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Date Posted: 16:58:28 09/26/04 Sun
Author: Variety
Subject: All eyes are on Rather's future

All eyes are on Rather's future

Sun Sep 26, 5:20 AM ET

Pamela McClintock, STAFF

NEW YORK -- The morning after Dan Rather admitted the biggest mistake of his career, he agreed to go on Larry King's primetime show and talk about the worst crisis ever to strike a network news anchor.

 

Rather, after all, is used to doing exactly as he pleases, enjoying a status that only a dozen or so have in the history of television news.


But in a sign that his movements are now constricted, Rather's people abruptly pulled out of the King interview. CNN says his appearance was confirmed and it had already begun airing promos. Insiders at CBS say they never made any promises and that, ultimately, the front office didn't want Rather on King's show.


Rather may be a tenacious fighter, but it's not clear if he'll be able to survive the scandal over a botched "60 Minutes II" story impugning President Bush (news - web sites)'s National Guard service record.


If he were done in, it would mark the first time an anchor has resigned under such gloomy circumstances.


Industryites roundly agree that even more damaging than the Sept. 8 segment itself was Rather's repeated defense of the story, which put forth new documents and information positing that Bush used his family clout to avoid his Guard duties.


"I know that this story is true," Rather said two days after the segment aired. "I believe that the witnesses and the documents are authentic."


Flash forward to Sept. 20:


"Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically," Rather said in his personal apology. "We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry."


Rather and CBS News -- which also offered a mea culpa -- revealed that the source of the docs, former National Guard officer Bill Burkett, deliberately misled "60" producer Mary Mapes about the source of the incriminating memos.


(Mapes also is under fire for contacting John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign staff with Burkett's phone number.)


Rather and Mapes aren't the sole focus of an independent investigation now under way at CBS News, led by former Republican U.S. Attorney Dick Thornburgh and former Associated Press prexy-CEO Louis D. Boccardi.


Also under scrutiny are CBS News prexy Andrew Heyward, senior VP of primetime Betsy West and "60 Minutes II" exec producer Josh Howard.


Rather couldn't have picked a worse story to be wrong about: Republicans have long accused Rather of having a liberal bias and of being out to get the Bush family.


GOP operatives have launched aggressive e-mail campaigns urging citizens to bombard affiliates and even shareholders in CBS parent company Viacom with complaints.


"Dan carries a lot of baggage, rightly or wrongly, dating back to his verbal exchange with Richard Nixon. Some of the hardcore Republicans have never forgiven him," CBS Affiliate Assn. prexy Bob Lee says.


At the same time, Rather has built up a strong relationship with affils over the course of his 20-year rule as anchor of the "CBS Evening News."


"He's just immensely popular when he goes out to visit the markets. I'd be surprised to find that the guy doesn't vote Republican," says Lee, who is general manager of the Eye affil in Roanoke, Va.

New Yorker media critic Ken Auletta says he'd be surprise if Rather left because of the "60 Minutes" story.

"He's apologized and CBS News has apologized," Auletta says. "They should have done it sooner and exhibited what journalists are supposed to --humility."

Pundits say the whole matter would have been a two- or three-day headline had CBS admitted right away that there were problems with the documents. Instead, the story is still making headlines on TV news nets and in newspapers.

While the TV news biz agrees with Auletta's assessment at first blush, some are waffling.

"I keep hoping Dan doesn't need to resign. Let's try to keep some perspective here and remember that he has some 40-odd years of experience," one top new exec says.

"But sometimes when you start looking at the practical aspects, you wonder," exec says. "For example, can he ever request an interview with the president? Those things start to get a little dicey."

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