Gannett Editor: Rather, Moyers, Amanpour in Morrow Mold of Greatness

If Davie Rossie's ramblings were simply those of one more angry liberal pundit, they'd hardly merit comment. What makes his utterances noteworthy is that when Rossie isn't churning out his once-a-week column, he is editing the news for the Gannett chain. Rossie is Associate Editor of Gannett's Binghamton paper, the Press & Sun Bulletin.

In today's column, 'Once There Were Giants in Television News', Rossie laments that they aren't making TV newsmen like Edward R. Murrow any more. With what might be condemned as sexism, nay, misogyny, had it been suggested by a conservative critic, Rossie grumps that "it's mostly ex-fashion models and Playboy Playmates pretending to understand the news they read to us on cable TV."

But Rossie does discern a few points of light in the gathering gloom, and they are - ready? - Dan Rather, Bill Moyers and Christiane Amanpour.

Here's how Rossie puts it:

"Dan Rather tried from time to time before he self-destructed on the Bush National Guard story, as did Bill Moyers, another newsman in the Murrow mold, before the Nervous Nellies at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting pushed him offstage. The only 'newsman' keeping the Murrow tradition alive today is a newswoman, Christiane Amanpour."

Remember, Rossie is a guy who, the other five days a week, is deciding what news his readers will see.