Dan Rather's Press Release

Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 12:52 PM Subject: Statement from Dan Rather, June 20, 2006

I leave CBS News with tremendous memories. But I leave now most of all with the desire to once again do regular, meaningful reporting. My departure before the term of my contract represents CBS's final acknowledgement, after a protracted struggle, that they had not lived up to their obligation to allow me to do substantive work there. As for their offers of a future with only an office but no assignments, it just isn't in me to sit around doing nothing. So I will do the work I love elsewhere, and I look forward to sharing details about that soon.

As I go about deciding where and with whom that can best be done, I want to say how grateful I am to have worked with so many outstanding CBS men and women over the years. From producers, to correspondents, to technical crews, it has been my great fortune to have had some of the best pros in journalism at my back and at my side. They are the true heart of CBS News, and they will always have my respect.

Too much is made of anchors and their personalities, their ups and downs. The larger issues—the role of a free press and of honest, real news in a democracy, the role of technology in supporting a free press, the "corporatization" of news and its effects on news content—all deserve more attention, more discussion and more passionate debate.

The larger issues—the role of a free press and of honest, real news in a democracy, the role of technology in supporting a free press, the "corporatization" of news and its effects on news content—all deserve more attention, more discussion and more passionate debate.

. . . but if anyone reports real news - news that the powers-that-be find inconvenient - in this republic, you are the first one to want to shoot the messenger. Well, FreeRepublic.com is still here - and you are on the street.

Generally, a letter of resignation neither admits of nor solicits a rebuttal. But in this case ...

I leave CBS News with tremendous memories.

And bitterness ...

But I leave now most of all with the desire to once again do regular, meaningful reporting.

"Once again" indicates that you ever DID do "regular, meaningful reporting." Maybe you did, but that must have been before my time. All I ever saw you do was assassination pieces on conservatives.

My departure before the term of my contract represents CBS's final acknowledgement, after a protracted struggle, that they had not lived up to their obligation to allow me to do substantive work there.

Once again, "substantive" is not within CBS's domain to offer. You couldn't do substantive reporting if you were an eyewitness to the Second Coming.

As for their offers of a future with only an office but no assignments, it just isn't in me to sit around doing nothing.

... not when I still have so much hate and propaganda to share.

So I will do the work I love elsewhere,

The Enquirer's hiring ...

and I look forward to sharing details about that soon.

Oh, DO tell! I'm all a-twitter!

The larger issues—the role of a free press and of honest, real news in a democracy,

... are issues I have no concept of, so I will avoid them religiously and concentrate on doing what I do best: spreading lies.

I'll see you soon.

God willing, that will not come to pass.

The sun has set on you, old-timer. Go hang out at the local gullet wash and swap stories with the other barflies about how important you used to be. The world is better shed of ye.

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