| RATHER'S CAMERA BLINKED TWICE |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, December 06 2004 |
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| On the second shelf of the bookstand in my home office, right next to David Halberstam's "The Powers That Be," sits Dan Rather's fourth book, "The Camera Never Blinks Twice." In it, the veteran newsman describes a run-in he had with then-Vice President and Republican presidential candidate George Bush regarding his alleged involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal.
A highly credible "source" at the White House, Rather says, who had in the past given him some valuable newsworthy information, had told him that Bush not only knew about the illegal involvement of the CIA in the scandal, but he might even have approved it. However, Rather says in his book, for a moment he doubted his "source" and wondered if the person could have a personal vendetta against Bush. Despite those fears, the CBS newsman used the information in a confrontational interview with Bush in 1988, pressing him on the issue.
Sixteen years later, Rather found himself once again faced with what he considered a credible "source" who provided valuable information about a member of the Bush family. This time, we don't know if Rather had the same doubts about his source, but we do know that he used the information given to him and put it on the air. Unfortunately for Rather -- and for the profession of journalism -- the camera blinked twice.
Rather's retirement from the "CBS Evening News" anchor desk might not have created such a stir if it had been announced before the electoral campaign, as was Tom Brokaw's retirement from "NBC Nightly News." It would come as no surprise that a man at 73 years of age, with an exceptional career as a hard-hitting journalist, would decide to step aside from his hectic schedule into the more leisurely agenda of a news-magazine correspondent. But the "incident" regarding President George W. Bush's service -- or lack thereof -- in the Texas National Guard puts a dark cloud over what should have been a celebrated departure.
It's no secret that Rather has made a few enemies along the way in his career, particularly during his 24-year tenure as anchor of "CBS Evening News." However, the timing of his exit and the controversy that surrounds it have marred his lifelong dedication to his craft. Not to mention what it has done to the overall credibility of American journalism at a time of national debate about bias in the news media.
Just the other night, I watched Pat Buchanan, of all people, anchoring a news program and questioning whether the days of objectivity in the news are gone. Buchanan suggested that news anchors openly declare their political views. That might work for commentators on cable TV, where a growing number of viewers choose to get news that fits their ideology, or for newspaper columnists. But I would hope the American people still prefer their news the old-fashioned way: straightforward, hard-hitting, objective, and truly fair and balanced. Journalists should not wear their ideology on their sleeves any more than politicians should wear their religion on theirs.
One of the tragedies of the controversy surrounding Rather's departure from the anchor desk is that questions about the authenticity of documents that were supposed to prove that President Bush got preferential treatment during his Texas National Guard duty overshadowed the basic facts of the story. Instead of focusing on the president's questionable service, the focus became Rather and the perceived liberal bias of CBS News.
In the end, both the American people and American journalism are ill-served. For many, it's now difficult to pick up a newspaper or listen to a news broadcast without questioning its objectivity. And as far as whether the president actually fulfilled his duties in the National Guard during the Vietnam era, well, that story -- as Dan Rather would say -- melted faster than "ice cream in a microwave." |
