2008 Woodie Awards
A reputation worth $70 million
Our View
Daily Vidette Editorial Board
Issue date: 9/21/07 Section: Viewpoint
Thanks to a recent lawsuit, Dan Rather's tainted reputation is back in the headlines.
The former CBS Evening News Anchor has filed a 70 million dollar lawsuit against CBS. He claims that the network made him a scapegoat after he reported a discredited story about George W. Bush's National Guard service back in 2004.
The story, which claimed that President Bush did not fully complete his National Guard duty, put a dark cloud over Rather's last few months on CBS.
Now, three years later, Rather has refreshed people's memories of what happened.
Rather and others working on the story simply wanted to be the first to run this breaking story and they didn't do their proper homework. It is just an example of what happens when the media tries to play "fast and loose."
According to spokesman Dana McClintock, CBS views the complaints as "old news," and the entire lawsuit as "without merit."
This lawsuit only tarnishes Rather's reputation more. It makes a highly respected news anchor (for the majority of his career) seem bitter and angry about losing his accreditation.
So the question is, why is Rather doing this now? Why didn't this lawsuit pop up shortly after the event?
Rather seems to be just another person in a long line of citizens using ridiculous lawsuits to bring some money their way. This claim would give Rather a large amount of cash to help ease his ailing emotional pain.
It is hard to give him much sympathy.
Does Rather believe that the price tag on his reputation is $70 million? It would appear so. It was his life. His entire career was based around people trusting him.
Any journalist should expect consequences when things like this happen, however. It does seem irresponsible to broadcast a story without completely checking the sources.
Here at the Vidette, we can expect to face the consequences if a story of this size is proved false. Those responsible for embarrassing the entire newspaper would have to understand the consequences. CBS was embarrassed in this situation, and many involved lost their jobs. Rather was lucky enough to not be one of these people let go.
The ordeal had left the minds of most of the public, but these new developments have put his name right back into the news. It just seems to be another black mark on his career.
If Rather is looking for money, there are plenty of other ways to find it. Public speaking would be a good example. He still is Dan Rather and people would still pay money for him to speak at their conventions or gatherings.
He has chosen a different road, though, and now must face the criticism he is receiving.?
The former CBS Evening News Anchor has filed a 70 million dollar lawsuit against CBS. He claims that the network made him a scapegoat after he reported a discredited story about George W. Bush's National Guard service back in 2004.
The story, which claimed that President Bush did not fully complete his National Guard duty, put a dark cloud over Rather's last few months on CBS.
Now, three years later, Rather has refreshed people's memories of what happened.
Rather and others working on the story simply wanted to be the first to run this breaking story and they didn't do their proper homework. It is just an example of what happens when the media tries to play "fast and loose."
According to spokesman Dana McClintock, CBS views the complaints as "old news," and the entire lawsuit as "without merit."
This lawsuit only tarnishes Rather's reputation more. It makes a highly respected news anchor (for the majority of his career) seem bitter and angry about losing his accreditation.
So the question is, why is Rather doing this now? Why didn't this lawsuit pop up shortly after the event?
Rather seems to be just another person in a long line of citizens using ridiculous lawsuits to bring some money their way. This claim would give Rather a large amount of cash to help ease his ailing emotional pain.
It is hard to give him much sympathy.
Does Rather believe that the price tag on his reputation is $70 million? It would appear so. It was his life. His entire career was based around people trusting him.
Any journalist should expect consequences when things like this happen, however. It does seem irresponsible to broadcast a story without completely checking the sources.
Here at the Vidette, we can expect to face the consequences if a story of this size is proved false. Those responsible for embarrassing the entire newspaper would have to understand the consequences. CBS was embarrassed in this situation, and many involved lost their jobs. Rather was lucky enough to not be one of these people let go.
The ordeal had left the minds of most of the public, but these new developments have put his name right back into the news. It just seems to be another black mark on his career.
If Rather is looking for money, there are plenty of other ways to find it. Public speaking would be a good example. He still is Dan Rather and people would still pay money for him to speak at their conventions or gatherings.
He has chosen a different road, though, and now must face the criticism he is receiving.?
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