Hell yes down with the both sides nonsense. I’m so sick of them giving equal coverage to fascist liars who shouldn’t be given a platform ever. This is a great list of 6 things journalists absolutely need to practice. Well said.
you really hit the nail on the head when you said the media used to be a public service and not an income generator. How do we get it back to being a public service? And why are so many journalists so willing to support trump (by omission, but that comes out to support all the same) when he has made it clear the only persons who will be "ok" will be those who support him and the others will be punished, perhaps incarcerated. Are all these persons who call themselves journalists just spineless people who somehow got a job on a newspaper or local or national news show? Do they not care that they will never be able to report the truth after trump is elected and will they all be so very glad to work for fox news? They sure seem more like gossip columnists than journalists.
Another great post Dan. Thank you so much. I love your Badge of Honor from Nixon. That is way cool. You deserve it. It's ironic though how we've and you too have come full circle. This time however is so much more frightening.
I was telling one friend how I feel like we're living in 1930's Germany right now but most everyone else is still asleep. Like Steve Schmidt said that's the number one threat we face this Election besides our dysfunctional Media is Voter apathy. We have a LOT of work to do if we want to stop the horrible menace of Trump and MAGA once and for all. I'm honored to be working along side of you in this fight. Thanks for your service to our country all these years and for your continued work. ❤️🇺🇸💙
This slide into homogenized reporting and fear of offending sources began some time ago. We saw a big change when George W Bush started the ‘embedded’ reporters & banning photos of the caskets coming home so Americans wouldn’t see so many jarring images of reality. I remember watching a certain network he favored occasionally because what they reported from the WH one day would be on all the networks in a couple days. IOW, faux news had a direct line.
Now the people who poisoned the public trust use the distrust as a political weapon. We need ‘steady’ reporting with facts, not politics & quips for 10 second videos.
Back your hope with your vote. Ask yourself, "Can this country survive another Trump presidency?" And, yes, the question is intentionally rhetorical. Vote.
A lie is still a lie, and when politicians keep lying, it's all our responsibility to call them out. Or at least the reporter that is listening to that lie.
It is wonderful to hear your memories of Watergate, Mr. Rather, set against the present circumstances. This context and perspective is one of the best things you can offer at this time in your life. In the 1970s there were limits to how much you and CBS could "defend" your reporting. But now you are independent and free, and can highlight the underlying principles of journalism at play. As you just noted, we live in more perilous times than even then. (And I hope you encourage students to look at your old tapes. I think some might be surprised at just how straight your White House reporting actually was.)
Mr. Rather, I couldn’t agree with you more on this topic! It is beyond frustrating to watch as the former President gets away with all of this many lies. There are too few journalists in today’s media that actually call him out. Any suggestions on how we can turn this around before that fool gets re-elected? Stay steady!!
I've been talking about these issues. Thank you for finally speaking out about the state of today's journalists and journalism as a career. It is unrecognizable versus the old days, when intelligent people looked to the media for the truth. Now we can't rely on any of it.
Thank you Dan for another well thought out essay on journalism. I wish we had more rats and fewer little yapping lap dogs in the press today. Trump and the Trumplican party hate your insights. Please keep putting the truth out there. Maybe it will move some to realize how important this election is to us, democracy and our country.
Hell yes down with the both sides nonsense. I’m so sick of them giving equal coverage to fascist liars who shouldn’t be given a platform ever. This is a great list of 6 things journalists absolutely need to practice. Well said.
you really hit the nail on the head when you said the media used to be a public service and not an income generator. How do we get it back to being a public service? And why are so many journalists so willing to support trump (by omission, but that comes out to support all the same) when he has made it clear the only persons who will be "ok" will be those who support him and the others will be punished, perhaps incarcerated. Are all these persons who call themselves journalists just spineless people who somehow got a job on a newspaper or local or national news show? Do they not care that they will never be able to report the truth after trump is elected and will they all be so very glad to work for fox news? They sure seem more like gossip columnists than journalists.
I so fear for my country...I am 83. Why must we live like this? People are not even using their heads.
Another great post Dan. Thank you so much. I love your Badge of Honor from Nixon. That is way cool. You deserve it. It's ironic though how we've and you too have come full circle. This time however is so much more frightening.
I was telling one friend how I feel like we're living in 1930's Germany right now but most everyone else is still asleep. Like Steve Schmidt said that's the number one threat we face this Election besides our dysfunctional Media is Voter apathy. We have a LOT of work to do if we want to stop the horrible menace of Trump and MAGA once and for all. I'm honored to be working along side of you in this fight. Thanks for your service to our country all these years and for your continued work. ❤️🇺🇸💙
This slide into homogenized reporting and fear of offending sources began some time ago. We saw a big change when George W Bush started the ‘embedded’ reporters & banning photos of the caskets coming home so Americans wouldn’t see so many jarring images of reality. I remember watching a certain network he favored occasionally because what they reported from the WH one day would be on all the networks in a couple days. IOW, faux news had a direct line.
Now the people who poisoned the public trust use the distrust as a political weapon. We need ‘steady’ reporting with facts, not politics & quips for 10 second videos.
As a former journalist, I strongly concur with ALL of your suggestions, Mr. Rather.
Thank you for writing this piece! It needs to be read by every American citizen, and its prescriptions taught in civics classes all over our land.
Back your hope with your vote. Ask yourself, "Can this country survive another Trump presidency?" And, yes, the question is intentionally rhetorical. Vote.
Thank you for this. I’ve been so angry about the ways the two men are presented in the media
A lie is still a lie, and when politicians keep lying, it's all our responsibility to call them out. Or at least the reporter that is listening to that lie.
Unfortunately Not ONE THAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR.
SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS WE ARE IN.
It is wonderful to hear your memories of Watergate, Mr. Rather, set against the present circumstances. This context and perspective is one of the best things you can offer at this time in your life. In the 1970s there were limits to how much you and CBS could "defend" your reporting. But now you are independent and free, and can highlight the underlying principles of journalism at play. As you just noted, we live in more perilous times than even then. (And I hope you encourage students to look at your old tapes. I think some might be surprised at just how straight your White House reporting actually was.)
Mr. Rather, I couldn’t agree with you more on this topic! It is beyond frustrating to watch as the former President gets away with all of this many lies. There are too few journalists in today’s media that actually call him out. Any suggestions on how we can turn this around before that fool gets re-elected? Stay steady!!
I love this, Dan Rather. Keep speaking the truth!
I've been talking about these issues. Thank you for finally speaking out about the state of today's journalists and journalism as a career. It is unrecognizable versus the old days, when intelligent people looked to the media for the truth. Now we can't rely on any of it.
We should all be lucky enough to be hated by Tricky Dickie
Thank you Dan for another well thought out essay on journalism. I wish we had more rats and fewer little yapping lap dogs in the press today. Trump and the Trumplican party hate your insights. Please keep putting the truth out there. Maybe it will move some to realize how important this election is to us, democracy and our country.