Rather bows out tonight, a vet of TV's ups, downs [Free Republic credited]

Seattle Times ^ | March 9, 2005 | by Kay McFadden

[Jim Robinson]

In January, the conservative and widely respected Heritage Foundation held a panel discussion called "Rather is Retiring: Is the Blogosphere the New Media Establishment?"

It was a moment to take stock. Significant trends have swept America in a few short years: the rise of the political right, the proliferation of Internet use and a growing grass-roots challenge to information supplied by the mainstream media.

~snip~

Rather's career embodies the rise and fall of TV news and the culture it has represented for the past four decades — a culture now besieged on every front by political, technological and economic forces unimagined in 1963.

~snip~

The ensuing decade would be a great one for television journalism. News-division heads and young Turks like Rather were unafraid to confront and show to viewers the ugly side of authority. TV was every bit as bold as print — and its impact greater. Yet later, many people came to see this period of media triumph as its undoing. While the news rose in prestige and influence, its popularity among average citizens began to decline in polls. Along the way were sown the seeds of a perceived bias and arrogance.

During this period, Rather thrived. He also became identified with liberal values that some thought affected his judgment and that over the years made him a target for media critics — none more zealous than the new, politically motivated generation of bloggers.

In part thanks to them, Rather will exit his evening newscast under mixed skies. His role in the story known as "Memogate" on the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes" puts an asterisk next to more than 40 years of often stellar coverage, from John F. Kennedy's assassination to Abu Ghraib.

~snip~

[Mamzelle]

re: Along the way were sown the seeds of a perceived bias and arrogance.)))

Not to mention also creating an obnoxious army of "celebrity" jerkheads, daily delivering self-congratulatory lectures to normal Americans.

[Liz]

.....it was FReepers watching TV who sounded the alarm about the Dems meeting in secret to count votes, causing other FReepers to quickly gather to storm that room in Palm Beach and prevent it. That was a key event......

Sure was. The Dems were up to no good and FReepers were there exposing the FLA vote fraud. Yet, we will never know the actual dimensions of GWB's 2000 win b/c of the Democraps practiced sub rosa vote fraud techniques in precincts all over the Nation.