Rather Paranoid

By Brent Baker (Bio | Archive)
September 20, 2007 - 12:21 ET

Update/related item appended at bottom of post.

The statements in Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit, filed Wednesday against CBS for terminating him nearly two years after his discredited story on President Bush's National Guard service, reflect a conspiratorial paranoia about how he sees himself as a victim of Bush White House pressure and is unable to accept responsibility for his sloppy and politically-driven story.

The former network star charged that he was made a "scapegoat" for the 2004 story because CBS wished to "pacify the White House." CBS management "coerced" him, Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz on Thursday quoted the lawsuit, "into publicly apologizing and taking personal blame for alleged journalistic errors in the broadcast." Josh Howard, the Executive Producer at the time of the weekday 60 Minutes who was forced to resign, rejected Rather's claim that he was just a passive narrator, telling Kurtz: "He did every interview. He worked the sources over the phone. He was there in the room with the so-called document experts. He argued over every line in the script. It's laughable."

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In Thursday's New York Times, reporter Jacques Steinberg added detail to Rather's claim he was the "scapegoat" because of supposed "right-wing" pressure and to Rather's fresh attack on the integrity of Richard Thornburgh, co-chair with Associated Press chief executive Lou Boccardi, of the panel CBS News appointed that determined Rather's story was critically flawed:

Rather quotes the executive who oversaw his regular segment on CBS Radio as telling Mr. Rather in November 2004 that he was losing that slot, effective immediately, because of "pressure from 'the right wing.'" Mr. Rather also continues to take vehement issue with the appointment by CBS of Richard Thornburgh, an attorney general in the administration of the elder President Bush, as one of the two outside panelists given the job of reviewing how the disputed broadcast had been prepared.

Who knew the "right wing" had such influence with CBS News?

[This is an excerpt from item posted this morning in the MRC's CyberAlert which contains information and quotes fresh to NewsBusters.]

Kurtz elaborated on Rather's apparent retraction of his on-air apology: "Twelve days after the story aired, according to the suit, [Andrew] Heyward, then the news division chief, "instructed" Rather to read an apology on the "Evening News," despite Rather's "own personal feelings that no apology from him was warranted." In those on-air remarks, Rather called the story a "mistake" and added: "I want to say personally and directly, I'm sorry."

....

The MRC's extensive Dan Rather archive section, "The Dan Rather File," has been updated with summaries and videos of Rather's most recent outbursts. The "Dan's Downfall: Forged Documents" sub-section includes video clips headlined:

- Rather "Absolutely" Stands by Bush Story "Truth"

- Mary Mapes: National Guard Report Still "Is a Good Story"

- Rather: Guard Memo Story "Accurate," Never Proven Not So

And see “Rather Lame Denials of Bias” for:

- Rather: "Liberal" Epithet Used to "Intimidate" Him

Update/Related Item (Ken Shepherd | 15:13):

Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs opines that "for Dan Rather to continue insisting they [the Bush National Guard memos] are genuine shows either: 1) a disconnection from reality that borders on the psychotic, or 2) a blatant liar willing to go down in flames rather than admit the truth." For more, click here.

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center

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Passive Narrator

September 20, 2007 - 12:57 ET by allanf

Rather's own ego will never let him admit to being a passive narrator. The pleading is full self serving claims that CBS forced him not to defend himself. Those claims have little merit. His best claim hinges on a letter sent on November 22, 2004 by CBS President Les Moonves to Rather. That was after CBS removed him as anchor of the CBS Evening News on November 9th 2004. (His last broadcast was in March 2005).

In that letter, Moonves stated that the network would engage in good faith contract renewal negotiations starting in November 2005 "along the lines of of our prior discussions of that possibility earlier this year". Rather claims to have had flushed out an agreement in the summer of 2004 which was not reduced to writing. His contract with CBS expired on November 25, 2006. The Memogate scandal occured after those 2004 talks, in September 2004

Rather states that when his agent approached CBS in November of 2005 about a contract extention, the network said it was not interested in extending his contract. Obviously that should not have been a surprise. However, Rather claims breach of implied convenent of good faith against CBS and fraud.

He also claims breach of contract. His contract stated that if he were removed as anchor of the CBS Evening News:

CBS Shall assign Artis as a full-time Correspondent on 60 Minutes II and Artist shall continue to receive first billing.

He claims the contract obliged CBS to give him optimum air time. So he is suing for breach of contract. He said the contract obligated CBS to pay him the balance of his contract if he was not to receive "optimum" air time. By keeping him through the contract, CBS denied him the opportunity to seek better employment.

Of course it does not enter into Mr. Rather's calculus the committed misconduct which hurt CBS and its reputation. For many of us, one minute of airtime for Mr. Rather is too much.

Artist

September 20, 2007 - 14:05 ET by Andante

Interesting that Blather is legally and contractually considered an "Artist". He may be able to use the dictionary defense. (Note the fourth definition below)

from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Artist

art·ist (ärtst)

1. One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.

2. A person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill: You are an artist in the kitchen.

3. One, such as an actor or singer, who works in the performing arts.

4. One who is adept at an activity, especially one involving trickery or deceit: a con artist.

Things don't jibe

September 20, 2007 - 13:27 ET by Fidel Sarcastro

This blurb;
"Twelve days after the story aired, according to the suit, [Andrew] Heyward, then the news division chief, "instructed" Rather to read an apology on the "Evening News," despite Rather's "own personal feelings that no apology from him was warranted."

doesn't exactly jibe with this one (from the above link);

“I don’t back down. I don’t cave when the pressure gets too great from these partisan political ideological forces.”
-- Dan Rather to Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post, September 16, 2004.

So either Dan Rather is a flat-out liar (vis a vis his determination to not cow to political pressure - since his lawsuit essentially says that he folded faster than Superman on laundry day)
OR
he's a weak-willed empty suit.

So which is it, Dan?

The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.
Hannah Arendt

Rather is a Scapegoat

September 20, 2007 - 14:19 ET by Lame Cherry

Of course Rather is a scapegoat in no anchor just waltz's in and puts on the air anything they please. There is an entire connected "division" of Rockefeller ops who instigate stories, informants who are then sent out like Armitage to create the story and then producers and reporters who think they "found the story".

Rather had a story served on a platter to perform a coup on George Bush which he bit hard on. The REAL STORY in this though is who in the Rockefeller cauldron did Rather tick off so much in one of his other stories that it was deemed "time he fell on his sword" to be rid of him.

It is not out of the realm in this that Rather pushing the big operators around that they just might "deal with him" as others have had mishaps. This is not conspiracy but reality in Rather is starting to rattle the bones in the cellar which are attached to stories which would get Clinton in prison to international Watergate scandals on Saddam's bribes. All of this is created in the same people who concocted Plamegate did Forgegate.

Dan should just go do his boob tube cable show and disappear into the dry sands of Texas where it is so dry on information a sponge looks wet.

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

Rather's hump the shark moment

September 20, 2007 - 15:01 ET by mustangsally

Dan Rather is now Arthur Fonzarelli, "the Fonz", on waterskis. He is desperate for some attention to his morbid satellite radio show which is about as fun as a trip to the dentist. If he were Vanessa Hudgens he would have posed for playboy by now ...

book'em dano

September 20, 2007 - 17:06 ET by Catherwood

Here we are able to see who the real Dn Rather is. What we see emerging from this lawsuit is a small, cowardly man who, for the sake of money, will lie and deceive. Like a little kid who will not admit he's wrongs, Dan is now going to pout and whine and hold grudges and stomp his feet, and try to hurt someone to gey what he wants. He can't admit he tried to influence a presidential election with a bogus lie of his own contrivance. What a wimp, what a coward, what a low-life. I guess it's too late for ol' Dan to grow a pair. More sugar!

caught my eye

September 20, 2007 - 17:12 ET by LionKing

Mary Mapes: National Guard Report Still "Is a Good Story"

I would think with the emphasis being that it is a story as in a prevarication.

If conservatives are RIGHT, then liberals must be WRONG.
Thompson/Rice

Trial please!

September 20, 2007 - 19:30 ET by saw the light

I certainly hope this case goes to trial. It would be interesting to hear him, under oath, give the real source of those documents. All his credibility would be gone. Wait a minute...

"There is a tendency for the world to say to America, 'the big problems of the world are yours, you go and sort them out,' and then to worry when America wants to sort them out." - Tony Blair