Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Memo to Dan Rather: Shut Up About Memos
Townhall.com ^ | February 7, 2018 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 02/07/2018 4:26:10 AM PST by Kaslin

Old liberal media liars never fade away. They just rage, rage against the dying of their dinosaur industry's light.

I'm looking at you, Dan Rather.

After years of trashing alternative media, which exposed the veteran CBS News reporter's monumental Memogate fraud in 2004, Rather has joined the ranks of pajama-clad online broadcasters. The 86-year-old grandfather of fake news now uses Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to stoke the left's anti-Trump resistance -- all while clinging bitterly to the vestiges of his defunct "legendary" newsman persona.

Consider Gunga Dan's comments on the House Intelligence Committee's release of the four-page Nunes memo alleging domestic surveillance abuses by politicized FBI brass working with Democratic operatives.

"Most respectable analysts," Rather asserted, "have determined that the contents of the memo are thin."

Who determined that these unnamed analysts are "respectable"? Dan Rather. Why are they "respectable"? Because they confirm Dan Rather's opinions. Why are Dan Rather's opinions more valid than others? Because he's Dan Rather, the veteran teleprompter reader America must trust.

"With the release of the memo," Rather railed, "the goal of the White House and its willing enablers is to make what is really the truth into a forgettable sidebar."

He lambasted "cherry-picking" and taking things "out of context." And, Rather fretted, "what will be the endgame if a big segment of the public confuses what they hope to be true with what turns out to be true?"

This "disgraced former journalist" fraudster's got more gall than a bladder bank.

Document Dr. Dan is the man who fronted the notorious "60 Minutes" propaganda hit piece on George W. Bush based on fake documents about his Texas Air National Guard service in the 1970s and nonexistent sources upon whom Rather's team relied to verify these documents.

(If that self-validating circularity of bogusness sounds eerily similar to what the Nunes memo revealed, you've been paying attention.)

Rather and his CBS team perpetuated journalistic fraud of the highest order. Conservative bloggers and alternative media called out Dan Rather and his con artist producer Mary Mapes for their malpractice. CBS denied this and delayed addressing the hoax. The mainstream media tried to shoot the messenger and discredit critics of CBS/Rather.

The evidence of bias was overwhelming -- forcing CBS to appoint an independent review panel that concluded that the network "failed to follow basic journalistic principles in the preparation and reporting of the piece," was "rigid and blind" in its defense, and demonstrated "myopic zeal" in its manufacturing of the Bush/National Guard fraud. After the report was issued, Mapes and three executives were fired and the editorial practices at CBS were revamped.

The New York Times infamously coined the phrase "fake but accurate" to describe the left's stubborn defense of the four manufactured memos attributed to Texas Army National Guard commander Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. Less remembered are the scathing conclusions of the independent panel who identified these worst defects of Rather's work in 2004:

"1. The failure to obtain clear authentication of any of the Killian documents from any document examiner;

"2. The false statement in the September 8 Segment that an expert had authenticated the Killian documents when all he had done was authenticate one signature from one document used in the Segment;

"3. The failure of 60 Minutes Wednesday management to scrutinize the publicly available, and at times controversial, background of the source of the documents, retired Texas Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Bill Burkett;

"4. The failure to find and interview the individual who was understood at the outset to be Lieutenant Colonel Burkett's source of the Killian documents, and thus to establish the chain of custody;

"5. The failure to establish a basis for the statement in the Segment that the documents "were taken from Colonel Killian's personal files";

"6. The failure to develop adequate corroboration to support the statements in the Killian documents and to carefully compare the Killian documents to official TexANG records, which would have identified, at a minimum, notable inconsistencies in content and format;

"7. The failure to interview a range of former National Guardsmen who served with Lieutenant Colonel Killian and who had different perspectives about the documents;

"8. The misleading impression conveyed in the Segment that Lieutenant Strong had authenticated the content of the documents when he did not have the personal knowledge to do so;

"9. The failure to have a vetting process capable of dealing effectively with the production speed, significance and sensitivity of the Segment; and

"10. The telephone call prior to the Segment's airing by the producer of the Segment to a senior campaign official of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry -- a clear conflict of interest -- that created the appearance of a political bias."

Fourteen years later, after courts laughed his $70 million lawsuit against CBS out of court, the blog-blaming fake news forefather has the audacity to hold forth on truth, trust, accountability.

Sit down, Dan Rather. Be humble.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: danrather; drivebymedia; journalism; memo
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last
Very well said Michelle Malkin
1 posted on 02/07/2018 4:26:10 AM PST by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Rather has some use being a discredited lefty clown who by speaking reinforces that reputation.


2 posted on 02/07/2018 4:29:40 AM PST by Anti-Bubba182
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

3 posted on 02/07/2018 4:30:58 AM PST by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

4 posted on 02/07/2018 4:31:24 AM PST by Fresh Wind (Hillary: Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 2 billion dollars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Need a Hazmat suit for the hypocrisy on this one.

Dan’s world of “respectable analysis”:

NYT
WAPO
CNN


5 posted on 02/07/2018 4:31:47 AM PST by Col Frank Slade
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
"Most respectable analysts," Rather asserted, "have determined that the contents of the memo are thin."

Ha! This just means anyone on the left who has read the memo !

6 posted on 02/07/2018 4:33:56 AM PST by Mopp4
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I miss buckhead. Current events would have him juiced up.


7 posted on 02/07/2018 4:34:33 AM PST by Cletus.D.Yokel (Catastrophic, Anthropogenic Climate Alterations: The acronym explains the science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Classic Malkin...


8 posted on 02/07/2018 4:34:59 AM PST by Doogle (( USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand....never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Rather’s Sins go beyond lying about Bush. In Vietnam, my late Dad was a PIO and had every favorable article and picture rejected, personally by this traitorous bastard. When my Dad accused him of being a communist, he said, “Maybe I am, but America is only going to see this war the way I want them to see it!”

Dan Rather can rot in hell!


9 posted on 02/07/2018 4:36:04 AM PST by Redleg Duke (Build KateÂ’s Wall! Never Forget!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Col Frank Slade

Dan’s world of “respectable analysis”:

NYT
WAPO
CNN

It’s also a geriatric thing. Pat Buchanan Was on with Hannity on the radio last week. He agreed with Hannity but insisted that the truth needed to be in the big newspapers. Totally lost in the 20th Century

10 posted on 02/07/2018 4:47:09 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; Buckhead

Amen to that, K, and may God bless and keep Buckhead.


11 posted on 02/07/2018 4:48:44 AM PST by SirLurkedalot (10/10/51-7/7/16 RIP Dad, I'll be missing you until I cross over to Eternity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis

12 posted on 02/07/2018 4:49:43 AM PST by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Doogle

>> classic Malkin

She calls out Rather for his audacity. That’s not a good thing anymore.


13 posted on 02/07/2018 4:51:02 AM PST by Lisbon1940 (No full-term Governors (at the time of election!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Those Conservative bloggers were right here on Free Republic figuring out the wrong font.


14 posted on 02/07/2018 4:52:02 AM PST by bray (Pray for President Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Rather needs to go out and do an in-depth interview of McCain, then get it published in Huff Po. Then go back to his deck and finish that pitcher of Gin & tonic he started, STFU.


15 posted on 02/07/2018 4:53:43 AM PST by anton
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bray

6 Feb: National Review: The FISA-Gate Boomerangs
by Victor Davis Hanson
Both Watergate and Iran-Contra were multiyear affairs. FISA-gate may last longer, given that the media this time around are not a watchdog, but an enabler, of government misconduct...
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/456134/fisagate-boomerangs-democrats-hillary-obama

time is not on your side, Rather.


16 posted on 02/07/2018 4:54:07 AM PST by MAGAthon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
And remember the The First Rathergate when Dan Rather savaged Vietnam Veterans using stolen valor fake veterans in The Wall Within hoax.


17 posted on 02/07/2018 4:57:21 AM PST by \/\/ayne (I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Dan Rather needs to settle in to his role as a celebrity interviewer, and stay there, since he was busted falsifying evidence to influence an election.

He’s a long time, terrific interviewer. I’ve been watching his new show, “The Big Interview” on AXS TV. His interviews with Carol Burnett, Dolly Parton, and Geddy Lee (of Rush) in particular, are terrific.

But I’ll never trust him for anything having to do with news or current events. Faking evidence while attempting to swing an election is unforgivable. Just ask congress-critter Schiff.

Mark


18 posted on 02/07/2018 4:59:53 AM PST by MarkL (Do I really look like a guy with a plan?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Redleg Duke

I agree 100 percent with you.


19 posted on 02/07/2018 5:00:25 AM PST by Kaslin (Politicians are not born; they are excreted -Civilibus nati sunt; sunt excernitur. (Cicero)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Memo to Dan Rather: Shut Up About Memos

Next memo to Dan Rather: Shut Up; PERIOD!!!


20 posted on 02/07/2018 5:00:43 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson