Dan Rather interview on BBC TV

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Dan gives interview to BBC TV. He seems to be voicing opinions of many ordinary Americans

Rather's fundamental concerns are with government accountability and journalistic integrity.

"There has never been an American war, small or large, in which access has been so limited as this one," says Rather.

News divisions appear to be carrying on as usual but journalists find it extremely difficult to verify information provided by the US Government, he contends.

Many stories are being half told, Rather argues, citing Operation Anaconda as one of many.

Uphill struggle

You can access this interview in full, watch it and listen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/1991885.stm

Is Dan Rather right or wrong.

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Do you perhaps mean Dan Rather?

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If you find that Mr. Rather's analyses seem to contradict the positions i habitually take, then it should be self-evident that he is wrong. However, in those cases in which he agrees with me, he's just as right as rain.

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ok so my typing is crap. yes, DAN THE TV NEWSMAN

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oak, you can edit your post and the title of the topic.

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Interesting that he had to go to the BBC to voice those concerns. I am becoming increasingly convinced that the American news media is being directly controlled by the Dept. of Defense. And that scares the hell out of me.

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Viz it does seem a little weird and as you say Gov. control can go to far. I read that when the BBC brought doubt on the story of the USA female who was rescued in Iraq, that Washington was very unhappy with the story

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Ugh. Journalists are supposed to be objective. This just doesn't sit well with me at all. I remember reading somewhere that our gov't. is now spending something on the order of $20 million to establish a new news service in Iraq, because they're not happy with Al Jazeera & the local media. Does anyone know anything about this? Is this correct?

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Viz the UK government is not exactly openminded. I watch interviwes with politions and it's amazing how they skirt round the questons they don't like. Spin is one thing, bomerangs are something else

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John, Dan Rather has already been dragged over the political coals for his interview with Saddam. I know that in time of REAL crisis, things are glorified in favor of the cause, but to use a young girl from West "By God" Virginia as a prop in this debacle is outrageous...Her father would not comment to the press.Hmmmm. and I thought mountaineers were always free. Evil or Very Mad

Although I do not watch CBS news often, I think Rather has the right to look at things from a journalistic point of view.

Hey, Jes. I'd druther be Rather than president. Laughing

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You know Letty, in times of crisis you get politicians flying by the seat of their pants, and what they need is the parachute offered by friendly journalists. So if the politicos don't trust the journos then the Government could be flying on a wing and a prayer and even the angels have deaf ears at times

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I'm sure you're right, OaK. But how's a poor girl to tell the truth from the spin (or boomerang, as the case may be)...?

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Viz, you ladies often have better skills at reading people's actions and reading between the lines then men. It's intuition I guess.
You just have to trust 'em till they slip on their banana skin and sooner or later they often do.

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I wonder if there will be a huge backlash from the patriotically-correct crowd against Dan Rather and CBS for Dan going outside the country to make comments about the administration.

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That's right, the boy shoulda stayed here, and taken his chances, where the lynch mobs could get at him . . .

I would suggest that there was no one willing to do such a story here . . .

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I know, Setanta. I briefly watched CNN tonight on the capture of Eric Rudolph....another high profile case. Americans will be more interested in watching this, than Bush in Poland. "This is the way the world spins...."

Please pardon my slight "spin" on T.S. Eliot. Smile

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And CNN will broadcast this until something else pops up.

That story on private Lynch - the WH did issue a statement to the effect that the BBC should never have printed the story - but they have never denied it, either. They've given out their own version, which is chock full of ambiguities, but most papers didn't pick up on it.

I did read that the WH is preparing to launch a station to compete with Al Jazeera and another popular one whose name I forget. The rationale is that people will get only one side from Al Jazeera, and will need to look at another side. However, consider this truth in reporting, not spin.

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Setanta wrote:

...I would suggest that there was no one willing to do such a story here . . .

It seems like the major networks are increasingly unwilling to report any real news. instead they've found a new opiate for the masses -ie. sensational murders, kidnappings etc.
In other words they have switched us to a new diet of sensationalism while at the same time underreporting the issues and events that will have profound effects on our lives.

For example: The news shows this week have used large chunks of time reporting on the alleged Louisiana serial killer while barely mentioning the republican congressional leadership's last minute deleting of tax credits for tens of millions of the working poor from the tax cut bill.

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Dan Rather interview on BBC TV

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