Rather Approaches His Final Nightly Newscast
Re “Reluctant Rather Is Set to Sign Off,” March 7: It’s a fact: Most people believe that everyone else is just as interested in the ins and outs of their line of work as they are.
Marketing people think others are just as interested in talking about new marketing techniques as they are, and news people think we’re all still consumed with and outraged by Rathergate.
We’re not.
Most of us have either forgiven or forgotten the CBS news mistake as just that -- a mistake made in an honest search for the truth.
Plus, the story in question concerned a relatively minor event that happened 30 years ago.
At least CBS’ “unauthenticated” information didn’t send us into a war in which tens of thousands of humans have been killed or wounded.
Martha Marion
Venice
The Times brings us, yet again, a long dissertation on Dan Rather’s exit from the anchor chair at CBS and, it seems to me, misses two points that everyone I know understands.
The writer echoes the CBS report in saying that the documents “cannot be authenticated,” but everyone to whom I have spoken about this feels that the documents are forgeries.
Additionally, he fails even to mention Rather’s characterization of Bill Burkett as an “unimpeachable source.”
When I heard that I was ready to listen with an open mind to the story, but it turns out that Burkett is a well-known Bush-basher with his own agenda who is very “impeachable.”
There are only two explanations: Either Dan Rather is an empty-headed news reader or a biased left-liberal newsman.
Ron Thomson
Cheviot Hills
Courage, Dan, courage!
Ron R. Glaeseman
San Pedro