I know. Who cares what long-ago-discredited former CBS News anchor Dan Rather has to say about anything? Pretty much nobody, as far as I can tell — but stay with me.
As you might remember, in 2004, the then-anchor used unverified documents about George W. Bush’s military service in the early 1970s in a “60 Minutes” broadcast and later said a key source on the story had lied to the network. Rather’s producer was fired and Rather was forced out before the end of the year.
Anyway, what does matter, to me, at least, is that we finally have the "Father of Fake News," as some critics refer to Rather, once again crawling out of the irrelevant woodwork to once again add his irrelevant voice to the left's call for the end of balanced reporting when the news is about former President Donald Trump.
The growing belief among left-wing media types is not profound in itself — we've long known it — but what is profound, and potentially dangerous, is that these people are finally publicly admitting it and demanding it out loud.
Here's Rather (emphasis, mine):
If I may, there’s something I need to get off my chest.
As democracy remains under siege, it has been frustrating to watch how the press covers politics these days. I am reminded by lessons that came to me during the Nixon years as a CBS News correspondent, which I’ll add here:
1. Enough with Both-sides-ism
When one side lies intentionally and repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to the benefit of the doubt. They should be held to account, right away. Do not simply repeat the narratives they spew.
2. Prioritize Live Fact-Checking
Rigorous and robust fact-checking is the best defense against misinformation, intentional lies, and deflection.
If Trump says the sky is green, the story isn’t that the sky is now green; the story is that the sky is still blue and Trump got it wrong.
3. Ask Lawmakers Hard Questions
Ask about the fundamental principles of democracy. Push them to go on the record that Biden won the 2020 election.
Ask if they support the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
This writing is not to offer any claim of knowing it all. Your correspondent has made his share of mistakes, but after more than seven decades I believe I have picked up a few useful guideposts. Good journalism is always worth it. Our democracy depends on it.
For the rest of my list, please see my the latest post of my independent newsletter – the link is in my Twitter biography.
Yeah, no thanks, re: the "newsletter."
If I may, there’s something I need to get off my chest.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) March 5, 2024
As democracy remains under siege, it has been frustrating to watch how the press covers politics these days.
I am reminded by lessons that came to me during the Nixon years as a CBS News correspondent, which I’ll add here:…
Ahh, so much to blister, so little time. Where to begin?
If we were going to keep it simple — which we're not — I could simply suggest replacing "Trump" with "Biden" in Rather's TDS-riddled head when he wrote his garbage post.
But there's so much more, including off-the-charts hypocrisy. Let's start here:
Lies
[Someone who] "...lies intentionally and repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to the benefit of the doubt..."
Laughable. Joe Biden has, for decades, turned serial lying into a new art form. For example:
[I]n the 1980s, when then-Sen. Joe Biden ran for president for the first time, his campaign imploded over a swarm of lies he’d repeated across the country. First, Mr. Biden was caught plagiarizing a famous speech from British Labor Party Leader Neil Kinnock. Then he plagiarized another speech from Robert F. Kennedy, another from John F. Kennedy, and another from former Sen. Hubert Humphrey.
Then Mr. Biden was caught lying about academic awards that he never earned, about scholarships that he never received, and about his ranking in law school, stating he graduated in the top half of his class when, in fact, he finished 76th of 85.
[...]
In 1972, Mr. Biden‘s first wife, Neilia, and his 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, lost their lives in a terrible car crash. Immediately after the crisis, Mr. Biden began spinning the tragedy to his political benefit by claiming that Curtis C. Dunn, the driver of the tractor-trailer that hit Mrs. Biden‘s car, was drunk at the time.
But it’s not true. Not even close. The fact is that Mrs. Biden failed to yield the right of way, and Dunn put his life in jeopardy by trying to avoid hitting her.
This was confirmed by Delaware Superior Court Judge Jerome O. Herlihy, who went on record saying that Dunn was cleared of any wrongdoing, and there was absolutely no evidence whatsoever supporting Mr. Biden‘s claims against him.
Biden continues to lie that his late son Beau Biden — who died from cancer in 2015 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland — died in Iraq.
And as I reported on Monday, Biden's lies about Bidenomics continue ad nauseam, despite facts and reality proving otherwise.
So for Dan Rather, of all people, to suggest Trump is the liar in the 2024 presidential election campaign, and not Biden, is absurd.
Robust Fact-Checking
"...robust fact-checking is the best defense against misinformation, intentional lies, and deflection..."
As I previously demonstrated, if anyone should be robustly fact-checked, it's clear that it's Joe Biden. To be fair, Trump often makes comments and claims that have an arms-length relationship with the truth, at best, but to call out the former commander-in-chief and ignore the current president regarding honesty is the stuff Dan Rather is made of.
Hard Questions
Please. Raise your hand if you remember the last time Joe Biden was asked anything but softball questions during an interview.
Now raise your other hand if you remember the last time Donald Trump was asked anything but gotcha questions in an interview (that wasn't on Fox News).
But, hey — as Rather wrote:
Good journalism is always worth it. Our democracy depends on it.
Oh, please. Put a sock in it, Dan.
The Bottom Line
We've come to expect nothing less from the quasi-official Democrat Party media. They long-ago kicked professional journalism — and even a semblance of balanced reporting — to the curb. But, when media gets to the point where it admits it out loud and continues to demand even more of it, along with suppression and censorship of news the left doesn't want you to see or hear, we indeed live in ominous times.
Related:
Biden White House Desperately Trots Out Absurd New Term for Illegal Aliens, but the Facts Remain
All the Polls Are Coming for Biden: Latest CBS Survey Has Him Down by 4 Points to Trump
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