tekkmortal
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Wednesday, November 24, 2004
THERE WILL be a temptation, especially among Dan Rather's legion of critics, to attribute his departure to a forged-documents scandal. It does seem likely that Rather's presentation and vigorous sustained defense of the discredited September story about the young George W. Bush's National Guard service -- or lack thereof -- hastened his retirement.
It was a serious mistake, which Rather eventually acknowledged and apologized for. But it also should be weighed in the context of a remarkable career that helped redefine the role of a network news anchor.
Rather, who joined CBS News in 1962 as a reporter covering the Southwest, never lost his passion to go to the story. He covered many of the big events of the 1960s and 1970s -- the Kennedy assassination, civil rights, the Vietnam War, Watergate. His enterprising work as a "60 Minutes" correspondent added to his popularity and paved the way for his promotion to anchor. As with Tom Brokaw, who will be anchoring his final NBC newscast next week, Rather continued with shoe-leather reporting even after reaching the most highly coveted chair in broadcast journalism.
Walter Cronkite was an impossible act to follow, and Rather, to his credit, had a distinctive style of his own when he assumed the anchorship in 1981. He was fond of spinning folksy Texas phrases into his live telecasts, such as on Election Night. He was not afraid to let human emotion enter his eyes or voice during moments of high drama or poignancy.
He also had occasional fits of sheer strangeness. In 1987, he walked off the set to protest the delay of a newscast because of a tennis match. His street encounter with a man allegedly spouting "what's the frequency, Kenneth" was widely mocked and became the title of a song by the rock band R.E.M.
CBS News executives are no doubt feeling a blend of relief and angst as they look for a replacement for when he leaves the anchor chair in March.
Rather always seemed a little close to the edge, whether confronting President Nixon or dressing as a mujahedeen to cover the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
As much as Dan Rather prided himself on being a reporter, he sometimes missed one of the craft's cardinal principles: You are not the story. Too often, he was.
THERE WILL be a temptation, especially among Dan Rather's legion of critics, to attribute his departure to a forged-documents scandal. It does seem likely that Rather's presentation and vigorous sustained defense of the discredited September story about the young George W. Bush's National Guard service -- or lack thereof -- hastened his retirement.
It was a serious mistake, which Rather eventually acknowledged and apologized for. But it also should be weighed in the context of a remarkable career that helped redefine the role of a network news anchor.
Rather, who joined CBS News in 1962 as a reporter covering the Southwest, never lost his passion to go to the story. He covered many of the big events of the 1960s and 1970s -- the Kennedy assassination, civil rights, the Vietnam War, Watergate. His enterprising work as a "60 Minutes" correspondent added to his popularity and paved the way for his promotion to anchor. As with Tom Brokaw, who will be anchoring his final NBC newscast next week, Rather continued with shoe-leather reporting even after reaching the most highly coveted chair in broadcast journalism.
Walter Cronkite was an impossible act to follow, and Rather, to his credit, had a distinctive style of his own when he assumed the anchorship in 1981. He was fond of spinning folksy Texas phrases into his live telecasts, such as on Election Night. He was not afraid to let human emotion enter his eyes or voice during moments of high drama or poignancy.
He also had occasional fits of sheer strangeness. In 1987, he walked off the set to protest the delay of a newscast because of a tennis match. His street encounter with a man allegedly spouting "what's the frequency, Kenneth" was widely mocked and became the title of a song by the rock band R.E.M.
CBS News executives are no doubt feeling a blend of relief and angst as they look for a replacement for when he leaves the anchor chair in March.
Rather always seemed a little close to the edge, whether confronting President Nixon or dressing as a mujahedeen to cover the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
As much as Dan Rather prided himself on being a reporter, he sometimes missed one of the craft's cardinal principles: You are not the story. Too often, he was.
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