Dan Rather Sues CBS.

[Big Orange]

I don't know the exact ins and out of the debacle, but it seems a little late for Rather to lash out against his former bosses (as much as I despise Moonves), and the debacle was partially of his own doing:

Dan Rather Sues CBS Executives Again

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
By ADAM BRYANT
TV GUIDE

Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather has sued network CEO Leslie Moonves and CBS News President Andrew Heyward in an effort to have them reinstated in his $70 million lawsuit against the network.

In the new complaint, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court, Rather accused both men of fraud, according to Reuters. Rather claims he was a made a scapegoat by the network during a scandal in 2004 over a report on then-President George W. Bush's military record.

See photos of Rather on CBS Evening News

"These are the two individuals who committed the crime on behalf of CBS and we're holding them personally responsible," said Rather's lawyer, Martin Gold.

Rather filed the original lawsuit in 2007 and claimed CBS breached his contract by not giving him enough on-air assignments after he was removed as anchor of Evening News. Moonves and Heyward were named in that suit for damaging Rather's future job prospects, but a judge dismissed the claims in April 2008 based on lack of support.

Gold said he expects the executives to be reinstated based on amended complaint that now proves Rather's income has been reduced by several million dollars since being released by CBS. Rather now produces Dan Rather Reports, an hour-long news program on HDNet.

CBS has appealed to have the entire 2007 lawsuit dismissed. "If anything, this latest tactic confirms that the whole charade is more a tiresome plea for attention by Rather than a serious lawsuit," CBS said in a statement.

Seattle PI

[General Zod]

amended complaint that now proves Rather's income has been reduced by several million dollars

Somehow I have a hard time feeling sympathetic about this whole thing.

[Invictus ChiKen]

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't he get tossed under the bus for attacking the Bush administration and it turning out to have been wrong?

[Johonebesus]

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't he get tossed under the bus for attacking the Bush administration and it turning out to have been wrong?

No, he got tossed under the bus because a single piece of evidence among many might have been fabricated (it was never conclusively proven one way or the other). The bulk of the report was correct, and even the witnesses who said the memos were fake also said that the information in the memos was accurate. Of course, the republican propaganda machine obsessed over the memos and insisted that Rather was biased against shrub and that he be fired immediately, and the actual substance of the report was largely ignored. Everyone knew that Kerry lied to get his Purple Heart, but thanks to the shitstorm most didn't really hear much about Shrub going AWOL from the National Guard during Vietnam.

[MKSheppard]

The bulk of the report was correct, and even the witnesses who said the memos were fake also said that the information in the memos was accurate.

Proof right there that Obama was not born in the US, if we use Dan Rather's loose standards.

[erik_t]

It's damned unfortunate that Rather's comeuppance didn't lead to a realization among major newscasters that being sloppy and careless about reporting "news" could cost them their jobs.

[Dominus Atheos]

The bulk of the report was correct, and even the witnesses who said the memos were fake also said that the information in the memos was accurate.

Proof right there that Obama was not born in the US, if we use Dan Rather's loose standards.

So? That's only one document out of several, and even a few interviews. There's no question the facts of the report are correct.

linky

Lost in the commotion over the authenticity of the documents is that the underlying facts of Rather's 60 Minutes report are substantially true. Bush did not take the physical exam required of all pilots; his superiors gave him the benefit of any doubt; he did receive special treatment and Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian, Bush's commanding officer, was unhappy with the loss of ANG's investment in him when Bush informed Killian he was leaving for Alabama. Before the broadcast, Mary Mapes, the CBS producer of the program, confirmed the facts in the documents with retired Major General Bobby Hodges, who had been Killian's superior in the ANG. Later Hodges told the panel he did not think the documents were authentic, but did not disagree that the facts were substantially correct.

Following the broadcast, Marian Carr Knox, who was Killian's secretary at the time, confirmed the facts of the broadcast, saying, "There's no doubt in my mind that [the] information is correct." When the panel cross-examined Knox she seemed less certain of what she had told Rather but she did not contradict any of the broadcast. Since the broadcast, no one has come forward to say the program was untruthful.

If you need any further evidence, I'd be happy to provide a Patented DA Infodump on the subject.

[MKSheppard]

Lost in the commotion over the authenticity of the documents is that the underlying facts of Rather's 60 Minutes report are substantially true.

Wrong.

Bush did not take the physical exam required of all pilots;

And was removed from flying status because of it.

If that's special treatment, I'd like to know what's "indifference".

Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian, Bush's commanding officer, was unhappy with the loss of ANG's investment in him when Bush informed Killian he was leaving for Alabama.

And? Anyone would be disappointed in the loss of an ambitious young pilot -- but it happens, people decide the military isn't for them, and they separate. At the time the F-102 was being phased out, leaving Bush without a job; unless he committed himself for about seven months to a year of further training to qualify in the F-101B Voodoo; and this was when he had just two years left in his hitch. So yeah, I can see why he left. And I can see why Killian would be disapointed.

Anyway, I was just at the State Archives in Hawaii a couple weeks ago; and I managed to sneak a peek of BHO's certificate, but they wouldn't let me have a copy of it

So I made this from memory. It's accurate, I tells you!