Dan Rather Laments The Fact That Nearly 50% of Americans Think the Media ‘Make Up Stories’

The Washington Free Beacon ^ | November 7, 2017 5:37 pm | Alex Griswold

[drewh]

Former CBS journalist Dan Rather appeared on NBC "Today" on Tuesday where he lamented on the American people's lack of trust in the media.

"There’s a recent poll that said nearly half of people think the media make up stories," host Savannah Guthrie noted. "The media itself is under fire."

"What do you think the media needs to do better to enhance its own credibility?" she asked.

"We need to do a better job, we need to do our job. Our job is to bear witness, to be honest brokers of information, to be as accurate and fair as we possibly can," Rather said.

"I think most of the public understands that we’re under attack by very powerful people, including the president, for their own partisan, political, and ideological reasons," he concluded.

Rather infamously resigned as the anchor of "CBS Evening News" after going to air with a story only two months before the 2004 election claiming that then-candidate George W. Bush often went AWOL while serving in the Texas National Guard.

After the story aired, conservative bloggers discovered discrepancies indicating the memos it was based on were forged. CBS retracted the story and apologized, but Rather still insists the story was accurate.

[Tenacious 1]

So the media seeks to recognize it’s credibility and reputation by relying on Dan Rather as a source?

Do they not see the irony? They are exactly demonstrating why their credibility is kapoot.

[Sacajaweau]

I’m rather font of Dan.

[LostPassword]

* Dan LITERALLY made up a story
* Most of the media LITERALLY admitted he made up the story
* Most of the media reported the store that they LITERALLY admitted was made up
* Rather doesn't understand why 50% of the country thinks the media makes up stories?
* I can't understand how 50% of the country could think the media DOESN'T make up stories. THEY ADMITTED THEY DO IT.

We aren't talking about some campaign rhetoric Trump used at a rally (fake news). It's not about the meaning of the word "is". The media said "We know Dan's documents are fake. But it's important he went public with them because NOW WE CAN REPORT THEM." And ever since, that has been the bar for media personalities (journalism not longer required and "journalist" no longer accurate) to report a story as true.

He/they try to take a weasel way out. He said "the media make up stories". Their "defense" is that they "accurately report" stories that others tell them. They claim what they report is true (Mr so-and-so said ...) and it doesn't matter if what "Mr so-and-so" said is true. Their "credibility" shouldn't depend on whether what he said is true, but whether or not he said it. And it would be editorializing to question the accuracy so they just report what was said exactly as it was said (unless Mr so-and-so is a conservative)

[loveliberty2]

The mainstream press, as they are called, along with Progressive politicians, may have passed the point described by Thomas Jefferson in the following words:

"Nothing is so mistaken as the supposition, that a person is to extricate himself from a difficulty, by intrigue, by chicanery, by dissimulation, by trimming, by an untruth, by an injustice. This increases the difficulties ten fold; and those who pursue these methods, get themselves so involved at length, that they can turn no way but their infamy becomes more exposed. It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions." - See "Letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785," in Thomas Jefferson: Writings (New York: The Library of America, 1984), pp. 814-815.

". . . he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him." - Jefferson

[cincinnati65]

Dan Rather? Mr. "I've got a Microsoft Word document from 1969 that shows W. influenced his way out of Vietnam"? thinks it's a shame people believe the press makes up stories.

Is he serious?

[Pajamajan]

Boomark

[Robert357]

Dan, personally I am horrified. Polls showed that 70% of the population associated Hillary Clinton with the world liar, so if only 50% of the population thinks the MSM is liars, there is a 20% group that has blinders on as it should be more like 70% or more.

[tillacum]

His Vietnamese houseboy tells the story of Donaldson sleeping most of the day. He’d arise, dress for the evening in fatigues. Just before he’d leave for dinner at the Brinks/Rex he would shove his feet under the shower so it would look like he’d just come in from “the field”. He was a reporter in those days...chuckle.