Rather Praises Mapes, CBS News: "Kingdom of Journalistic Knights"

Media Research Center Cyber Alert # 1,978 ^ | 5-23-2005 | Brent H. Baker

[Matchett-PI]

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996 10:25am EDT, Monday May 23, 2005 (Vol. Ten; No. 91)

Interviewed by Tina Brown in a session aired Sunday night on CNBC, Dan Rather praised Mary Mapes, the producer of the 60 Minutes story based on forged memos, as "a very good pro," and insisted that "she's the kind of professional that the audience should want in television."

Asked by Brown if "after the flap over the National Guard story, do you feel inhibited?", Rather contended he's never "inhibited when it comes to news and trying to do fair-minded, accurate reporting on important stories."

Then Brown wanted to know: "What are the realistic chances that you're going to be able to do a story that really shakes and rattles the Bush administration?"

Rather maintained they are "excellent" since "CBS News has a culture, has a history that those of us who work here, it's very real -- that we see it as a sort of magical mystical kingdom of journalistic knights."

Rather appeared Sunday night in a taped interview on CNBC's Topic [A] with Tina Brown, a show that has been cancelled by the network.

Brown spent most of her time with Rather commiserating with him about how, the wake of the cancellation of 60 Minutes Wednesday, news can survive on broadcast network television when it must produce good ratings and proper demographics.

Brown treated Rather as a victim, rather than a perpetrator of a journalistic fraud, and worried not about fixing CBS News but whether CBS and Rather may be "inhibited" now from taking on the Bush administration.

In these two exchanges Rather praised May Mapes and showed he's still capable of delivering one of his trademark Ratherisms in gushing about the glories of CBS News:

Brown: "Now, when you got the Peabody Award, you were up there on stage with Mary Mapes, the producer who produced both the Abu Ghraib segment and, of course, the National Guard segment, which in a sense, you know, obviously wounded your career so tremendously. How was it for you to be up there with Mary Mapes receiving that award also knowing that in a way much of what she contributed to ended your time there very sadly?"

Rather: "Well, without addressing the core premise of the question, Mary deserved to be there, the Abu Ghraib story was an important story, Mary was key in developing the story. All of us worked hard on it, but Mary was key. And she deserved to be on the stage. Mary's a very good pro. She's the kind of professional that the audience should want in television. And having said that, that's the way I felt. And I was glad she was there."

Brown: "What is the chance that management in sense will allow you now to go off and do major investigative story that takes on the administration? I mean, after the flap over the National Guard story, do you feel inhibited?"

Rather: "No, no. being inhibited when it comes to news and trying to do fair-minded, accurate reporting on important stories, being inhibited about that is not in my nature. And widely believed it may not be, but true it is, that I don't feel any pressure not do such stories."

Brown: "Let's be realistic though. If you're going back now to work, I gather, on 60 Minutes 1, you're going back to re-join that show, what are the realistic chances that you're going to be able to do a story that really shakes and rattles the Bush administration?"

Rather: "Excellent. The Bush administration, the Democratic leadership or any future Democratic Presidents. CBS News has a culture, has a history that those of us who work here, it's very real -- that we see it as a sort of magical mystical kingdom of journalistic knights -- and I know I can mentally hear people rolling their eyes, that's the way we feel."

Quite telepathic.

[Matchett-PI]

"I still maintain my rhetorical question, "If a TV show is broadcast, and no one watches, then was it really ever on the air?"

I love it.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Rather is quite insane.

[You Dirty Rats]

we see it as a sort of magical mystical kingdom of journalistic knights.

"It's only a flesh wound!!"

[Matchett-PI]

"If Midas had the golden touch, what kind of touch does Rather have? Lost his job, lost his night job and appeared on a cancelled show."

But, but, but - he's a "victim" of the VRWC like Hillary - remember???? LOL

[Matchett-PI]

LOL

[colonialhk]

Remember the film Spaceballs?

[MinuteGal]

Ah, yes......the Journalistic Knights of the Scumalot Round Table......Dan Rather being Sir Mordred......'cause that's the feeling I get whenever I know he's going to be on a TV show.

And I'm joust not kidding.

Leni

[Matchett-PI]

"...magical mystical kingdom of journalistic knights"?!? Gez, what a dink!"

Bears repeating.

[kempo]

This guy wouldn't make a good scab on Brent Hume's ass.

[kempo]

This guy wouldn't make a good scab on Brent Hume's ass.

[Matchett-PI]

"Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole

I looked in the dictionary and saw Rather's picture there. He's got one up on Adam Clymer. Big time! LOL

[Minnesocold]

Sing along with the minstrel!

Brave Sir Rather

Bravely bold Sir Rather rode forth from CBS
He was not afraid to die, O brave Sir Rather
He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Rather!

He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp
Or to have his eyes gouged out and his newsdesk broken
To have his kneecaps split and his career burned away
And all his limbs hacked and mangled, brave Sir Rather!

His head smashed in and his heart cut out
And his liver removed and his bowels unplugged
And his nostrils raped and his bottom burnt off
And his contract--
(Rather interrupts): That's... that's... er... enough music for now lads. Looks like there's dirty work afoot.

[Matchett-PI]

I love it! LOL

[the anti-liberal]

Mary Mapes is "the kind of professional that the audience should want in television."

Twilight Zone, Mystistical land of Oz, Cookoo cookoo

This fella has got some serious issues.

[Valin]

Adam who? :-)

[gopwinsin04]

The White Knight that keeps getting his limbs cut off in Monty Python perhaps...

[the anti-liberal]

of the danmed

Dan-med, very good typo... or was it a typo? ;^)

[JohnnyP]

Brent Bozell, Britt Hume

[Valin]

I plead the 5th. :-)

[Doctor Raoul]

Dan got canned and now he's interviewed on a show that's on it's way out.

Hello Dan, reality knocking...