Anyone just see Dan Rather

[Nite Owl]

on cspan. Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference

I was in and out and didn't get the whole thing. He talked about how with Watergate the WH tried to stymie the story and keep it limited to the WAPO. CBS did the story and got calls from the WH and they were told not to air the second part. They did but it was shortened.

He said that we (reporters) must do everything we can to bring the news out or we are complicit

It was a call to them to do their jobs! He was crying at the end.

Questions now.

[Pirate Smile]

1. I didn't see it all either but the personal statement at the end about

saying we need journalists now more then ever to do their jobs and find out what is REALLY going on while he was starting to cry just shows he knows what a scary and dangerous time we are in right now.

[Nite Owl]

7. I hope that they listen to him.

The part when he said that if they don't do their job then they are complicit should wake some of them up.

[Frederik]

37. He ought to know

He has gotten both an anthrax letter and forged documents from you-know-whom.

[ailsagirl]

2. Missed it-- wonder if it will be re-broadcast?

Rather got a bum steer and I feel for him.

What else did he say?

[Nite Owl]

5. Talked about the need

to keep anonymous sources and for the press to be protected from being sent to jail. He said something about the press' job is as important as any government official. I wish I had gotten the whole thing, it was sort of on in the background and the dogs were barking at something. I hope this is rebroadcast.

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. Hell, THIS government just SHOOTS pesky reporters who see too much

I've lost count of the number that have been killed.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

36. Link to transcript of speech...

complete at---> http://poynter.org/forum/?id=misc

6/7/2005 7:16:36 AM

Speech by Dan Rather

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS AND EDITORS 2005 ANNUAL CONFERENCE—DENVER, CO
KEYNOTE

It is my honor to be here today. And may I gently and humbly suggest that you might also feel honored to be here, too -- honored to be a journalist in a country where the role and the rights of the press are enshrined our very Constitution.

Furthermore, we might all relish a sense of, if not honor, then privilege -- to be able to make a living doing what we so passionately aspire to do, which is to report the news without fear or favor as a public service to our fellow Americans.

I stand before you as a reporter who got lucky. Very lucky, as one who dreamed since he was a young boy of being a reporter and has lived to become one and remain one, with undreamed-of opportunities and rewards beyond anything I could have imagined -- and far beyond anything I deserved.

I also stand before you with scars and some still-open wounds -- many of them self-inflicted -- from a professional lifetime of being on the line and in the journalistic trenches. I have had successes, but I have also had my failures and made my mistakes—have I ever. Being in the business for half a century means you can never be absolutely certain that you don’t hold the current record for blown chances and bungled opportunities.

And, without question, I have never fully lived up to what I longed and still long to be as a reporter.

snip>

Finally, do we understand that we—and by implication, what we do—are, as I said at the outset, enshrined in the Constitution, no less than any station of government…that our craft and calling is no less essential than any branch of government…that we are an intended and integral part of the system of checks and balances…that we are one more way the American people gain representation in the corridors of power, and that if we do not do everything we can to get to the truth—for the people—then we are complicit in burying it?

You see, just like that first investigative story…each of these things carries in it the same fundamental lessons one is bound to encounter again and again—that what we do matters (but only if we do it as IF it matters)…and that our calling is not to be liked, but to make a difference.

Do we still believe these truths? Do we understand these truths? Or not?

I ask these things of myself, and of you. Because these questions matter. The future of our country…not only journalism but America…depends on our answers, and how we choose to act on them. The country needs you right now, now more than ever. The country needs you to find out and communicate what’s going on, what’s really going on. You cannot, must not waver, hesitate or cower. You cannot, must not be intimidated or distracted. Yours is noble, essential work. Good luck. Godspeed. Thank you.

[Ready4Change]

3. Some reporters know what their work means.

A dying breed, it seems.

[roguevalley]

4. I am watching it now. Its wonderful. You should watch it all when you

get a chance. His q and a was terrific.

[housewolf]

6. Thanks for the heads-up - it repeats at 1am et

I'll catch it then.

[Nite Owl]

9. Thanks,

I want to get the whole thing.

Spitzer is on now.

[lavenderdiva]

10. On which CSPAN will it rebroadcast? 1, 2, or 3? n/t

[oblivious]

8. It's the editors and publishers who are the real problem.

If they are willing to publish it, the reporters will provide it.

[Jade Fox]

12. Yes, certainly there are many honorable and genuine reporters....

out there who are pulling out their hair in frustration over what their
editors and publishers won't print.

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. The big moneymen in the media are in the pockets of the Bushies

Except for the free intenet - which they will want to suppress soon, I'm sure - we could be back in any fascist society, where the press is an organ of the ruling cartel.

[Jade Fox]

16. Were it not for the internet....

I believe we would be living in Facism right now! :scared:

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. Exactly - so we need to watch for potential attacks like this one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3828849

I have no doubt that they will try to insert an attack on the free internet in coming legislation, maybe buried in a rushed-through bill or somewhere in a future version of the "Patriot" Act.

I agree, the free internet has been key in holding back the fascist slide. And the more effective we are at opposing them, the more they will work to destroy this freedom.

[oblivious]

18. An internet crackdown could happen anywhere.

Right now it's happening in China, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cuba, Jordan, Tunisia, Burma, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Kuwait, Vietnam, Syria, Iran, and United Arab Emirates among others, according to this excellent site telling how to bypass:

http://www.zensur.freerk.com/

China cracks down on Web and expats
A year-long campaign by the Hu Jintao government to silence unofficial voices in China and to assert control over independent expression continues with an order this week for all Chinese websites and bloggers to register their real names with authorities, or be closed by June 30.

Tens of thousands of Chinese use cyberspace to publish views on subjects ranging from politics to relationships, and have been able to avoid official censure by writing anonymously. But now Internet activity will be monitored in real time by Information Ministry computers. Sites and users not registered may be arrested.

...Efforts in China to control speech and news on the Internet are as old as the technology. In recent years, the state has introduced sophisticated software that can track and block dissent. In the weeks afterChina's former premier, Zhao Ziyang, died in January, almost all references to him in cyberspace were deleted. In April, the government disabled college Internet message boards - often used by students and alumni to speak freely and to communicate with Chinese living overseas. This week's declaration requiring Internet registry to operate on the Web will also give officials another tool for control.

"Those who continue to publish under their real names on sites hosted in China will either have to avoid political subjects or just relay the Communist Party's propaganda," stated the journalists' watch group Reporters Without Borders. "This decision will enable those in power to control online news more effectively."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0610/p01s02-woap.html

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. Yes, that's what I'm imagining will be tried here, and in the not too

distant future. Maybe after the 2006 elections, if they think the fraud might be harder to pull off with wider margins then and they want to make nice. And then, like the draft, they will trot out the horrors.

Edited to add: Thank you for this reference to an expected but chilling development. Please consider reposting it in the Free Speech, Press, & Internet Forum:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=319

I pushed to get this forum set up, and then got involved in other projects and let it languish, I'm ashamed to admit. We need to get it up and running strong - we need free speech every way we can get it. The Forum includes manipulated media as well as suppression of all other kinds. It needs to be a vibrant, active place to watchdog, share information, and organize actions.

[oblivious]

28. Done. Thanks for directing me to the FSPI forum. First time there.

It should be a good reference board once it gets going.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=319x77

[dandrhesse]

30. that's why we need a contingency plan and I hope there is one in the

making. We have been identified as a "problem" and you know how they are dealt with by this admin.

[Nothing Without Hope]

35. Yes, we need to be alert and ready to prevent the coming crackdown

on the free internet - because it will happen and they will try to sneak it in through something like a buried paragraph in the Patriot Act.

Without the free internet, hope for bringing US democracy back is pretty remote and they know it.

[BamaBecky]

31. error

[BamaBecky]

32. error

[BamaBecky]

33. error

[BamaBecky]

error

[BamaBecky]

error

[BamaBecky]

34. I think there are already members here at DU tracking us...n/t

[Clark2008]

29. You hit the nail on the head

:applause:

[cynatnite]

11. Just a reminder

:kick:

[FreedomAngel82]

13. God bless Dan Rather

:loveya:

[jillan]

20. Amen to that!

Poor guy - he really got screwed over.
BUT he's still going to be doing investigative reporting for CBS, and with all the crud brewing under the surface these days, that could be an even better job for him right now than anchor!

[icehenge]

21. Its being rerun right now, on CSPAN

He just spoke about watergate and the CBS reporting.

[icehenge]

22. Its on right NOW

[Alizaryn]

23. What a man ...

I can't help but wonder whether any of the recent coverage of the DSM and other importants issues where motivated by his words?

[icehenge]

25. I was wondering the same thing

I wonder if there is more to come....

[SeattleGirl]

24. Wow!

Thanks Nite Owl, for posting this. I read the post just as the repeat of Dan's speech was on C-SPAN. I hope at least SOME of the reporters in the audience rise to his challenge. THANK YOU DAN RATHER!

[snot]

26. Where can we best thank him?

[Gabi Hayes]

27. thank him for what?

where was he SIX YEARS ago, when ALL of this information was out there?

where were ALL of the MSM?

they still ignore every major story about that craven, lazy, coward

everybody knows that any of DOZENS of stories of his perfidy would have been enough to sink the candidacy of anyone not borne up by those who control the means of communication

just wait and see what they have in mind for the internets, the last place any real news is being disseminated

you think the MSM will carry through on any of this DSM stuff?

why will this be any different than any of the other dead stories/dead reporters/dead careers?

[faithnotgreed]

38. wow.... without saying it outright he was very clear that the press needs

to investigate and not be fearful. he knows there are things going on that need exposing

also he showed much class the whole time
again didnt say it outright but it was clear he believes in the story he did on the tang and bush. he acknowledged mistakes but never retracted the content

hearing his emotion about the soldiers and this country he made it sound like we are at a pivotal time in history and that the press needs to act in order to save this democracy
choked back tears numerous times which was powerful to see

of course we have no idea why he didnt publicly do more to expose things he knows about but perhaps there is more to that story we cant know
he did run the tang story and was villified. but again he did not retract anything about the basic facts of what he reported.

wonderful to see esp if it gives needed courage to any of the reporters and editors. he spoke of when he was starting out in texas as a reporter at a radio station - in the 1950s after he got out of the marines - and there was a house fire in the african american section of town and there were 3 dead. he received a phone tip to investigate it as arson.
he did and found out that it was connected to a very powerful white man in the community. he said his editor never told him not to run the story. the editor left town for a few days while the information was coming out! but he never told him he couldnt run with it
with the great help of the local police (amazing for the time in texas) they found the truth.

i was glad to hear him talk of this because he was putting his life on the line for the story and the press needs to hear and be inspired by this kind of dedication to truth no matter the consequences

heres to truth...