Posted on 06/14/2007 6:51:22 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
"CBS Evening News" executive producer Rick Kaplan has also come out to slam Dan Rather for his sexist comment that CBS' Katie Couric has "dumbed down" and "tarted up" the news biz with her tenure on CBS' nightly news broadcast. But, a little investigation shows that only two years ago Kaplan praised Rather as the "gold standard" of news anchors at an awards ceremony for Rather's "retirement".
So, which is it, Mr. Kaplan? Is Rather a jerk, or is he the best there is?
Today, Fox News' Roger Friedman reports that Kaplan thinks that Rather should just shut up and fade away...
Now, Kaplan has some advice for Rather.A body slam to Rather, there!
"This is someone who should go through his life quietly," Kaplan told me.
Kaplan cited Rather's ignominious "Memogate" scandal that led to his exit from the network.
"We had to build back from when Dan left," Kaplan said. "What's really upsetting is that the same people are still here doing the news as when Dan left; those are the people he's criticizing. A lot of people at CBS are disappointed that he said that."
But, as I mentioned, this is the same Rick Kaplan who was not long ago praising Rather as the "gold standard" of TV news anchors. And our own Brent Baker was there to cover Kaplan's praise in his October, 2005 CyberAlert report.
Dan Rather's national media colleagues rallied around him, and denigrated his critics, at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards presented by the National Television Academy at a September 19 ceremony which C-SPAN aired Saturday night, where Rather was honored with a lifetime achievement award. ABC's Ted Koppel praised Rather as "a man of honesty and integrity and decency.Wow. We go from Kaplan saying Rather's "the gold standard journalists today have struggled to live up to" in 2005 to Rather should "go through his life quietly" and fade away just two scant years later?
...MSNBC President Rick Kaplan, a former executive at ABC and CNN, asserted that "Dan was meticulously careful to be fair and balanced and accurate" during his career. Kaplan then lashed out: "When did we allow those with questionable agendas to take the lead and convince people of something quite the opposite? It's shameful." Kaplan went so far to declare that Rather's "legacy" is "the gold standard journalists today have struggled to live up to."
That is certainly a head spinning about face, eh?
But, let's face it. We have a lot of reason to be skeptical of Kaplan. There is a LOT of credibility and cash on the line with this Couric business. Who cannot be suspicious of Kaplan's sudden unloading on Rather which will tend to keep this controversy alive, anyway? Kaplan has an awful lot to gain from keeping this story front and center.
If Kaplan can get the feminists in the viewing public to rally to his side, it could improve the female audience for Couric, thereby possibly driving up ratings for her news cast. Further, by keeping this incident in the news, Kaplan spurs the "CBS Evening News" to remain a topic of conversation, staying in the "news" and that could bring more viewers to the show as well.
So, the big question is this: was Kaplan not telling us how he really felt about Rather then, or is he not telling the truth now? Does he really still love and respect Rather, but is cynically using this opportunity to ramp up controversy to better his ratings now, or did he always really not like Rather even then when he was absurdly praising him? Either way, he is making it quite hard to believe a word he says on Rather with such a major conflict in viewpoints.
But, since the MSM is all smoke and mirrors anyway, who can really be surprised?
I report, you delight.
Fool’s gold.
This is hilarious — you are absolutely correct. CBS is in the tank and now a feud has broken out with Rather. I love it and couldn’t happen to a better network.
The media news is run by entertainment people now.
Remember the saying in show business “no publicity is bad publicity.”
That’s what this is about.
Both.
You gotta admit, it's a pretty weak field...
Tart it up a bit. I hear the new hostess is “controversial”. < /s >
“I hear the new hostess is “controversial”.”
Yeah, fodder for the tabloids.
Rather is being nice calling her a tart.
She’s really more like full Hollywood skank.
When somebody has lied, dissembled, lashed out and fumbled the ball repeatedly for years, it is kinda hard to believe what they say today, even if they promise that they are really, really telling the truth this time.
Kinda like when President Bush talks about immigration reform.
VS the old fart 
30 minutes for the program.
Subtract 8 minutes for commercials leaving 22.
Subtract 4 minutes for useless graphics, introducing correspondents and banter leaving 18 minutes.
Subtract half of what's left for non-news human interest stories leaving 9 minutes.
Subtract 8 minutes for old news that was on the web and 24 hour news channels hours ago.
That leaves one minute and it is probably a lie anyway.
TWO THOUGHTS: The comment is NOT sexist. It could be argued that Rather was correct.
It's a quagmire. I believe CBS should set a timetable for withdrawing Katie and redeploy her to commentating for The Amazing Race.
Whether Rather is correct abut Couric or not, he’s the pot calling the kettle black!!!
Yep, my point though is they are all corrupt Left wingers over at CBS.
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