Disgraced former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources to discuss the ongoing Brian Williams saga and did his best to downplay the significance when he asked “in the great scheme of things, how big is it?”
At the beginning of the segment Rather did argue that “its very hard to see how NBC brings” Brian Williams back but made sure to point out that “I hope I’m wrong about this. I said some time ago that I thought his chances were slim to none, and you can make a case that slim just left town with these leaks to the Washington Post and "the New York Times, vicious really in their own way.”
The former CBS anchor continued to blast the media for revealing additional instances of Brian Williams lying about his reporting and accused them of once again being “vicious. I mean, why dump this on him if he’s not able to speak for himself. I think NBC has asked him to be quiet.”
Later on, Rather claimed that while many at NBC want to keep Williams around, it is almost impossible to see such a scenario play out:
When I said his chances now are slim to none, and slim may have left town, if slim is still in town for him, it will be because he has these friends in the very top of the corporation. They would like to keep him. I think they want to keep him. It’s in the end, can they figure out a way to do it and move on from it? And right now, it’s very hard to see how they can do that particularly with these latest leaks.
As the segment wrapped up, Rather said that Williams was going through a “version of Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell” but questioned whether or not the NBC anchor’s history of lies was that significant:
I understand, by the way, Brian, the sort of soap opera aspects of this that makes the story is so attractive and it is a big media story. But in the great scheme of things, how big is it? With the networks generally are losing power with the audience and, therefore, the power of any individual anchor has been reduced in the whole new digital world of BuzzFeed and Vice. Just how important really is this in the overall and for that matter to journalism as a whole? Fair questions.
Brian Stelter made no effort to challenge Rather’s assertion that network news’ declining ratings minimize the significance of Williams’ lies. Instead, the CNN anchor allowed the former CBS News anchor to push his bizarre argument even further:
Well, look, it’s a new world, the digital world. Look at what’s happening today, these reports on the earthquake in Kathmandu are being filed by local journalists who are tweeting the material out of there...And that’s why I say that the power of network news divisions and, therefore, the power of the anchor is considerably, drastically reduced.
This was not the first time Rather has rushed to the defense of Williams in the wake of his ongoing scandal. Earlier this year, the former CBS anchor called Williams “an honest and decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor –and a brave one. I can attest that.”
See relevant transcript below.
CNN’s Reliable Sources
April 26, 2015
BRIAN STELTER: Joining me now to discuss this further, two veteran journalists, Dan Rather, the former CBS Evening News anchor, and Jeff Greenfield, also a CBS veteran, now a columnist for The Daily Beast. Thank you both for being here.
DAN RATHER: Thanks, Brian.
STELTER: Dan, I was interested in your perspective on this because I haven’t heard you talk about the Brian Williams’ case in a couple months. In February when this all erupted out of nowhere, I know you expressed support for him. Where do you stand now on this issue of whether Brian Williams can return to the Nightly News chair?
RATHER: Well, first of all, Brian is a friend of mine and has been for a long while. I have not spoken to him. What I am about to say to you is not based on any conversation with him whatsoever. Look, this is painful for all of Brian’s friends, but objectively, it’s very hard to see how NBC brings him back. I hope I’m wrong about this. I said some time ago that I thought his chances were slim to none, and you can make a case that slim just left town with these leaks to the Washington Post and the New York Times, vicious really in their own way.
STELTER: Vicious.
RATHER: Yes. I think they were vicious. I mean, why dump this on him if he’s not able to speak for himself. I think NBC has asked him to be quiet.
STELTER: Right.
RATHER: But the investigation goes on. It’s very hard to see how the corporations -- corporations, they want to put things behind them, and if they make a decision to bring Brian back, that doesn’t put this problem behind them. I have no idea how this will turn out, but I have to say the turn most recently has not been -- definitely not been in Brian’s favor, and when I said vicious about the release --
STELTER: Yes.
RATHER: I read what they say. They say, listen, our name is not going to be on it but these are really bad things we found out about Brian Williams. I hope the investigation will be fair.
Andy Lack who was brought back for NBC --STELTER: To run the news division, yes.
RATHER: -- is a friend of Brian’s, is a very experienced journalist and a fair person. So I think it will be fair. We need to know what the facts are. Right now, we don’t know what all the facts are. We have had this leak for one side, sort of when Brian is down, they come from behind and give him a whack on the back of the neck. But network television is extremely competitive and it’s not usual to have knights with the long knives, and that’s what’s happening at NBC now.
--
STELTER: Dan, I wanted to ask you about the corporate culture issue here as well, because you mentioned that in your earlier answer and you rather famously left the CBS Evening News in the wake of pressure from CBS, it seemed. I’m curious what we should know about these corporations that own these television networks and these news divisions and how they operate, how they think?RATHER: Well, first of all, our case was completely different case --
STELTER: It was.
RATHER: That can be explained later on. But the way it works at corporations -- corporations do not like controversy. They do not want trouble. We’re talking about the very upper reaches, and anything that causes controversy makes them very nervous. That’s number one. Number two is the emphasis is they want to -- whenever there’s trouble, the first instinct and the second instinct and the third instinct, get it behind this. Let’s get this --
STELTER: To move on, right.
RATHER: Just move on. Whatever the situation is, let’s move on.
STELTER: That’s why the suspension is so complicating, right? Because it’s a six-month suspension. It’s been going almost three months and there’s speculation all over the TV business about what’s going to happen.
RATHER: Well, and they say a decision may be at least two or three weeks away.
STELTER: Yes, that’s what I’m wearing.
RATHER: That for everybody concerned, this is extremely painful and hurtful for everybody, for the corporation, for NBC News, for Brian, for everybody inside. And the longer it goes on, frankly, I think the greater the damage is, and the corporation will take that into account when they’re making their decision about when to do this. At one time, I thought they’d wait until mid-summer to see whether it blows over. Right now, I’m not sure they can wait that long, but sometimes these corporations, they behave in strange and mystic ways. And this may be --
STELTER: Mystic.
RATHER: This may be one of those times. But it will come to this. Brian has real friends or what he thought at least were real friends in the absolute upper reaches of the corporation. That stands him in good stead. When I said his chances now are slim to none, and slim may have left town, if slim is still in town for him, it will be because he has these friends in the very top of the corporation. They would like to keep him. I think they want to keep him. It’s in the end, can they figure out a way to do it and move on from it? And right now, it’s very hard to see how they can do that particularly with these latest leaks.
--
STELTER: Dan, in the 30 seconds we have left, if we can talk to Brian Williams, what do you think he’s been going through? Do you have any sense of the personal feelings he must be going through?RATHER: He’s been going through a version of Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell -- extremely painful, extremely hurtful for him and his family. I understand, by the way, Brian, the sort of soap opera aspects of this that makes the story is so attractive and it is a big media story. But in the great scheme of things, how big is it? With the networks generally are losing power with the audience and, therefore, the power of any individual anchor has been reduced in the whole new digital world of BuzzFeed and Vice. Just how important really is this in the overall and for that matter to journalism as a whole? Fair questions.
STELTER: You’re suggesting that digital ethics, the Internet media ethics, may be mattering just as much as this point as the ethics of a news anchor on television?
RATHER: Either that or more.
STELTER: Either that or more. To hear that from Dan Rather is something really striking.
RATHER: Well, look, it’s a new world, the digital world. Look at what’s happening today, these reports on the earthquake in Kathmandu are being filed by local journalists who are tweeting the material out of there.
STELTER: And most of the best reporting out of Baltimore last night during the violent protest -- unfortunately, some looting that happened -- was from people on Twitter.
RATHER: And that’s why I say that the power of network news divisions and, therefore, the power of the anchor is considerably, drastically reduced.
STELTER: Dan Rather, thanks for being here. Great talking with you.
