Recently Dan Rather ticked off a lot of media bias watchers when
we learned that he had stated that wearing a flag pin "didn't feel
right" to him. We are used to Dan Rather making outrageous
statements. Undoubtedly, this was another case of same old,
same old.
But hold on to your hat! Come to find out, the newsman we'd
RATHER NOT watch was quoted out of context. Here is what he said
in a taped interview with Howard Kurtz aired on CNN on Sept. 22:
Kurtz asked Rather if he feared "a danger" that "journalists would
be reluctant to criticize the Bush administration and the Pentagon
for fear of a public backlash."
Rather: I think that's probably true, but I think what is more
important - and let me again just speak for myself - that
particularly in the early states - and I would continue to say
these are the early states - that it is less of a fear of backlash.
Listen, I've had backlash - man, have I ever had it - and a lot
of times justified. I'm not afraid of backlash. What I want to
do, I want to fulfill my role as a decent human member of the
community and a decent and patriotic American. And therefore,
I am willing to give the government, the President, and the
military the benefit of any doubt here in the beginning. I'm
going to fulfill my role as a journalist, and that is ask the
questions, when necessary ask the tough questions. But I have
no excuse for, particularly when there is a national crisis
such as this, as saying - you know, the President says do your
job, whatever you are and whomever you are, Mr. And Mrs. America.
I'm going to do my job as a journalist, but at the same time I
will give them the benefit of the doubt, whenever possible in
this kind of crisis, emergency situation. Not because I am
concerned about any backlash. I'm not. But because I want to
be a patriotic American without apology."
Kurtz then asked: "Well, speaking of patriotic Americans, there
is a bubbling controversy in the business, as you probably know,
about whether journalists on the air should wear these little
lapel flags. NBC's Tim Russert did it on Meet the Press. ABC
News has barred its people from doing that. Does it seem to you
that journalists who show the flag are being patriotic, or are
they somehow kind of turning into cheerleaders for team USA?"
Rather stated that he has "no argument with anyone who does it,"
but he doesn't because "it doesn't feel right to me. I have the
flag burned in my heart, and I have ever since infancy. And I
just don't feel the need to do it. It just doesn't feel right
to me. And I try to be - particularly in times such as these -
and I have tried to be in touch with my inner self, my true inner
self, and I tried to listen. And my inner self says you don't
need to do that. But I have absolutely no argument with anyone
else who feels differently."
Reading Rather's comments as a whole, they are not nearly as
inflammatory as when just a few choice words are plucked out
and set on display. Another thing I am struck by is his
commitment to "give the government, the President and the
military the benefit of the doubt." Looking back at his
history with the former President Bush and the hard feelings
that lingered, it is something akin to a spiritual healing that
he is willing to support the current President Bush.
And what is more important in the long run - wearing a flag pin
or ribbon or supporting the difficult job that faces the president
and our country's other leaders?
Another thing that jumped out at me was his statement about
backlash: "Listen, I've had backlash - man, have I ever had it -
and a lot of times justified." I strongly suspect that this is
as much of an apology his ego will allow him to make for the
frequent acts of bias in his career. As part of the backlash,
I can accept his "apology" at face value.
Undoubtedly we will witness more hideously outrageous media bias
from Dan Rather before he retires, but I just don't hear it in
this interview.
Specifics aside, here are some good reasons to avoid quoting out
of context:
- It is unfair and we don't like it if someone does it to us.
- It gives liberals the chance to sneer at us and say, "See how they
are!"
- It dilutes whatever points we might make when we catch someone
in the act of real, hardcore media bias.
- Peacerose, 09/29/2001
Read more here:
MRC CyberAlert, 09/24/2001
RatherBiased.com - account of Dan Rather's disastrous
1988 interview with the former President Bush
