Posted on 01/04/2017 11:51:57 AM PST by Kaslin
Disgraced CBS anchorman Dan Rather keeps pretending he is an expert on The Truth, expecting no one to remember his eternal refusal to admit he used transparently false information to try and smear George W. Bush weeks before the 2004 election. Rather offered another lecture on “truth” and “lies” on his Facebook page on Monday after Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker appeared on Sunday's Meet the Press.
Chuck Todd asked Baker if journalists should call out Donald Trump as a liar, and Baker replied “I’d be careful about using the word, ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead.” This sent Rather on a bender:
A lie, is a lie, is a lie. Journalism, as I was taught it, is a process of getting as close to some valid version of the truth as is humanly possible. And one of my definitions of news is information that the powerful don't want you to know.
So this statement (see attached article) from the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal about how his paper will report on Donald Trump’s potential (likely?) future lies is deeply disturbing. It is not the proper role of journalists to meet lies—especially from someone of Mr. Trump’s stature and power—by hiding behind semantics and euphemisms. Our role is to call it as we see it, based on solid reporting. When something is, in fact, a demonstrable lie, it is our responsibility to say so.
Before lecturing Mr. Baker on the virtues of veracity, perhaps Mr. Rather can address his infamous statement to Bill O’Reilly in 2001 when confronted with Bill Clinton’s world-class lying about Monica Lewinsky, starting with Jim Lehrer on PBS: “I think at core he's an honest person. I know that you have a different view. I know that you consider it sort of astonishing anybody would say so, but I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things."
By Rather's own tenuous definition, Clinton's sexual exploitation of an intern was "information the powerful don't want you to know," but Rather thinks it's fine to lie to television reporters....when you're a Democrat and you're doing Good Things.
Nonetheless, Rather on Facebook is warning with the ascent of Trump,
this is a gut check moment for the press. We are being confronted by versions of what are claimed to be “the truth” that resemble something spewed out by a fertilizer-spreader in a wind tunnel. And there is every indication that this will only continue in the Tweets and statements of the man who will now hold forth from behind the Great Seal of the President of the United States.
Some journalists and publications will rise to the occasion. Some will not. You as the paying, subscribing public, can use your leverage and pocketbooks to keep those who should be honest brokers of information, well, honest.
Rather linked to Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent, who ridiculed Baker noting a liberal pro-Clinton bias in the press: "I think people say, “Well, you know what? Hillary Clinton said a lot of things that were false.” I don’t recall the press being quite so concerned about saying that she lied in headlines or in stories like that."
Sargent shot back: "The comparison to Clinton is silly. Trump lied far more often, and far more egregiously, than Clinton did." Like nearly every other liberal journalist, Sargent believes the Clintons lie in a "normal" range, and are thus conveniently excused. Calling that a liberal bias is "silly." It's not as silly as Dan Rather posing as the Guardian of Truth.
What “lies”? That Obamacare is a total and rapidly collapsing social experiment gone wrong? The southern border with Mexico is undefended? That prisoners being released from Gitmo are still dangerous and are quickly returning to the battlefield in the Middle East? That ISIS presents a real and present danger to the realm known as “the United States of America”? That the present structure of the tax policy is unfair? That corporations cannot be pressured to work in the interests of America, rather than to the advantage of foreign governments? That our military is poorly prepared to undertake the commitments being placed upon it around the world? That some of those commitments are just WRONG as of January, 2017?
That the swamp in Washington NEEDS to be drained?
That asshat’s still alive?
Dan Rather, all that’s bad about “news” and why nobody trusts these jokers.
That is ok, rlmorel. I voted for Bush twice and I still don’t know what else I could have done with my vote. Thank Gd it was him and not Gore when we were attacked.
This last year, I’ve learned a lot more about this family. They have so much in common with the Clintons though they do it all so much “classier.” It’s been personally disappointing.
My best take from this is that, in fighting for a constitutional republic, I will now always remember that no party is necessarily alongside us as we struggle for the freedom the founders envisioned.
Happy New Year, bro. Thanks for the compliment.
A FReeper reading the book will be able to sift out the chaff. It’s still amazingly researched. Sure there are some things we know aren’t so, but let what you find there lead you to more research.
Not only that, but the particular series jet Bush flew (F-100 maybe?) is an unhappyy design, unforgiving; and you must actually FLY it every second, and never relax. His CO gave GW high marks for handling THAT aircraft.
I understand completely, Yaelle.
And the part about the established parties being alongside us...I think that ship sailed for many of us a long time ago, including you and me.
I certainly can’t identify with being a Republican, if it means I have to tip my hat to the RNC, which has shown who it is allied with.
And a Happy New Year to you as well...we at least have something politically to look forward to-whether someone like Trump is going to follow through or not, none of us know, but I like his outright verbal statements and choices of cabinet members...that looks like he means business, not more dealing with “my esteemed colleague across the aisle”!
As the bastion of liberal honesty, tell us exactly what these Trump lies are, Dan.
Agreed. Trump is looking good so far. Lots of winning just up to today. But such animosity we have never seen. He will be fighting every day. It’s not going to be easy. Schwarzenegger caved in CA. I hope Trump and his people will go the distance even at threat of their lives. At least libs are more scared of Pence... that’s life insurance right there. Too bad. Pence is great too.
He is falling back on his impossible premise: “An Honest people can lie about many things.”
According to who?
Dan Rather?
Rather is a liar and a loser. Here he tries to ride in heroically on a three legged horse so that maybe the liberal left will throw the white mantel of acceptance over his slumped shoulders once again.
History repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce.
‘Demonstrable Lies’. Dan Rather’s need to feel relevant after his arrogant and demonstrably false political attack is pathetic. Like a bully who insists on being a bully even after he’s been beat into the ground by the likes of Buckhead.
I was in the Reserves, my brother and father were in the national guard.
There were ALWAYS things being done to shift around your schedules on the duty roster because unless you led a pretty quiet personal life there was always something coming up. And the Bush’s did not lead a normal life.
If Bush skipped out for no reason or showed up drunk tell us where you got this information. The same place Dan Rather did?
“Let’s be real here. I am all about truth, even if it doesn’t make us look good.
Rather was onto the truth. W Bush was a total flake in the Guard. He used MANY excuses to miss showing up. Daddy had to come up with all kinds of crap to keep him “politically viable.” Let’s admit that Rather was right: his evidence was FAKE but the story was accurate.”
Can you prove that stupid statement?
So Rather is expounding on “lies”, and Brian Williams was scolding about “fake news”. I guess that irony is a concept the libs haven’t figured out yet.
I like what I see so far!
Isn’t this the chronic liar who said he was a “former Marine” when in actuality he was cashiered out of boot camp because of some serious inadequacy? What an idiot, liar and lunatic. On the plus side, he’s quite old...so you know what that means.
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