MediaWatch: February 1988
Table of Contents:
Rather Obnoxious
During his now famous January 25 interview of Vice President George Bush, CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather crossed the line of tough and fair questioning by assuming the role of a rude prosecutor pursuing his own agenda. Dropping any pretense of objectivity, the opinionated anchorman declared at one point: "You've made us hypocrites in the face of the world."
Outrage was swift, especially after Rather abruptly ended the interview by interrupting the Vice President in mid-sentence. Calls flooded CBS. Rather even angered CBS affiliates. Paul Raymon, of WAGA in Atlanta spoke for many, calling the confrontation "an embarrassment." Prominent media figures also took Rather to task. As CNN political director Christine Dolan told USA Today: "You don't ask the Vice President a question and not give him a chance to answer...Rather looked like an aging journalist having a mid-life crisis on national TV."
Even a CBS News colleague, Mike Wallace, leveled criticism: "The style was wrong. Dan lost his cool." The ultimate indictment, however, came from ABC's Sam Donaldson, a man who symbolizes media arrogance, who stated: "Rather went too far....I don't think we can get to a situation where we make -- on our own authority -- accusations."
Bush claims Rather's sole focus on the Iran-Contra affair took him by surprise. Indeed, in a letter to Bush, CBS News politics producer Richard Cohen promised a "candidate profile." But the "profile" aired before the interview was actually just a lengthy re-hash of Bush's Iran policy involvement.
The next night Rather refused to apologize, declaring "to be persistent about answers is part of a reporter's job." His inability to comprehend the public outrage over his obnoxious behavior just proves how far out of touch with his viewers the $2.5 million a year anchorman really is. For the American people, the exchange represented an abuse of power by a media elite that considers itself more important than the second highest elected official in the United States.
