Dan Rather returned to the CBS News airwaves for the primary time since his bitter exit 18 years in the past, showing in a reflective interview on “CBS Sunday Morning” days earlier than the debut of a Netflix documentary on the 92-year-old newsman’s life.
After 44 years on the community, 24 as anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” Rather left below a cloud following a botched investigation into then-President George W. Bush’s navy document. Rather signed off as anchor for the final time on March 9, 2005, and exited the community when his contract ended 15 months later.
With continued enmity between him and since-deposed CBS chief Leslie Moonves, Rather basically turned a nonperson on the news division he dominated for many years.
“Without apology or explanation, I miss CBS,” Rather informed correspondent Lee Cowan within the interview that aired Sunday. “I’ve missed it since the day I left.”
Rather escaped official blame for the report that questioned Bush’s Vietnam War-era National Guard service however, because the anchor who launched it, was recognized with it. CBS couldn’t vouch for the authenticity of some paperwork upon which the report was based mostly, though many individuals concerned within the story nonetheless imagine it was true.
In the documentary “Rather,” debuting Wednesday on Netflix, Rather stated he thought he would survive the incident, however his spouse, Jean, informed him, “You got into a fight with the president of the United States during his reelection campaign. What did you think was going to happen?”
Rather didn’t retire after leaving CBS, doing investigative journalism and rock star interviews for HDNet, a digital cable and satellite tv for pc tv community. Over the previous few years, he has change into recognized to a brand new era as a tart-talking presence on social media.
This previous week, he posted on X throughout former President Trump’s hush cash trial: “Is it just me or did today seem sleazy even for Donald Trump?”
“You either get engaged and you get engaged in the new terms … or you’re out of the game,” Rather stated within the CBS interview, filmed at his residence in Texas. “And I wanted to stay in the game.”
The Netflix documentary traces his profession from protection of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Vietnam War and Watergate, by his anchor years and past. It contains among the then tightly-wound Rather’s odder incidents, together with an assault in New York City by somebody saying, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth,” then later showing onstage with R.E.M. when the group carried out its track of the identical title.
In each the documentary and within the CBS interview, Rather bypasses his profession when discuss turned to his legacy.
“In the end, whatever remains of one’s life — family, friends — those are going to be the things for which you’re remembered,” he stated.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.