Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News [Hardcover]

Dan Rather (Author), Digby Diehl (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: May 1, 2012

This memoir by Dan Rather is told in a straightforward and conversational voice, and covers all the important moments of his journalistic career, including a frank accounting of his dismissal from CBS, the Abu Ghraib story, the George W. Bush Air National Guard controversy, new insights on the JFK assassination, the origin of "Hurricane Dan" as well as inside stories about all the U.S. Presidents he covered and all the top personalities Dan has either interviewed or worked with over his distinguished career.

The book will also include Dan's thoughts on the state of journalism today and what he sees for its future, as well as never-before-revealed personal observations and commentary.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A renowned journalist settles scores in this investigation of how the news media has become dangerously intertwined with politics and corporate interests.

With the assistance of Diehl, Rather (The American Dream: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation, 2002 etc.) comes out swinging as he delves into the circumstances behind his firing from CBS News, where he had worked as a reporter since 1962, covering everything from Vietnam to Watergate to the conditions at Abu Ghraib. Unfortunately for Rather, his determination to air a potentially damning story about then-president George W. Bush's spotty military record irked the higher-ups at CBS's parent company, Viacom, leaving the feisty anchor unemployed at 75. Never one to shirk controversy, he sued CBS for breach of contract; although the suit was dismissed before it could come to trial, he has no regrets and no qualms about naming names. Indeed, this memoir reads as a muckraker's delight, with Rather lambasting CBS management as "spineless" and "risk-averse." He painstakingly details the cloak-and-dagger operations that Bush proponents resorted to in an attempt to hide the truth and discredit Rather's source materials. Invoking Edward R. Murrow, Rather rails against those who would distort the news for their own gain and intentionally mislead the public. In between, he provides fair-minded portraits of the presidents he has interviewed, traces his passion for the news to his upbringing in a news-savvy family and expresses concern for the future of independent media in an industry that is increasingly kowtowing to the almighty bottom line. While Rather occasionally lapses into platitudes-a chapter on 9/11 offers little beyond well-worn observations about courage and patriotism-he always gives credit where credit is due, and his sincerity is never in doubt.

An engaging grab-bag: part folksy homage to roots, part exposé of institutional wrongdoing and part manifesto for a truly free press.
-- Kirkus Reviews


Anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, much-honored newsman Rather has been working as a reporter for 64 years. He began his series of memoirs with The Camera Never Blinks (1977), a bestseller spanning his life from journalism study at Sam Houston State Teachers College to Watergate. He followed with I Remember (1991), recalling his Texas childhood, and The Camera Never Blinks Twice (1994) about TV journalism on location from Afghanistan to Vietnam. In this latest update to the series, his straight arrow honesty is punctuated with occasional humor: "It was long said of me that I had the CBS Eye tattooed somewhere on my ass." For a blistering opening chapter, he details the "absence of executive backbone" during CBS News' investigation of Abu Gharib: "The possibility that the financial and political interests of CBS corporate almost buried a story as compelling as Abu Gharib is most unsettling." He's equally outspoken on the "journalistic meltdown" when CBS News was ordered to drop its investigation into Bush's experience with the Texas Air National Guard. Throughout the book he delivers strong punches at those who stood in his way, but he also has much praise for the co-workers who joined him in his quest for the truth. With his usual conversational writing style, he maintains a personal connection with his readers in this riveting and revelatory autobiography that can also serve as a valuable textbook for anyone studying journalism.
--Publisher's Weekly

About the Author

Dan Rather is an award winning journalist who anchored CBS Evening News for decades. He is one of America's most decorated news journalists of all time.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (May 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455502413
• ISBN-13: 978-1455502417
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally. May 6, 2012

By J. James-Long

Format:Hardcover

I just finished reading this book. I recommend it to anyone who wonders how corporations influence the media. What I took away from the book is the following:

The fourth part of checks and balances in this country is a free press. It is enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and is an integral part of informed voting and participation in our democracy. The public is entitled to receive information, despite making angry those who don't wish certain information to be known. Oftentimes, it is precisely that hidden information that MUST be known. The corporatization, trivialization, politicization of the press is a serious national problem that continues to grow worse. The problem is that the public is becoming more and more desensitized to the sensationalistic corporate "news" being aired today.

A most excellent book.

79 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rather knocks it out of the park! May 2, 2012

By j.Laniak

Format:Hardcover

I have worked for network television news for over 30 years, only Mr. Rather has the courage to tell the absolute truth :

On the Standards of American Journalism Today

"American journalism is in crisis, in my opinion, there are a lot of reasons for that, but not the least is what's happened to the business of journalism as well of the practice (of journalism). There has been the corporatization, the politicization and the trivialization of the news...and in many ways, we in journalism have lost our spine, we've lost our grit, our gut...I see some signs of it getting somewhat better...but we now have a situation where no more than 6, possibly as few as 4, major global corporations, control about 80% or more of our true national circulation (news media)...Very big business... is `in bed' with big government in Washington whether it be Republican or Democratic. That affects what you see, hear and read in the news, and that is not a very good situation for us. Because you and I know that a free press, an independent, fiercely independent press is necessarily the red beating heart of democracy. When you diminish the standards, when you have this political and business influence, it's not healthy. Whether you consider yourself a conservative, or progressive or liberal it's not good for the country".

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely excellent! May 18, 2012

By DF

Format:Hardcover

This is Dan Rather through and through. You can hear his voice through his writing.

I've long been a fan of his journalism and was quite sad about how things were handled regarding the Bush situation. When you see someone you admire taken down so swiftly, you wonder about the details. Dan does not leave you hanging here. It's all here in black and white!

I just have to say...
This is one of the best autobiographies that I have ever read. You feel the truth and the emotion behind every word. I will recommend this book to everyone I know.