Dan Rather teaching, or preaching, a course on journalistic integrity? What next? Nazis promoting tolerance?

Having disgraced news anchor Dan Rather, who I have dubbed “Dan Blather,” teach (or more aptly, preach) a course on journalistic integrity is like having Nazis promoting tolerance.

You want me to spend 19 bucks on this nonsense. The company behind this gag, called Udemy, should be paying me to watch this drivel.

Rather was fired from the CBS Evening News after a thorough investigation into a story about George W. Bush. It was a smear job and not a very good one. The documents on which the news story was based proved to be fake.

But it was too good a smear to waste on fact checking. It was an example of the recent media narrative on fake news. However, most will conveniently ignore this example. It’s a bit too inconvenient.

Yet, to this day, despite the overwhelming evidence otherwise, Rather continues to believe that the story is true, which shows just how biased and insular he really is. He is a die hard liberal, an activist masquerading as a journalist. But these days he is far from alone.

He, like so many others in the media, is a joke and has been for a very long time. One of the greatest moments of the Bush 41 era is when George H. W. Bush fought back while being interviewed by Rather. Unfortunately, it was a rare moment. Bush 41 was a bit too conciliatory and polite.

Thankfully, we have entered a new era. Trump has thrown out these outmoded conventions.

ajh

‘We Now Don’t Know Where People Get Their News’

“I’m a serious, legendary newsman, people.” — Bob Schieffer, the now retired former host of Face the Nation

Who’s job should it be to monitor where folks are getting their news, Mr. Schieffer?

And, actually, Bob, we do know. You’ve revealed just how ignorant and sheltered you are. Or is it plain, ol’ bias? There’s such a thing as ratings, of which you haven’t had recently, and something that tracks visits to news sites on the tubes known as the Web. Of course, decent viewership numbers of his program, Face the Nation, ended years ago.

When a political wonk such as myself loses interest with you and your show, then you’ve got serious problems, far beyond what you and the CBS News team realize.

What’s funny is his diagnosis: if people aren’t watching, then there must be a problem out there! It’s OUT THERE. It has nothing to do with me. There’s no reflection on me. There’s no internal dialogue, no internal review.

Perhaps Mr. Schieffer, people go to other, “unknown” sources because they don’t trust you. They don’t trust you to deliver the news unfiltered & unbiased.

ajh