the bottom of the ratings, with the exception of the noon news, which was anchored by
Walter Furley.
1934: Hires UT student Walter Cronkite at the Austin news bureau--Vann Kennedy
