Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News by Dan Rather

Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News Reviews

• 
  Dianne

  Dan Rather is a newsperson's newsperson, a man who researched, interviewed, travelled and consulted to get to the truth. This book illustrates how the ratings of a television empire control the content. If the stories are controversial and especially if they are contrary to Washington's current spin line the truth may be edited out. This is known as the "Credibility Gap". As the chief White House correspondent for CBS, Dan Rather knew several presidents. His opinion of Richard Nixon is telling. Rather writes that Nixon made efforts to have John Lennon deported and that his Watergate men Hunt and Liddy plotted to murder the columnist Jack Anderson. Nixon was desperate to get Rather out of Washington because the journalist was getting leaks from the White House. Another criminal action was the attack on Rather in Manhatten by a man who later murdered an NBC correspondent. I bought this book because I wanted to know the truth about the shaming of newsman Dan Rather. Chapter two gives the full investigation and explanation of the events which followed a report on George Bush's time in the Texas National Guard during the Vietnamese War. Mary Mapes who worked on the 60 Minutes report with Rather has also written a book Truth and Duty, The President, Privilege and Power. The HBO series The Newsroom is an excellent fictional version of the complexities in covering the news. To quote Dan Rather, "Journalists have a responsibility to ask the hard questions and to keep on asking them until the subject answers, or until it is clear he refuses to answer." For me the most interesting chapter is Rather's recounting of his time as a war correspondent on the front lines in Vietnam. Also interesting is his venture into Afghanistan during the Russian siege. The Russians were gassing civilians; for his films and reports of the gassing the Russians offered a bounty for Rather's death.
  The fight over his dismissal from CBS was one more hurdle to get to the facts. "I filed suit on principle--to find out the truth and to stand up for the importance of a truly independent press in a democracy."
• 
  Michael Todd

  In the last month, I've read Bob Schieffer's, Roger Mudd's and now, Dan Rather's memoirs. All three are similar in describing facts of events and how CBS News operated at the time. Sheiffer's is very down to earth and humorous, while Mudd's is a more straightforward style of writing. I enjoyed them both.
  
  Rather writes in a more lyrical style, which is not surprising because he is known for his clever use of phrases on the air. What caught me off guard was his candor and deep descriptions of his feelings. It's a bit unexpected from a newsman but refreshing and helped unravel some of the complexities of the man. For further insight, I recommend listening to Rather's narration to hear things he really wants to emphasize.
  
  Along with Schieffer, Rather is one of the last working journalists of that era. I believe we're fortunate to have them on the air because of their long history and varied experiences that enable them to put current events into context.
  
  My feeling is you can't serve two masters. When the news department is caught between journalism and corporate headquarters, the journalistic standards I was taught in college are going to suffer. Rather did an excellent job of providing examples to prove this point.
  
  I'd recommend this book to anyone with a curiosity of latter 20th century American history, journalism or the television industry.
  
• 
  Patrick Nichol

  Dan Rather is a professional storyteller, there's no dispute.
  What heppened to him at CBS News is in dispute and that's why this memoir is an important work.
  Granted, Rather Outspoken is Dan Rather's own spin on why he was asked to leave CBS News after a contentious story about President George W. Bush's National Guard Service.
  The story was he was let go because the segment which said Bush had shirked his duty relied on documents later "discredited" in the blogosphere. CBS held an "independent' investigation led by a lawyer with ties to the Bush family and upper management failed to back their star anchor.
  I'll admit I first thought Rather had committed a Journalism 101 sin - using faulty information and unverified sources to prove the story.
  But after reading about the months of investigations and - during his lawsuit against CBS - the deliberate character assassination, I believe Rather.
  Nobody should have to go through what he went through. Rather Outspoken is an intriguing snapshot of how corporate self-interest ruined the career of a stellar TV journalist.
  Definitely recommended reading.
  
  
• 
  Jaime

  I enjoyed this book much, much more than I thought I would. Having spent several years in television news, I was especially fascinated by Rather's experiences as a reporter in the field. But I found myself equally interested in his time as a White House correspondent and his views on the trivialization, corporatization and politicization of the news.
  
  Despite what anyone believes about his departure from CBS, he deserves tremendous respect for his determination to seek the truth and his loyalty to the core values of investigative journalism.
  
  Leslie Griffith, from the HuffPost Media, said it well, "He has proven that he is and will always be a reporter, no matter the venue. Keep in mind, I am not saying he has always been right; however, in my humble opinion; he has always been earnest, tireless and willing to put his life on the line if it meant delivering news and much-needed context to the American people."
  
  I am impressed.
• 
  Diane

  Dan Rather has been a news reporter for over 50 years and in all those years he has made a few enemies, from the KKK during the civil rights movement to President Nixon to members of George W. Bush's administration. He covers the reasons why in Rather Outspoken- My Life in the News, co-written with Digby Diehl.
  
  There are several events in Rather's life that had a lasting impact on him, beginning with a bad case of rheumatic fever when he was a child that left him trapped in his home, unable to play with his friends or even attend school. The radio became his best friend and he grew up listening to reporters like Edward R. Murrow, Eric Sevareid and Charles Collingwood in the run-up to WWII.
  
  When he was a child, a few teachers took an interest in Rather, encouraging him in his love of writing. Although Rather acknowledges that he is not the best writer (and in fact a bad speller), or the smartest man in the room, he credits his dogged determination for much of his success.
  
  One of his biggest strengths is his ability to ad-lib, which he learned working at a Houston radio station. He had a lot of air-time to fill, and he also covered play-by-play in high school sports, which gave him a leg up when it came time to move into television.
  
  He got his dream job of working for CBS News, one of the most prestigious news organizations in the world. On his first day, one of his idols, Charles Collingwood offered to show him around and invited him for a drink.
  
  The book gives a terrific overview of Rather's career, and he covered many of the most important stories of the last fifty years. He spent a lot of time covering the civil right movement, and that section of the book is fascinating, especially for those who were too young to remember that period.
  
  He covered Vietnam, and I liked his analysis of the difference between reporters working in Vietnam, where they could just tag along and grab a ride with a helicopter pilot to cover whatever story they wanted, to today's embedded reporters, who can only go where the US military allows them.
  
  His chapter on Afghanistan, which Rather covered back in the 1980s by sneaking into the country then at war with Russia, is very interesting. I can remember watching Rather on CBS at this time, never imagining how important that country would become to our nation twenty years later.
  
  The best chapters in the book cover the end of Rather's career with CBS News. He and his news team did a story on President George W. Bush's National Guard service during the Vietnam War. They found evidence that Bush went AWOL from his unit for more than a year, and when they tried to run the story, they were stymied at every point by corporate executives at CBS.
  
  Rather's most important point in the book, and one that I think he makes very well, is how the corporatization of the news has changed what news the American people get. The big three networks are now owned by huge corporations- ABC by Disney, NBC by Comcast/Universal and General Electric and CBS by Viacom.
  
  All of these corporations have vast holdings, and as such, they are constantly lobbying government for legislation favorable to their companies. Because of that, the news divisions are pressured to not report on anything that may hurt their lobbying efforts. The days of the news divisions having the freedom to cover the stories they think are important to the American people sadly seem to be over.
  
  Rather ends the book describing his new job at HDNet, owned by billionaire Mark Cuban. Rather and his news team create 42 hours of investigative reports per year (unheard of!), and he lists some of their most honored reports, including a story on a British bank that launders money for Iran, the horror of underage sex trafficking in Portland, Oregon, and a problem with Boeing's new Dreamliner plane that endangered lives. I definitely will be checking out HDNet and Rather Reports, they are doing the reporting I want to watch.
  
  Rather Outspoken is a fascinating look not only at an interesting man, but also at the most important news stories of the last fifty years. The book is really written in Rather's distinctive voice, with many of his Texas-isms, like his description of the very small office for Dan Rather Reports, running it as a "Hong King hot-pillow joint."
  
  He is a somewhat polarizing person with a big ego, and those who do not like Rather will probably not have their minds changed by this book, but for those looking for one man's story of his place covering the history of the past fifty years, this is an enlightening book.
  
• 
  Colleen

  This book by one of the elder statesmen of American journalism is part memoir, part reflection, part ringing condemnation, and all Rather. Opening with the events that led to his ouster from CBS News, Rather then reverts back to his childhood and his early interest in reporting the news, following that love of journalism from elementary school into college and beyond. As Rather recounts the work of his early years at CBS (the civil rights movement, the Kennedy assassination, his time in Washington with LBJ and Nixon), it is clear this book is more a highlights reel than an in-depth professional memoir. Regardless, the tidbits he shares are fascinating and simply whet the reader's appetite for more. Eventually Rather returns to the topic of his departure from CBS, outlining his eventual decision to file suit against CBS to try to clear his reputation, and his subsequent work on HDNet.
  
  I found the book a bit uneven as a reader. The details of Rather's personal life were extremely interesting and I wish there had been more of them, especially about his family life once he was married and a father of two; it seemed from the book that his career always took precedence over his family but that may just be the result of trying to keep his private life private. Either way, it is clear that his wife Jean was the solid base that made his career possible- it would have been wonderful to hear more of her voice and story carry through the narrative. Rather's voice does ring through loud and clear, which is both a strength and the weakness in my opinion as that voice is sometimes strident and veers a bit toward self-congratulatory. Rather is uncompromising in his belief that CBS sold out the Evening News, and he is happy to name names and apportion blame which may be understandable but also reeks a bit of bitterness- a bitterness that rather undermines his legitimate grievances with the organization.
  
  Throughout this book one thing that is always front and center is Rather's deep and abiding passion for journalism and his clear belief that the press has a duty to ask the tough questions and to reveal the hidden truths. His disdain for the corporate conglomerates that control the news today in the U.S. is well-founded as are his fears that we are in danger of losing the free press that our Founding Fathers viewed as so essential to safeguard our democracy. After his many decades reporting the news, and his brief stint as the story itself, Rather is perfectly placed to assess the state of modern journalism; it is to his credit that he faces so unflinchingly the shortcomings of his own profession.
  
  All in all, an engaging read by one of the most recognizable faces (and voices) of the era.
• 
  Marvin

  While this was not the detailed behind-the-scene memoir I was looking for, it was still an informative and enjoyable read. Think of this as more of a fire-side reminiscence. Dan Rather concentrates mainly on the reason he left CBS and his report on Bush II's military service...or lack of. He seems bitter often, which he should be. But there are also some nice insights in this book on Rather's early career and two chapters on his take on the presidents from Eisenhower to Obama and how they treated the press. However, what I appreciated the most was Rather's stance on how the network news organization went from being stand-alone organizations to very small cogs in a global corporate entity beholden to political interests. I consider Rather one of the last real TV newsman molded after Morrow and Cronkite and before corporations and political lobbyists took control of the news business. Nothing in the book swayed me from this opinion.
• 
  Jen

  "News is what people want to keep hidden. Everything else is publicity." Indeed.
  
  I am a former (print) journalist. From my sophomore year in high school, through college, and into the military I was a writer in some publication or another. Even today, I still dabble in it as the editor of the newsletter we have at work. I loved the work, and I miss the work. I have great respect for hard-hitting investigative reporters who stick their necks out to find the truth. I was never an investigative reporter, but I admire them. And I admire Dan Rather for not only his incredible career, but his willingness to stick his neck out, no matter what the cost may be. He has seen some absolutely raw times in our nation's history, and he was the calm presence people needed on their televisions during some terrifying and devastating moments.
  
  This book covers his entire career - from his early days as a reporter at a tiny radio station in Texas, all the way through his storied tenure at CBS for more than 40 years. He was reporting the news from Eisenhower's presidency through Obama's. He witnessed the civil rights movement, Vietnam, Watergate, Lebanon, Iran-Contra, 9/11, and much more. He was "boots on the ground" in Vietnam and other conflicts. There aren't many others who can say they've seen as much. What resonated the most with me was his perspective on the corporatization, politicization, and trivialization of the news in America. It's so true. Big business has its hands in big pockets in Washington to get what they want. Everyone is so afraid of losing their toys that "hard news" has become "news lite" in many respects. I was also fascinated by the relationship between each president he covered and the media. (We all know how hostile that is these days. Many past presidents had wonderful relationships with the press.)
  
  We need the Fourth Estate to keep Washington accountable. Thomas Jefferson said in 1823, "The only security of all is in a free press." That mentality is slowly being lost. I hope the groups out there, the ones focused on keeping investigative journalism alive, are successful. The people need to hear what they have a right to know, not what they think they should know. Fewer celebrities, more news. Less reliance on advertisers/profit, and more news.
  
  Highly recommend this book.
• 
  Reese Copeland

  The book is ok. I used to watch Dan Rather growing up as I was a very odd child, watching the news instead of cartoons. It was interesting to read about his life, and his very clear work ethic. However, two things I did not like. First, remember all those odd catch phrases he'd have in the 2000 Elections? Yeah, I found a few of those in here. Not a lot, just enough to annoy me. THe second thing I didn't like, he led off with the whole document about Bush being AWOL including the faked documents. Rather then spends the rest of that chapter whinning about how it's true, it's true! He goes to great length to talk about this. Just left me feeling "it's ok Dan, just say it. You lied." An interesting read, but more than enough bias for me. I think it should have been called "Rather Biased" instead.
  
• 
  Jim

  Not my cup of tea. Well read by Rather himself, but I didn't care for the way he kept sneaking up on things. Just lay out the facts, please. Instead he gives this big build up & makes a lot of oblique comments before getting to the point. It was quite underwhelming. I probably wouldn't have rated this, but he's been a good newsman for a long time & can deliver in the constraints of the TV news. He obviously didn't feel the need here. Wish he had.
  
  Besides, I'm not particularly interested in the politics at a news station. Probably should be, but he bored me to tears even though I would like to know a little more about the stories he's supposed to cover. It's all old news now & everyone made up their mind long ago, so it just seemed pointless.
  
  
• 
  Bev

  I always liked Dan Rather and found him to be an intelligent and straightforward news reporter. This book made me like him even more. He had many great stories to tell and it was great hearing him tell them.
• 
  Chanita

  If nothing else, get the book from your library app and listen to the last 16 minutes, the epilogue. Powerful stuff. The audiobook is read by Dan Rather himself. So much wisdom and spunk!
• 
  Lanny Carlson

  An outstanding book!
  The author provides us with insights into the process and perils of
  investigative reporting, drawing from his own experiences in the South during the Civil Rights movement,the war in Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.
  He also provides the troubled state of the current news business,
  which has increasingly become the tool of corporate and political interests.
  Especially enlightening was his observations on the internet,
  and how a single false report can be repeated so often that it takes on a life of its own - like the "birther movement", which has become a lie that will not die.
  He experienced the toll of political, corporate, and internet power
  when he was discredited during his coverage of Bush and his time in the National Guard. A so-called "expert" contended that documents used in the reports were forgeries, though the documents were not essential to the story and the "expert" proved to be anything but! Rather than standing up to the opposition as CBS had in the past, the power of politics and the fear of the corporate sector which controlled CBS News
  led to the Network's backing off the story and ultimately firing Rather. All because of a lie that was repeated and believed.
  The book ends with the story of the renewal of his career through HDNet, and with some hopeful signs for the future.
  Anyone who has followed and appreciates the contributions of Dan Rather will certainly like this book. Others who are not familiar firsthand with his career will appreciate the insights and information
  he provides. And for those who are only familiar with the corporate line and the smear campaign against this great reporter need to read this book to get the whole story.
• 
  Jodi

  I didn't watch Dan Rather when he anchored the CBS news. I was a Peter Jennings fan. After listening to this book, I think I made a mistake. This was a fascinating discussion of journalism. Certainly he discusses his career and goes into great depth into the incident that cost him his job at CBS. While some may view his explanation as sour grapes, it makes total sense. When you look at how the Republican machine operates to discredit and spread lies about things they don't like, I can see how President Bush's record (or lack thereof) in the Air National Guard, would have been a problem. Money can buy an awful lot of discreditation. Listening to Rather discuss Presidents he has known; Listening to him talk about Obama's first term (this book was written before the reelection campaign); Listening to Rather discuss desegregation in the South. He was part of so much history and he reported it, he wasn't making it. The book is a real education about what journalism is supposed to be and how it used to be before media was all owned by corporations who are less interested in what we need to know and more interested in how much money we can make them.
• 
  Sandy

  This book was a gift from my baby boomer sister to my dad who is in his upper 80s. My parents read it a while back, and I'm sure it brought back many memories from the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" decades - the civil rights movement, Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, then 9/11, Iraq. I sped through this mostly intriguing book, only getting bogged down in the chapter-long explanation of Rather's lawsuit against CBS. Dan Rather eloquently uses this book to advocate for independent journalism, emphasis on independent. He maintains that the free press is -- and was designed to be -- part of the checks and balances on power. He writes, "The 'free press' is no longer a check on power. It has instead become part of the power apparatus itself. And this is dangerous." I wholeheartedly agree and share his concern that "Corporatization, Politicization and Trivialization of the News" is a threat to democracy, and that as citizens we must understand this, inform ourselves, and decide what actions we can take to remedy this. I'm grateful for Rather's integrity and courage and that he continues to speak truth to power.
• 
  Barbara

  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dan Rather is not someone I would chose to learn more about, however I saw an interview on television and became intrigued. The book is fast moving and he reviews succinctly all the newsworthy events of my lifetime. As a retired teacher, I would strongly suggest high school students read this book to get to know the recent Presidents. Rather brings them to life in personality, administrations and accomplishments. Current events of the recent past come to life. Events that have recently become part of our history, but recent enough to be a part of our memories. The news comes alive! Just fascinating. He also takes you behind the scenes, to experience the back-story behind the story presented by the media. Very eye-opening for me. Rather's writing style is easy to read, he includes pertinent information sprinkled with humor. I would definitely recommend this book.
• 
  Mlg

  Rather's account of how the news has changed from a public service and education orientation to a "serve the corporation's interests" mentality. He details the story of how he tried to break the news of Bush's AWOL year from the National Guard's champagne unit and the push back he got from Viacom, the parent company of CBS that was openly advocating the Republican candidate. Viacom at one point wanted an independent vetting of the story offering to give it to Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Roger Ailes or a number of other openly partisan Republicans. The story was to break right before Bush's second election. Rather got fired, sued, lost, and ended up doing stories on cable. After reading this, you'll never believe the news again.
• 
  Sealove

  An amazing life lived by a man of truth!
  
  This bio was very well written and told by the author himself. We learned much about the history of broadcast journalism, but even more about its present challenges and issues.
  
  What we took away from this was the idea to seek the truth and share it wisely and with care, as these aspects are leaving our popular culture for things like ratings and corporate agendas. Rather has lived a life that inspires and informs, while remaining humble and down to earth. We look forward to the next installment in this life and hope here will be many who are encouraged to bring sunlight into a darkening time!
• 
  Alicia

  Most people who know me well know that I'm a die-hard Dan fan, so it probably won't come as a surprise that I really loved this book. But I think this would be a genuinely fascinating read for anyone interested in history and politics, and the sorry state of journalism today. The first few chapters on CBS's treatment of Dan's stories on Abu Ghraib and Bush's military service are particularly worth reading (or listening to--I went back and forth between a hard copy and an audiobook version read by Dan), but there's some great stuff about the civil rights movement, Watergate, and Vietnam later in the book as well.
• 
  Taylar

  I was so engrossed in listening to the section on the Civil Rights Movement that I missed my exit and had a 40 minute detour to get home! But that just meant I had more time to enjoy Rather's voice and excellent telling of historic events. I had absolutely no idea what Rather had accomplished in his career and I miss reputable, truthful journalists like him. While I don't believe he's "liberal," I believe he does his research and the truth does drive him, allowing him to reflect on the downward spiral of modern politics.
• 
  R.

  Just when I thought I could not dislike George W. Bush more, Rather gave me new reasons to detest him. The book is artfully crafted and full of behind-the-scenes detail of the workings of major television network news. The book reveals the enormous power the White House can exert over the activities of the national media companies. I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in the relationship between government and big business and our free press.
• 
  Phyllis

  Wonderful biography and his reporting on our nation's larger stories like civil rights, 9/11, Kennedy's assassination. Terrific insight as to what has happened to news reporting since Edward R. Murrow to present.
  
  Plus the real story of how he got canned by CBS. Compelling read and the audio was read by Rather.
• 
  Kristina

  Like many Americans of my generation, I grew up with Dan Rather coming into my living room every weekday at 6:30 and telling us what had happened in the world. He taught me how to look at the world, question and look deeper into what the media told me. He was a maj0r influence on how I approach politics and how I interact with the global community.
  
  This book is written just like everything I have come to expect from Dan Rather... approachable, plain but not dull, and frank with sporadic injections of bluntness. He takes us from his humble beginnings in Texas in the shadow of World War II, getting into journalism while attending Houston State Teachers College, and his career growth that brought him to CBS where he worked for over 40 years, to the falling out he had with Corporate Management that eventually lead to him being forced out and re-finding his footing in the digital age instead of retiring as others would have done at that age.
  
  He shares his experiences from having seen and reported on some of the largest history making events of the 20th and 21st Century... Hurricane Carl (where he got the nickname Hurricane Dan"), the JFK Assassination, Vietnam, Watergate, Nixon's resignation, Chernobyl, the fall of the Soviet Union, 9/11 and the scandal regarding George W Bush's failure to fulfill his National Guard obligations during the Vietnam War - the story that eventually lead to his ousting at CBS.
  
  I very much enjoyed listening to this book as Rather read it. It felt like visiting an old friend and walk down memory lane. If you are of the age to remember him on the news, I would recommend this book- especially the audiobook
• 
  Mike Barbre

  A true newsman in every sense.
• 
  John

  There were three themes intertwined through this book.
  1. An autobiography of Dan Rather.
  2. An account of Dan Rather's problems with CBS which led to his ouster and his lawsuit against Viacom.
  3. Dan Rather's views on the state of Journalism today, which he feels is too controlled by corporate entities.
  
  (CBS CEO WIlliam) Paley understood that by presenting the news seriously and honestly, CBS was fulfilling a major obligation that was part of it's public trust. -p.105
  
  1988 interview with GHW Bush about Iran Contra, and Bush brought up 6 minutes of dead air. -p.158
  GHW Bush fascinated by grocery store scanner during 1988 campaign.
  
  Bush II inherited a surplus and balanced budget. Under the guise of being a fiscal and social conservative, Bush II nearly spent the county into oblivion, in particular in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. -p.165
  
  When the press finds out something is not right, we have an obligation to call attention to it. -p.183
  
  "Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant land to die." Justice Hugo Black -p.183
  
  Part of what is different now is that CBS is no longer a freestanding company. It is a cog in the greater Viacom empire. CBS NEws may have been one of the best-known entities within that huge conglomerate, but in terms of commercial value, it ranked far below a host of Viacom's other assets. CBS NEws had never been been the most profitable component of what was then known as the Tiffany Network--there were years when it wasn't profitable at all--but Bill Paley didn't care about that. He was a true believer in the news as a public service, and understood that CBS News added value and prestige to the network by virtue of its excellence. -p.246
  
  "News is what people want to keep hidden. Everything else is publicity." -Bill Moyers
  
  If it is to be, it is up to me.
  
  There were more than 50 news outlets that were either national or superregional in the late 1950s. Now we have six or fewer. -p.288
  
  In the quest for profitability, news outlets have participated in the corporatization of the news, the politicization of the news, and the trivialization of the news. Some newspapers have even turned to focus groups --asking citizens what they thing should be covered, as opposed to informing them of what the NEED TO KNOW. -p.189
  
  Chris Hedges "Gone with the Papers" - News gathering will not be replaced by the internet. Journalism on the large scale is no longer commercially viable. Reporting is time consuming and labor intensive. It requires going out and talking to people. It means doing this every day. It means looking constantly for sources, tips, leads, documents, informants, whistleblowers, news facts and information, untold stories and news. The work can be tedious and expensive...A democracy survives when its citizens have access to trustworthy and impartial sources of information, when it can discern lies from truth, and when civic discourse is grounded in verifiable fact."
• 
  Ryan

  I was going to start this review off with the last paragraph, but after some more thought, I decided it wouldn't be a fair way to start things off. Instead I'm going to admit why I wanted to read this particular book. I think, like most people who have picked Rather Outspoken up, I was wanting to hear Dan Rather's account of what happened behind the story that brought an end to his career at CBS. For that reason alone, I think this book is worth the read.
  
  I was never one of those who thought Mr. Rather or his producers did anything wrong in their coverage of the story. From everything I knew then, and know now, what happened to them felt like a raw deal. Now that I've read the book, and understand everything that went on behind the scenes, I'm even more convinced that Mr. Rather paid a steep price for telling the truth. His account of the way political and business pressure interfered in the way news was and is being told, scares the hell out of me. It should scare everyone who cares about the public's right to know what our government does and how our corporations behave. His story is not only an example of what can happen when things go wrong, but it's a call to arms. It's a defense of the concept that journalism should be separated from politics and business considerations. Sadly, I think it's a call to arms that has come just a bit too late.
  
  I almost wish that this memoir only dealt with that one situation. I would love to be able to divide that aspect from the rest of the book. But I can't. I have never gone into a memoir/biography with a higher opinion of the subject, than I had when I turned the last page. It's been a fear I've had for years, so now that it's finally here, all I can say is that it made me sad. I hate the idea that I can read a book and come away with less respect for someone. But less respect is what I'm left with. I know it's hard for anyone writing a book about themselves to leave their ego out of it. A good writer should be able to minimize the way that ego is expressed and how it will come across on the page. I'm not sure what happened, but it seems as if the opposite took place. Instead of the ego being minimized, it seems as if the ego was expanded and forced into every sentence. I can't imagine someone in Mr. Rather's place wouldn't have a good sized ego, I just dont' want to be reminded of it on every page. I'm positive that Mr. Rather is a terrific journalist, has covered stories in such a way that made a difference, and is an all around great guy. I just don't want Mr. Rather telling me that himself. Let it come across in the storytelling, not in the tonal voice of the narrative.
  
  That ego got in the way of everything else for me. It kept what should have been an informative read from being anything other than a justification of his life. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with that last concept, I just wish wish he would have been able to mesh the two ideas together in such a way that didn't leave me feeling cooler towards him.
• 
  Matt

  Rather’s memoir posits some interesting arguments from a journalist’s perspective. He examines, in an overarching fashion, how journalism has left the constitutional role of serving the people as an independent branch to becoming a means by which those in power can push their respective politics. With some interesting stories and equally strong diatribes, Rather attempts to show how jaded things have become in the world of journalism over the past 60 years.
  
  Let me be frank and admit that I have read (recently) a thorough Walter Cronkite biography and was looking forward to using this book as a comparison, as their times at CBS crossed for close to thirty years. This book, while giving a somewhat chronological account of Rather’s time at the network, does not go into depth on some of the overarching stories of the day. Instead, Rather chooses to focus on the war he had with the network executives and the Bush Administration that led to his demise and glanced over some of his personal feelings about the presidents with whom he worked. There was surely so much on which he could focus: Campaign ’84, Iran-Contra, Challenger explosion, Soviet invasion into Afghanistan (and the US reaction), etc, but he limits his tales to some years as a reporter in Vietnam, the hard-nosed approach he took during Watergate, September 11th, and finally his ouster from CBS. To me… it misses the mark on something that could and should have been so much more detailed. Again, I use the Cronkite biography as a benchmark.
  
  I was also a little taken aback at the first two chapters and how they fit into the larger book. Rather chooses to open with the stories of his final months at CBS and the investigative report into Dubya’s flight record in the Texas National Guard. While interesting, it might have been better served if placed in the chronological order the other chapters follow. With a little tweaking, it could have fit nicely.
  
  Rather makes the argument, perhaps inadvertently, that he was a stellar reporter and gave his all to anything he did. I get the sense, however, that he tried to make the argument to the reader that he was an anchor forced out for his beliefs. Rather doesn’t seem to comprehend that his role as an anchor, while technically the ‘lead’ reporter, forces him to stand above the fray and not malign anyone specifically. This may be the cause of the general downfall and can be attributed to his being out of touch with reality. Perhaps, also, this is why he and Cronkite got along so poorly, in the end.
  
  An interesting memoir whose jam-packed soap boxing was, at times, a little over the top, but also highly informative. Better the man who rushed through the trenches tell the tale than a third party writer. I would have liked to have seen more CBS-based anchor anecdotes, but did appreciate a lot of the post-CBS storytelling and even some of the sour grapes.
  
  Kudos, Mr. Rather for your frank and personal story. I know many will read it with interest!
  
• 
  Steve

  Perhaps the most important chapter in this latest Dan Rather tell-all is the epilogue. Here the legendary TV anchorman spells out in detail the reasons he wrote the first eleven chapters. Here we learn the incident that ignited Rather’s life-long passion for investigative reporting at the age of 20. Here we learn the requirements and the pitfalls of being an investigative reporter. And here we are warned against what the veteran broadcaster calls the “corporatization, politicization and trivialization of the news.” Definitions of those terms are not necessary. By just reading them, we get Rather’s point.
  
  You should come away from this 498 page personal blog with the impression that Rather has very little good to say about Republican occupiers of the White House, with the possible exception of Dwight Eisenhower. While he spends two entire chapters on the US presidents he’s known, he has very little positive to say about Ike’s GOP successors to the Oval Office. It’s quite clear that Rather despised Richard Nixon and perhaps the feeling was mutual. He seems to cut Gerald Ford some slack but he personally did not mix well with George H. W. Bush or his son.
  
  In fact, Rather devotes an entire, 58-page chapter to George W. Bush’s alleged “arrogant hypocrisy” when he avoided “military service in Vietnam, and who then walked away for more than a year from (the National Guard, a ‘champagne unit’),” to subsequently become the commander in chief who ordered “tens of thousands of our young men and women . . . into harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.” CBS’ investigation of Bush’s “highly irregular military career” after the president’s first term landed Rather in a lot of hot water. It apparently contributed to the loss of his anchor chair and eventually the end of his CBS career. To this day, Rather still stands by CBS’ coverage of Bush’s National Guard career. It’s obvious here that Rather is still passionate about being vindicated and the truth finally being told. In fact, on the first page, Rather writes, “As a journalist, my core principle---my duty---has always been to get to the truth.” That being said, why does he label the debate calling for the truth about Barack Obama’s legal birth place a “ginned-up controversy . . . the faux news story that refused to die?” Wouldn’t you think an investigative journalist of Rather’s stature would want “irrefutable proof” one way or the other about the authenticity of Obama’s long-form birth certificate? To pick and choose which presidential scandals are worthy of a conclusive judgment, what would you call that? “Arrogant hypocrisy” perhaps? Maybe. It is rather outspoken. Definitely.
  
  
  
• 
  Jessica

  My MIL recommended this book and I am glad she did. I've always been more interested in the print side of journalism and I didn't know much about Rather's career, but this is more than just "Memoir of Stories I Covered." Rather covers the history of CBS television news and what he sees as its downfall after the network was purchased by Viacom.
  
  Rather explains the chain of reporting that led to his CBS exclusive regarding Pres. George W. Bush and his military service (or lack thereof) during the Vietnam War. Viacom's corporate executives fought to keep the story off the air, then blamed the reporters after the story ran and the Bushies got angry. From Rather's perspective, he and other longtime correspondents were fired or otherwise removed not because their reporting was false but because CBS was less concerned with truth and more concerned with its corporate image vis a vis the Republican Party.
  
  Some reviewers cast Rather as whiny. He does have several moments of "they were out to get me" and "I really trusted that person," but I also agree that Rather was screwed. He has a strong ego--it would be hard to do his job otherwise--but he also wanted to get the true story to the American people and was stifled by corporate TV. I would willingly read the other side of the story but his evidence is damning.
  
  A few minor quibbles--the writing is choppy in places and a few news stories aren't explained well. For example, Rather explains how Rep. Charlie Wilson got involved with the Soviet war in Afghanistan, but lets the story dangle and assumes the reader is familiar with Wilson's story. Extra points because I only found a couple of small typos; it appears someone actual copyedited this book.
  
  Recommended for people who hate corporatized news or are interested in the history of CBS, Rather or TV news.