Former anchorman Dan Rather, who was fired by CBS for attempting to manipulate the 2004 presidential election, is now 92 years old and undergoing a rehabilitation campaign by the network. During the 2004 election, Rather ran a story on “60 Minutes II” claiming that President George W. Bush had gone AWOL during his time in the Texas Air National Guard. The story was based on documents that turned out to be forged, but Rather refused to apologize or retract the story. He was eventually forced out of CBS and sued the network for $70 million, a lawsuit that was dismissed. Despite his dishonesty, Rather continues to insist the story was true.
Now, CBS is joining in on the effort to rehabilitate Rather’s image, emphasizing his passion for journalism and downplaying his role in the fake news scandal. Hollywood also attempted to portray Rather in a positive light with a movie that flopped. Despite his deceitful actions, Rather continues to be treated as an expert in journalism, with Netflix even producing a documentary about his life.
While forgiveness and second chances are important, true contrition must come first. Rather’s refusal to admit his wrongdoing and continued promotion by the media only serves to perpetuate dishonesty and corruption in journalism. Rather deserves ridicule, contempt, and scorn for his actions, not rehabilitation and praise.
