In January, the conservative and widely respected Heritage Foundation held a panel discussion called "Rather is Retiring: Is the Blogosphere the New Media Establishment?" Posted on 03/09/2005 1:30:41 AM PST by Jim Robinson
Edited on 03/09/2005 1:38:23 AM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
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~
Heheh......that he was.
"What Good Am I?!!"
(To be sung to Bob Dylan's "What Good Am I")
What good am I...if I'm like all the rest?
If I just turn away...when Slick's slaughterin' kids...
If I shut myself off...sit 'n' bitch, moan, and whine...
What...good...am...I?!
Why, tell me why...won't the Press tell the Truth?
'Bout Slick's deal with Beijing...'bout the Dead Slick's thugs shoot?
Should I just drink my beer...forget Slick's TREASON and his LIES?!
Whose...FOOL...am...I?!
What good am I...if I fail to FReep?!
Should I lay down in bed...try to restlessly sleep?
When I've seen Waco pictures...children carelessly FRIED...
What...good...am...I?!
Do I tell my kids...that Dad failed the FRee?!
FOLKS, WE MUST MAKE OUR STAND...LET'S DETHRONE WILLIE!!!
Prosecute all his crimes...let's send Slick to Prison!!
Soon, Slick'll wear chains...then, we'll RE-IMPEACH!!!
What good am I...if I bless foolish things?
If I cower in the face of...Vile Tyranny?!
Shall I just turn my back...while our Liberties die?!
I...would...rather...die!!
Patriotic FReegards...MUD (08/03/2000)
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
Mary Mapes had said...she would get the big story
And the Bush campaign would be dead
She had promised it's in the bag
So I believed in her...we would get him good
But then, that bad detour
That stupid woman is a worthless hag
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
(musical break)
Man, I hate FR...they knew those docs were phony
Buckhead had become their new star
In my head, what's that frequency
I saw my life flash by...I was saying "courage"
But I had to cry
It felt like Tager had re-pummeled me
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
Yea Buckhead !
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
Mary Mapes had said...she would get the big story
And the Bush campaign would be dead
She had promised it's in the bag
So I believed in her...we would get him good
But then, that bad detour
That stupid woman is a worthless hag
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
(musical break)
Man, I hate FR...they knew those docs were phony
Buckhead had become their new star
In my head, what's that frequency
I saw my life flash by...I was saying "courage"
But I had to cry
It felt like Tager had re-pummeled me
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
It's been so nice to read the news
Each night I could spew my liberal views
But then I really messed up bad
I made conservatives really mad
I put in motion a lot of commotion...now I'm through
A belated award for Aloha Ronnie's yeoman duty on behalf of freedom, justice, and upholding the Constitutional rights of the US military.
I read the entire article that JimRob posted parts of--that's where I found it.
.
Bless your Heart, Liz. MAHALO
ALOHA RONNIE
.
The Lamestream media failed to do so and continues to fail IMHO. Now the Lamestream media has thousands of 'fact checkers". It's demise is imminent.
Believe me GW knows this. As president he can't do what you suggest.
Wait a few years after he retires to see how he feels about Free Republic, conservative blogs, the Swift Vets and ? to come on the internet.
Does Dan still have his Bush/Cheney sign up in his yard?
No--but I still have the photo of it!
Maybe we should throw a retirement party for him when he gets back to Austin.
Texas titan signing off (Dan Rather);
good bye and good riddanceTexas titan signing off
24-year run may be ending, but he insists he's still on hunt for 'big game'
11:32 PM CST on Tuesday, March 8, 2005
NEW YORK – No, he's not nearly ready to pack it in at CBS News.
Dan Rather is adamant if not downright defiant on that particular topic. He is, however, packing up, with his long-held office under deconstruction during his final days as anchor of the storied CBS Evening News.
He's only moving across the street and just up the block to 555 W. 57th St., where he'll join the staff of 60 Minutes after taking a month or so off. The distance is short but perilous for an aging, vulnerable news warrior who risks being an army of one.
The 73-year-old Texan's record-setting 24-year reign in "The Chair" will end after tonight's Evening News. And he's going out not on top but under the still-heavy weights of "Memogate" and prolonged lousy Nielsen ratings.
Mr. Rather, known in part for his folksy "Dan-isms" and occasional oddly self-conscious moments, chooses to resolutely look ahead, leaving others to speculate on whether he's wearing blinders.
"It's a good time for me," he said. "I've had a terrific job for 24 years. I'm going to another terrific job. I have nothing to complain about. I can't wait to get to 60 Minutes. Yes, I have friends there. And there are some people who are not friends for one reason or another. They're peers. They know going in that I'll work hard. I'll be unrelenting in pursuit of big game."
Rather detractors, some of them still with CBS, have been throwing a wide variety of punches in recent days. The ratherbiased.com Web site, which blasts him as having a liberal slant, even has a "Rather Retirement Countdown" clock. Others are lauding him for a distinguished career that adds up to far more than one big stumble – namely the discredited 60 Minutes Wednesday report that questioned President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
Mr. Rather said he had an amiable encounter with President Bush at the media luncheon before the State of the Union address. He had just returned from covering the Iraqi elections, learning upon arrival that his longtime friend and fellow Texan, Bob Schieffer, would be interim anchor of the Evening News during a "short transition period" leading to a planned multiple-anchor format.
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"The story claimed President Bush got favorable treatment while in the Texas Air National Guard and rested its case on documents ultimately deemed unverifiable. Bloggers such as freerepublic.com and powerline.com were first to expose the shoddy journalism."
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