As seen in the doc, Rather isn’t slowing down: He continues to write a Substack newsletter, “Steady,” and has plenty of thoughts about the state of the media — and that includes what has happened to his longtime alma mater, CBS News.
“Rather” details his controversial 2006 exit from CBS News*, but also the highlights of his legendary 44-year career with the network (also depicted via never-before-seen footage in the doc). So Rather’s take on what has happened to CBS News under new owner Skydance carries weight. To sum it up, he’s not a fan.
“What’s happened at CBS News is sad,” he said. “It is in many ways a disaster, not just for the people who work at CBS News — and there’s still a lot of really good people working there. But this is a further example of big billionaire corporate power in bed with powerful people and the presidency to get control of these operations for their benefit.
* CTRL-F “Bush” brings back zero results in Variety’s article.
But why is a showbiz tabloid covering Dan Rather and CBS News? As “George MF Washington” explored in July: How Hollywood Lost the Hollywood Press. “Because now the business of the business isn’t deals or box office results so much as controversy… and that controversy, which is primarily centered on culture war issues and political agitation, is bad for The Business. In Hollywood, the political current runs almost entirely in one ideological direction. And while Hollywood itself may not notice because progressive views are commonplace inside the industry, to millions of potential ticket buyers in flyover country, the Trades now reinforce a perception that Hollywood is talking to itself rather than to America. The Trades engage with the business of cultural and political controversy in two ways…. by harvesting controversy and by creating controversy.”