Dan Rather’s Blunder: The Day Old Media Died?

WashingtonDispatch ^ | September 13, 2004 | CK Rairden

[NewMediaFan]

--snip-- Armed with these memos and a partisan Kerry hack named Ben Barnes, Rather carefully laid out his case. After an interview with Barnes on the program, Rather emerged with “newly uncovered” memos that he believed would damage the president’s chances at re-election. One said that a Guard official was "pushing to sugar coat" Bush's training evaluation. It was cleverly titled “CYA.” So clever--it almost seemed unbelievable. To some folks, it was.

For a few hours, Rather must have been on top of the old media world. It seemed as if this had been handled so clean, and now his old media cohorts would dispatch reporters to demand answers from the president about his Texas National Guard service for the umpteenth time. They would turn this Viet Nam table upside down on the president and hammer him, freeing up their candidate John F. Kerry. But a funny thing happened on the way to the old media lynching of George W. Bush.

The new media stepped in...

They quickly made Dan Rather and old media’s fading credibility the issue. Ben Barnes’ daughter made phone calls early the next day to talk radio stations to politely call her dad a partisan hack and a liar. She was very reluctant to criticize her father but came off as humble and credible while he came off as nothing more than a Kerry operative. Ben Barnes credibility was damaged beyond repair. But it shouldn’t have mattered as Dan Rather still had those “blockbuster memos” that would damage President Bush’s re-election hopes.

According to the LA Times, that began unraveling about 19 minutes after the program ended...

[sarasotarepublican]

Don't be fooled. The old media is not dead yet.

[mek1959]

While not dead yet, the MSM are certainly on notice that their baloney they try to sell so often will not remain unchallenged as it had in the past.

Hooray for the internet!

[GailA]

A new find: (quit calling the Selectric Composer a typewriter...it is a type setter machine.macpro

The IBM composer could only set type up to 12 or 14 points. Anything else larger required you to use press on lettering or a headlining machine.

[50 Cal]

Nope, far from dead but they are wiggling nicly! Personally I am really enjoying watching the DNC shrills in the MSM as they grow more and more frustrated knowing their trial lawyer gods are going down the tubes.

[ColoCdn]

That's true.

It's just resting. Pining for the fjords.

[1Old Pro]

It may be true that some freepers and assorted bloggers wear pajamas while posting. I'll bet some post nude.

It's better than what DAN RATHER WEARS.....A CLOWN SUIT.

[syriacus]

They quickly made Dan Rather and old media’s fading credibility the issue.

Would you believe a
second-hand memo
from this man?

[On the Road to Serfdom]

I don't know if this has been pointed out by anyone but if the memo was real, then the context of him writing a memo to himself, wouldn't it say CMA (Cover my A..) ra^ther than CYA (Cover your A..)?

[willie1]

I think Dan Rather just took them off the respirator.

[military cop]

"Done" Rather, Reporting for See B.S.......


Bu-Bye.


RLTW

[ShugahPop]

CONSUMER ALERT: Know of a scam that needs investigating? Tell us about it! Email us at scams@cbsnews.com PHONE: (212) 975-3247

TRANSCRIPTS: 1-800-777-TEXT


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/08/01/eveningnews/main15218.shtml

(you cant make this stuff up) hahahahahahaha

[vrwinger]

Ironically, by posting the forgeries to their web site, CBS enabled the scrutiny of Freepers to identify the 80 or so signs the document were false... Old Media, thinking that they can neutralize the New Media by maintaining their own web site, provided the ammunition for their undoing. Are those memos even still posted at CBS.com??

[leftcoaster]

** One said that a Guard official was "pushing to sugar coat" Bush's training evaluation. It was cleverly titled “CYA.” So clever--it almost seemed unbelievable. To some folks, it was. **

One question about this "CYA" term that occured to me over the weekend: It is in the second person, while Killian was writing to himself, the first person. Since Killian was supposed to have been writing this memo to himself, shouldn't it have been titled CMA.?

Folks often advise others to "Cover YOUR A(rearend)." And the individual would say that his intent was to "Cover MY A(rearend). "

[50 Cal]

Reminds me of the line the Dims used in 1976...

Would you buy a used Ford from Nixon!

Boy Mr. Blather is looking a lot like those old folks you see muttering to themselves outside the liquor stores!

[Mr. K]

Here is contact info for some of the companies that sponsor CBS
Have at 'em
viagra
taco bell
campbells soup
L L Bean
Ambien
Iams

[leftcoaster]

Great minds think alike, but your's is about 2 minutes faster than mine!

[dandi]

"a group of people who are very creative, seem to never sleep and run on a 5-minute news cycle."

Sounds like FReepers to me. ;)

[Sola Veritas]

Thanks for posting that address. I just sent the following email to it:

Subj: Major Scam

Dear Sirs:

After looking at many reliable sources, I have concluded that Dan Rather of CBS news as perpetrated a scam on the American public. He used obviously forged documents to denigrate the president of the United States TXAFNG service. This is a terrible scam that I think you should investigate immediately.

Thank You,

Xxxx X. XXXXX
Midwest City, OK

[jriemer]

Don't be fooled. The old media is not dead yet.

Neither is communism, it too had been declared "dead"; however, it still lives after morphing into something a bit more appealing to the Western world.