UPDATE: DanRatherGate Part 2

[graphic: RidesAPaleHorse]
by Mondoreb

UPDATE on the Dan Rather Threatened CBS Over Bush National Guard Documents story earlier.

"If the documents are not what we were led to believe, I'd like to break that story," Rather said in an interview last night. "Any time I'm wrong, I want to be right out front and say, 'Folks, this is what went wrong and how it went wrong.' "

--What Rather said in September 2004.

Despite overwhelming evidence at the time that the documents were fake, Rather steadfastly insisted that they were authentic. The only story he could have broken at the time of the quote was the story he was part of--that he was just getting around to admitting that there were problems. The only bigger story would have been if Rather had announced he was joining a 12-step program for dealing with reality.


More from Rathergate ReDeaux: Dan Rather Threatened CBS Over Bush Documents
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RATHERGATE REDEAUX: Dan Rather Threatened CBS News Over Bush National Guard Documents

DRUDGE REPORT EXCLUSIVE!

Rather Caught Again in Another Lie?

OH! The Hypocrisy of It All!


by Mondoreb & Little Baby Ginn
[photo at left: Howard Kurtz's new book "Reality Show"]

From The Drudge Report

Former CBSNEWS anchor Dan Rather pressured CBS to air the failed Bush/National Guard story in September 2004, Howard Kurtz reports in his new blockbuster book: REALITY SHOW: INSIDE THE LAST GREAT TELEVISION NEWS RACE. Rather claims in his lawsuit against CBS that he wasn't involved in the final decision to run the Memogate story.

After finishing nearly two years of research, Kurtz unleashes his book this week.

Excerpt:

The night before the story was tentatively scheduled to air, Rather was sitting at the anchor desk, with less than half an hour before the start of the Evening News. He called Josh Howard, who had recently been named as executive producer of 60 Minutes Wednesday, and asked what they were doing to promote his story.

“We’re not,” Howard said. “We haven’t gotten the lawyers to sign off. The script isn’t finished. We haven’t even talked to the White House. I’m not going to start promoting a story when we don’t know what we have.” That was not the answer Rather wanted to hear.

“Other people are chasing this story,” he said. “We’re going to lose our exclusive. We have to get our hooks into the story.”

When Howard again refused, Rather raised the stakes.

“I’m going to give one of the documents to The New York Times to run in Wednesday’s paper,” he said. “They’ll have to credit CBS News. That way we can put our stamp on it.”

“You can’t do that either,” Howard said. “We haven’t finished vetting this.” Rather grumbled and hung up. To raise the specter of giving away a scoop to a competing news outlet was practically unheard of.

Howard, who had once been an Evening News producer, had never been subjected to this kind of pressure. He did, however, have a backup plan. They were still in rerun season, so if the Guard story failed to get the green light, he had a previously aired program ready to go.

Once again, Dan Rather's arrogance has come back to haunt him--although the word 'haunt' implies that his hubis had died and come to life. Rather's arrogance is alive and well and never even took sick.

The truth is finally coming to light. Rather continues to implode.

Courage, Dan.



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KOPPEL on RATHER:IT WAS A TRAVESTY

by Mondoreb & Little Baby Ginn

Boiling down Ted Koppel's take on the $70m Dan Rather lawsuit against CBS, it comes down to one sentence: Bird of a feather and all of that. Koppel, late of ABC, sticks close by his comrade-in-arms. $70 million might not soothe Dan's ruffled feeling, but it's a start.

From TV WEEK
Calling the ouster of Dan Rather from CBS News in 2006 a “travesty,” newsman Ted Koppel said today that he hopes the $70 million suit filed by Mr. Rather against CBS and Viacom will bring Mr. Rather “relief from his [emotional] pain.”

Newspeople show how different they truly are from the rest of us, the small, insignificant TV-watchers who pay their inflated salaries. A "band-of-brothers" mentality apparently permeates the Network News World.

Mr. Koppel said he “hurt” for Mr. Rather, whom he characterized as a friend. Addressing the “60 Minutes” report about President George Bush’s National Guard service that preceded Mr. Rather’s departure from CBS, Mr. Koppel said the story was “much more correct than incorrect.” Mr. Koppel said that those responsible for the incorrect parts of the report deserved to be chastised and punished.

Ted "hurts". How sad. Does Ted also "hurt" for the people wronged by Dan Rather? NewsBusters takes a little deeper look than Ted does. It's not such a pretty black-and-white picture they see.

Apologies are almost mandatory after reading this. Apologies because one feels bad for not "hurting" along with Ted. Who 'hurts' for Dan Rather? Other than Ted and Katie and Keith. One suspects nobody among the regular Joes paying the freight. One suspects nobody at all outside the cozy, chummy social club that network newsreaders call their own.
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Olbermann: Coo Coo For CoCo Puffs MSNBC FEARED MISSING IN TWILIGHT ZONE

[Graphic by Little Baby Ginn]
by Little Baby Ginn

The MSM has reported MSNBC has gone missing as a credible and reputable news source. Sources say MSNBC was last sighted pandering to ratings with its hippest, newest Hip-Celeb-Journalist-Cum-Savvy-Political-Guy-on-the-planet, Keith Olbermann.

MSNBC extended Olbermann’s contract to another four years because of a ratings spike for the network. The decision was made from up on high that MSNBC’s reputation as a serious major news source would be sacrificed to ratings. Enter the schlock news guy Olbermann.

Olbermann’s tired angle is to attack President Bush at every conceivable opportunity. No need to question Olbermann’s patriotism because most question his sanity.

MSNBC’s cohort in the MSM, CBS, just learned the hard way about not checking the insanity of a top performer. Their ex-resident psycho, anchor Dan Rather, slapped them with a 70 million dollar lawsuit alleging fraud. “What’s the frequency” Gunga Dan’s latest salvo against CBS claims he was given unimportant assignments, a major cut in 'face time' on TV, and a smaller staff. Evidently this was so highly insulting to Rather that only 70 million bucks of moolah will soothe the savage, and quite nutty, beast.

This was in the aftermath of Rather “reporting” an unsubstantiated story about Bush just prior to the election. CBS chose to stand Rather down rather than frogmarching him from the building. The fiasco was a blatantly intentional attempt by Rather and his cronies to sway a presidential election.

The rest of us could see this coming from a mile away. You’d think a major news organization, chocked full of investigative journalists, could have seen this about Rather years ago--heck, decades ago.

Evidently not deterred by the moral of CBS’ long saga with Rather I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new nightly news lineup at MSNBC to showcase their new “news” star, Olbermann. Such gems as “The Ted Rall’s Roundup” followed by “The Opie And Anthony Show’ then onto “The Bill Moyer Vampire Hour.”

As a fan of MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams, I kind of feel sorry for him: Olbermann’s antics have already tainted MSNBC as the Coco Puffs news network.

NOTE: We admit, hating Keith Olbermann is a guilty pleasure. We're looking for any articles, links, pix, graphics--anything anti-KO at all. We'll be putting out our special Death by 1000 Papercuts' "I Hate Keith Olbermann" edition on October 13, 2007. More info at I Hate Keith Olbermann.

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First He Parts the Sea, Then He Files SuitDAN RATHER: SUPER JOURNALIST or SUPER NARCISSIST?--You be the Judge.

by Little Baby Ginn & Mondoreb

Does Dan Rather suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Or is he just insufferable? You be the judge.

Diagnostic criteria for 301.81 Narcissistic Personality Disorder


A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

(3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

(4) requires excessive admiration

(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

So, do any of these fit Dan Rather? You be the judge.

Whether on Larry King or filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit, Dan Rather wants you to feel sorry for him. He was shunned. His self-esteem was damaged by CBS News. Sounds like Dan was the guilty one here. He was guilty of believing all the swill he dished up, newscast by newscast, throughout his years at CBS.

Download a copy of the original court complaint.
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Dan Rather's Reality Recedes. THE WRATH OF SOUR GRAPES'Victim of the Rightwing'

by Little Baby Ginn & Mondoreb

From MSNBC:
Sept. 21, 2007 - In parts, it reads like a political thriller, with a cast of “right-wing” hit men out to force a powerful journalist to heel. Or a tale of corporate deceit, in which Machiavellian suits sacrifice their own to cozy up to the president of the United States. Or a behind-the-scenes saga of a network news division assembling a story that could help unseat an incumbent president at the polls.

Yawn. Dan's a victim, as usual. Ho-hum.

One of the saddest things, Dan seems to feel, is that CBS fired him the day after Bush's re-election. Those bastards!

The complaint details horrors no sane meglomaniacal anchorman should have to endure. CBS gave him few assignments! Little staff! Very little air time!

So now CBS must prove that the documents that Dan Rather waved in front of the nation barely a month before the 2004 election were false. And Dan Rather will have to prove that he's not a whiny foot-stomper. This whole affair is unseemly. It's as if the cowardly Lion sued the Wizard of Oz.

Courage, Dan, courage.

Original Rather court complaint, available for download

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