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Gunga Dan Quits: Generating Best Ratings in Career.

Theres a line in shakespeares Macbeth:

"Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it".

Dan Rather and his career will not be measured by the day in and day out accomplishments of 30 years of work but the one day of blind rage that caused him to make an error. An error that was aided and abetted by an industry that he helped define. Dan Rather marks the end of an era in popular news media and broadcast journalism, and to that, I say good riddance.

I hope we never again get to a point where one man and one network can control so much of public debate that it might have the hubris to act the way that Dan Rather and CBS did. It doesnt bother me that he did it as much as they all helped him do it without fear of reprisal from the public.

That being said, I just want to run through a few things on Mr. Rathers departure into the big nowhere...

1. This is a Suprise? He's 73 years old fergodsake! How long did everyone think this gig was going to go on? Sure, Paul Harvey, Mike Wallace and Andy Rooney are older and represent the the "walking dead" demographic, but they exist largely because no one can bring themselves to be "The Guy who fired an Industry Icon".

2. He's just one guy. The former head of CBS is now at CNN. Theres a joke about moving the deck chairs on the Titanic that would work really well here. Dan calls himself a reporter, but hes really just a flesh covered pez dispenser for whatever his producer wants him to say. I honestly dont think Dan has a clue why he says what he says or why he says it.

3. It's funny to me how we are getting this official word prior to revelation of the CBS internal investigation. "The Smart Move" would be for CBS the corporation to paddle a few bottoms in full view of the public. On the other hand, CBS has not been very smart for a very long time.


4. Cronkite is still alive. Rooney wont die, Wallace wont die. I've never been a big fan of immortality as I consider it to be a the worst of gypsy curses and my best case for that position can be found wandering in the hallways of CBS. It must be like visting the set from yet another remake of George Romeros ' Day of the Dead' over there.

5. My advice to network news. Get out of the office! Look kids, it's not rocket science anymore to have reporters somewhere else other than New York. The internet is everywhere, video feed technology is pretty straight forward. Move your HQ to cities in the middle of the country or rotate locations now and then. Get some diversity in the news room by putting your reporters and your writers out in the great unwashed.

Perhaps consider making reporting less of a full time job and more of a temporary thing. Journalism is not a job code, its a methodology. Properly trained, anyone can practice journalism. I'd rather read economics reports from a woman raising two kids in Omaha, Nebraska than a 30-ish party girl in Long Island. Yes, Campbell Brown looks good, but frankly I cant remember a thing shes ever said about anything.

Where is todays Ernie Pyle in the field with our boys overseas? I cant believe the hubris of todays journalists who say that they shouldnt take sides when they report on our troops. Thats right, jackass media types, the guys who ensure that there is a free press are actually on your side, the guys who want to chop off your head, those are your enemies. That should be simple enough even for the ivy league to understand. The fact that its even a question makes me wonder about the future of the species.

There is no automatic valor derived from just being against the United States, so stop building up these monsters who belong to a human sacrificing death cult as people of equal virtue with American boys and girls who have volunteered to serve their country and work to help bring freedom to the world?

Women in Afghainstan voting or hooded civilian victims getting their head cut off. Yeah, I can see why they might be confused.

Look, I too heard all that socialist claptrap in college about how "America was an empire bent on world domination..blah.blah..blah..". The difference the media types and myself is that I got over it. Experience in the real world will do that to you. Get out of starbucks and get off your cellphone, grab a shovel and help out your neighbor now and then and you might see that.


Buh-Bye Dan. Dont let the doorknob hit ya where the good lord split ya...

Posted @ November 23, 2004 11:50 AM | Current Affairs

Comments

Brilliance!!! Pure and utter brilliance, Frank.

"flesh colored pez dispenser" indeed.

Posted by: Da Goddess at November 26, 2004 05:05 PM

Heh. A bit more practices and you'll have this releasing your emotions thing down. :-D

BTW, have you heard of the Spirit of America Challenge? If not check out my blog...

Posted by: TheCO at November 27, 2004 07:54 PM

I agree, Brilliant! However, I would take exception to "Dan calls himself a reporter, but hes really just a flesh covered pez dispenser for whatever his producer wants him to say. I honestly dont think Dan has a clue why he says what he says or why he says it."

He has a clue, he has also been doing this kind of reporting for years!

Some 20-30 years ago, he did a special report on hunting. He went about the country speaking to outfitters and hunters, and compiled an interesting and potentially informative piece...from all reports. Instead, he aired a hatchett piece called "Red October" [the month most states have hunting seasons]. At that time, the company who owned his network also owned "Field and Stream" magazine. Did he go to them to get their opinion? No. What he did do is to take the comments of the hunters and outfitters out of context [anyone want to hazard a guess where Michael Mooreon got his training?] to castigate the entire hunting industry! My husband was a close friend of some of those outfitters, and he was aghast at the final report!

Posted by: DagneyT at November 29, 2004 01:37 PM