Dan Rather has never apologized for the 2004 Killian documents fraud.
After perpetrating one of the worst acts of media malpractice in the last 40 years, you’d think the press would treat him as a pariah.
But they aren’t. They treat Rather like a wizened elder statesman of news media. (It’s a wonder why public opinion of the press is in the tank, right next to Congress. A total mystery.)
The latest example of a newsroom giving the former anchor breathing space to pretend he’s not a washed-up poor man’s Walter Cronkite comes this week courtesy of the Atlantic, which published an op-ed co-authored by Rather.
If you can believe it, they titled the opinion piece, “Why a Free Press Matters.”
The subhead adds, “Journalists have been keeping a check on power since the creation of the First Amendment. Now they’re being tested.”
Rather writes:
Who better to opine on fact versus fiction than the man who tried to influence the 2004 election with fake news?
I’m not going to waste any time recounting the rest of Rather’s lengthy op-ed. I don’t particularly care what he has to say about President Trump, the media, etc. The only thing I care about hearing from Rather is a genuine: “I am sorry.” I’m not going to hold my breath.
Rather maintains to this day that his hoax Bush AWOL story was more or less correct. To keep pointing out that his chief piece of evidence was a forgery is quibbling, he claimed as recently as 2015.
Until Rather at least hints that he’s sorry for what he has done to this industry, I see no reason why we shouldn’t remind readers at every opportunity that he is a disgrace to journalism. It may seem like harping on an old point, but it’s true. He’s a disgrace, and that he continues to defend the 2004 Bush papers is evidence of such.
