Posted on 07/31/2009 5:37:24 AM PDT by cbkaty
Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press Tuesday night in an impassioned speech at the Aspen Institute.
“I personally encourage the president to establish a White House commission on public media,” the legendary newsman said.
Such a commission on media reform, Rather said, ought to make recommendations on saving journalism jobs and creating new business models to keep news organizations alive.
At stake, he argued, is the very survival of American democracy.
“A truly free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom,” Rather said in an interview yesterday afternoon. “This is not something just for journalists to be concerned about, and the loss of jobs and the loss of newspapers, and the diminution of the American press’ traditional role of being the watchdog on power. This is something every citizen should be concerned about.”
Rather, who has been a working reporter for more than six decades and currently hosts “Dan Rather Reports” on HDNet, pointed out that there are precedents for such national commissions, which have been used to help other at-risk industries.
Corporate and political influence on newsrooms, along with the conflation of news and entertainment, has created what Rather called “the dumbing down and sleazing up of what we see on the news.”
It has also thinned the amount of investigative and international journalism. The latter loss of correspondents covering America’s two foreign wars, Rather opined, is both a critical detriment to the nation and a disservice to our troops.
Tears welled in the lifelong reporter’s eyes as he discussed the dwindling number of war correspondents.
“I feel particularly strong about coverage of the wars,” he said, noting that covering the war in Afghanistan is his top priority on his HDNet program. “No apologies, both as a journalist and as a citizen I just can’t stand to leave those guys out there, fighting, dying, bleeding, getting torn up and say, ‘Look, it’s page 14 news.’ Or ‘Sorry, not on tonight’s newscast.’ It’s an example of the problem, that and not having the watchdogs.”
The free press, as established by the First Amendment to the Constitution, ought to operate as a public trust, not solely as a money-making endeavor, Rather argued, and it’s time the government make an effort to ensure the survival of the free press. If not the government, he suggested, then an organization like the Carnegie Foundation should take it on. Without action, he predicted, America will lose its independent media.
“If we do nothing more than stand back and hope that innovation alone will solve this crisis,” he said, “then our best-trained journalists will lose their jobs.”
andrew@aspendailynews.com
---------Do nothing-----------
A truly free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom
If they actually practiced this and added "truth" there would be no need to save them....
Rather the NEWS CZAR . . .
The "new media" has no integrity, and is not even a remnant
of the old. As you now show, it must BEG instead of reporting.
COURAGE.
“...the American press’ traditional role of being the watchdog on power.”
Danny boy, don’t you mean, “being the lapdogs for power?”
I guess that’s fake but accurate.
If Dan wants war reportage he can go to Michael Yon’s website. Which reminds me, I’m past due to make a contribution to him.
And you started the deterioration of your profession while you were reporting on the war out of your room in the Hotel Carravel in Siagon! You were a communist whore then and you have gone downhill since!
This is the guy who had the "fake but true" papers re President Bush's service in the Air Force. This is the guy who slanted the news to the left for decades. This is the guy who was one of the most arrogant, egotistical "news reporters" to ever come on the scene.
He also used to be my neighbor. Thank God and Greyhound he left town so I don't have to run into him anymore!
It always grieves me to realize that he was born and bred in Texas.....but I guess one slips through every once in a while.
BINGO!!!
But this is funny even if it is scary.
This from the idiot who has done more than any other one man to wreck the news media.
Hey Danno, it was the real independent media that PROVED you were a lying sack of $hit!
The last unbiased report he gave was during hurricane Carla.....of course the theatrics impressed the rest of the nation, not those of us living on the Texas gulf coast.....
Had he only recived the on-camera Geraldo Dunk...I can dream....
Dan Rather - “The Most Busted Man In America”
copyright 2009 DManA all rights reserved.
He's not talking about our soldiers here. The pissass piece of garbage is talking about his fellow self-absorbed 'journalist' brethren.
Dan means “truth” as in Pravda, don’t you know, and all he seeks is the same support Pravda had in the days of the evil empire, and for the same reasons.
Courage, Dan'l, courage.
First you've got to extract the presses collective noses from the hind end of the Prexy.
A government press differs little from Pravda and Tass of the old USSR.
When the media are more than stenographers for Gibbs and Zerobama, then we'll talk red beating hearts of democracy.
Not until.
Well said. How ironic, that Dan, the epitome of what is wrong with today’s media, should move forward as a spokesman. I’m incredulous. But audacity is what this administraion and its’ minions are all about, isn’t it?
Dan RaTHer of fake document claim. He must think that the State Run Media is truthful.
The public lost trust in the media long before your fake National Guard document story. What a moron.
Time to go dixie chick on old Dan. I'm ashamed dan raTHer is from Texas.
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