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Rather: Government Influencing Newsrooms
SFGate.com ^ | Thursday, September 20, 2007 | SAMANTHA GROSS

Posted on 09/21/2007 9:35:06 AM PDT by Abathar

Dan Rather said Thursday that the undue influence of the government and large corporations over newsrooms spurred his decision to file a $70 million lawsuit against CBS and its former parent company.

"Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live."

In the suit, filed a day earlier in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Rather claimed CBS and Viacom Inc. used him as a "scapegoat" and intentionally botched the aftermath of a discredited story about President Bush's military service to curry favor with the White House. He was removed from his "CBS Evening News" post in March 2005.

"They sacrificed support for independent journalism for corporate financial gain, and in so doing, I think they undermined a lot at CBS News," he told King.

Rather didn't mention other instances in which he believed news organizations bowed to corporate and government pressure.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gotcaughtinalie; howtostealanelection; pondscum; rather; zogbyism
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I think Rather has it completely wrong here as usual. If anything the newsrooms are doing everything they can to influence the government. Geez, how did he last as long as he did???
1 posted on 09/21/2007 9:35:07 AM PDT by Abathar
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To: Abathar

He’s really losing it. Dan Rather, for the longest time, claimed that the news dept at CBS was autonomous, left to it’s own devices.

Now he’s claiming interference...I’m telling you, he’s suffering from sort of mental breakdown.


2 posted on 09/21/2007 9:37:43 AM PDT by Slapshot68
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To: Abathar
Dan Rather said Thursday that the undue influence of the government and large corporations over newsrooms...

He's probably talking about how CNN covered up Saddam's atrocities so they could stay on his good side.

3 posted on 09/21/2007 9:38:54 AM PDT by BigBobber
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To: Slapshot68

Yes. he is.


4 posted on 09/21/2007 9:39:10 AM PDT by Badeye (You know its a kook site when they ban the word 'kook')
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To: Abathar

Yup Dan, you’re right. The Cuban Gov’t, the N. Korean Gov’t, the Chinese Gov’t, and the Venezuelan Gov’t, the Iranian Gov’t and the Syrian Gov’t. Let’s not forget members of the DNC, they’re in the Gov’t too.


5 posted on 09/21/2007 9:39:35 AM PDT by rbosque ("To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." - Teddy Roosevelt)
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To: Slapshot68

Hmmm, a bogus lawsuit so the C BS and the Rather can misrepresent the evidence and slam Bush again?


6 posted on 09/21/2007 9:41:02 AM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: rbosque

This just in. Rather has insisted that all newscasters wear tin foil in order to “foil” those insipid government “anti-brain” waves. Of course, since Rather never had a brain, he didn’t need the hat.


7 posted on 09/21/2007 9:41:07 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Abathar

Dan Rather, later - “Government is in bed with news like a adulterer sleeping with his best friend’s wife.”


8 posted on 09/21/2007 9:41:22 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt presidential candidate to ever run for office)
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To: Abathar

I’m more worried about newsrooms unethically influencing government by colluding with the DNC on many news stories.


9 posted on 09/21/2007 9:41:32 AM PDT by weegee (NO THIRD TERM. America does not need another unconstitutional Clinton co-presidency.)
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: rbosque

I saw the interview with Larry King. Was anyone else annoyed by the clacking of Dan’s dentures as he spoke?


11 posted on 09/21/2007 9:41:37 AM PDT by MisterI
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To: Pikachu_Dad

“Hmmm, a bogus lawsuit so the C BS and the Rather can misrepresent the evidence and slam Bush again?”

That’s really what this all boils down to...the fact that Rather lost his job over something Bush related.

It must be killing him.


12 posted on 09/21/2007 9:42:18 AM PDT by Slapshot68
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To: Abathar

What’s the frequency, Daniel?


13 posted on 09/21/2007 9:42:26 AM PDT by marvlus
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To: Da Coyote

How true!


14 posted on 09/21/2007 9:44:22 AM PDT by rbosque ("To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." - Teddy Roosevelt)
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To: Abathar

There was undue influence by government over newsrooms—during the clinton era.

Clinton not only faxed them talking points every day, he pressured management to fire at least 5 reporters for writing negative stories about them.

Has anyone seen any signs of like behavior under Bush? I don’t think so.


15 posted on 09/21/2007 9:44:39 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Slapshot68
I’m telling you, he’s suffering from sort of mental breakdown.

Rather. Streisand. O'Donnell. Olberman. Ed Schultz. Bill Mahr. The crowd is getting bigger every day.

16 posted on 09/21/2007 9:45:08 AM PDT by Loud Mime (Life was better when cigarette companies could advertise and lawyers could not)
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To: MisterI

That guy’s such a joke. Every time I see him I just start laughing.


17 posted on 09/21/2007 9:45:26 AM PDT by rbosque ("To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." - Teddy Roosevelt)
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To: Abathar
Courage,Dan....courage!
18 posted on 09/21/2007 9:45:35 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (If martyrdom is so cool,why does Osama Obama go to such great lengths to avoid it?)
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To: Abathar

He’s right about governments influencing the MSM. But it’s not ours. It’s his friends at Al Jazeera, and other America hating governments that are doing it. His colleagues depict us as the villians on a daily basis.


19 posted on 09/21/2007 9:46:22 AM PDT by Ron in Acreage (Conservative 1st, republican sometime)
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To: Loud Mime

And yet it is only Cindy Sheehan who “embarassed” the Left with her ranting.


20 posted on 09/21/2007 9:48:01 AM PDT by weegee (NO THIRD TERM. America does not need another unconstitutional Clinton co-presidency.)
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