Dan Rather

Journalist history and influence

Nixon

During the presidency of Richard Nixon critics accused Rather of being unfair in his coverage. At a Houston, Texas news conference in 1974, Nixon fielded a question from Rather, still CBS's White House correspondent: "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?"

Related Topics:
Richard Nixon - Houston, Texas - 1974

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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.

Related Topics:
John Ehrlichman - Tom Brokaw

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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.

Related Topics:
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan - Mujahadeen

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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.

Related Topics:
Iran-Contra Affair - George H. W. Bush

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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.

Related Topics:
1988 election - George W. Bush

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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. http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/pgwar/pergul1.htm

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:::"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."

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:::::Saddam Hussein in interview with Dan Rather, Aug 29, 1990

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However, Hussein underestimated the potential of air power. Persistent bombardment by coalition air power proved instrumental in breaking Iraqi resolve prior to engagement of coalition land forces.

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The Wall Within

On 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, each purporting 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.

Related Topics:
June 2 - 1988 - CBS News - Vietnam - Veterans - Vietnam

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While researching for the book ', authors B. G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley claimed they easily obtained the service records of all six men, that documented where each was stationed during the Vietnam War. According to the records, only one of the six men was actually in Vietnam; he had claimed to have been a 16 year-old Navy SEAL but records had show was only an equipment repairman. Neither CBS nor Dan Rather have retracted any of the claims made in the program.

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The Killian documents

On 60 Minutes (Wednesday edition) on September 8, 2004, Rather went public with a series of documents concerning President George W. Bush's Air National Guard service record, which 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 called into question 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. For nearly two weeks, Rather and his team strongly stood 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. The surrounding controversy has been dubbed by some as "Memogate" and "Rathergate". Several CBS employees, including producer Mary Mapes, were asked to resign by CBS management because of the scandal. It is unclear whether or not Rather's retirement was directly caused by this incident.

Related Topics:
60 Minutes - September 8 - 2004 - A series of documents - President - George W. Bush - Air National Guard - Jerry B. Killian - Bill Burkett - Mary Mapes

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Retirement from the Evening News

Rather retired as the anchorman and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News in 2005. His last broadcast was Wednesday, March 9, 2005. He worked as the anchorman for 24 full years, the longest tenure of anyone in American television history—only Lloyd Robertson of Canada and Brian Henderson of Australia have served longer. He will continue working as a correspondent for "60 Minutes." Bob Schieffer, a fellow Texan and host of Face the Nation took over Rather's position on a interim basis.

Related Topics:
Wednesday - March 9 - Lloyd Robertson - Brian Henderson - Bob Schieffer - Face the Nation

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