{{infobox television | show name

CBS Evening News | image | caption Title Card for ''The CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley''. | format News | runtime 15 minutes (1948–1963)30 minutes (1963–Present) | picture_format 480i (16:9 SDTV),1080i (HDTV) | creator Don Hewitt | presenter Douglas Edwards (1948–1962)Walter Cronkite (1962–1981)Dan Rather (1981–2005)Connie Chung (1993–1995)Bob Schieffer (2005–2006)Katie Couric (2006–2011)Scott Pelley (2011–present) Weekends: Russ Mitchell (2011–present) | executive_producer Patricia Shevlin | country United States | network CBS | first_aired May 3, 1948 (as ''CBS Television News''), 1950 (as ''Douglas Edwards with the News''), April 16, 1962 (as ''Walter Cronkite with the News''), September 2, 1963 (as ''The CBS Evening News'') | last_aired Present | num_seasons 61 | num_episodes }}

''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the ''CBS Evening News'' title since 1963.

''The CBS Evening News'' is anchored on weekdays by Scott Pelley and on weekends by Russ Mitchell. It is broadcast from the CBS Broadcast Center at 524 West 57 Street in New York City.

Anchors

Douglas Edwards (1948–1962)

CBS began broadcasting news shows on Saturday nights, expanding to two nights a week in 1947. On May 3, 1948, Douglas Edwards began ''The CBS-TV News'', a regular 15-minute nightly newscast. It aired every weeknight at 7:30 PM ET/6:30PM CT, and was the first regularly scheduled television news program. The week's news stories were recapped Sunday night with ''Newsweek in Review''. The name was later shortened to ''Week in Review'' and the show was moved to Saturday.

In 1950, the name of the nightly news was changed to ''Douglas Edwards with The News''. When in 1951 it became the first news program to be broadcast on both coasts, thanks to a new coaxial cable connection, Edwards started using the greeting ''"Good evening everyone, coast to coast."''

The program competed against John Cameron Swayze and the ''Camel News Caravan'' on NBC, launched in 1949. Edwards attracted more viewers during the mid-1950s, but lost ground when Chet Huntley and David Brinkley were teamed up by NBC on the ''Huntley-Brinkley Report''. In September 1955, Edwards was moved to 6:45 PM ET, although some affiliates had the option of carrying a 7:15 PM ET edition.

On November 30, 1956, the show became the first to use the new technology of videotape; it was used to time delay the broadcast (which originated in New York City) for the western U.S.

Walter Cronkite (1962–1981)

Walter Cronkite took over the anchor chair on April 16, 1962. On September 2, 1963, ''CBS Evening News'' became network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, lengthened from its original 15 minutes, and telecast at 6:30PM ET. As before, some affiliates (including WCBS-TV in New York) had the option of carrying a 7:00PM ET edition, like NBC did with ''The Huntley-Brinkley Report'' and later ABC's ''World News''. The three network stopped this practice after 1971.

The newscast broadcast in color for one evening on August 19, 1965, and made the switch permanently on January 31, 1966. Cronkite's 1968 editorial, declaring that the United States could only hope for a stalemate in Vietnam, is often credited with influencing Lyndon Johnson's decision to drop out of the Presidential race. "If I've lost Walter Cronkite ... [I]'ve lost Middle America", he stated.

Under Cronkite, the CBS show began what would eventually become an eighteen-year period of dominating the nightly news ratings. In the process, Walter Cronkite became "the most trusted man in America" in a Gallup Poll from that era, a status that had first been fostered by his coverage of the JFK Assassination. With the retirement of NBC's Huntley in 1970, Cronkite moved into the ratings lead and held it through the decade. Cronkite's image was further bolstered by his enthusiastic support for the space program, culminating with his anchoring of CBS News' coverage of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969.

In late 1972, Cronkite prodded the show's producers to feature two nights of lengthy explanation of the Watergate scandal, which had been extensively covered by ''The Washington Post'' but had not received major national coverage. After the first half of the report, shown on a Friday, ran for 14 minutes – half of the air time of the broadcast – White House officials complained to CBS founder William S. Paley. Monday's report was aired, but only for eight minutes.

Walter Cronkite retired from the broadcast March 6, 1981, nine months before his 65th birthday, under a CBS policy requiring mandatory retirement at 65. CBS correspondent Dan Rather, 49, replaced Cronkite the following Monday.

Dan Rather (1981–1993)

Dan Rather, a CBS news correspondent since the early 1960s and a ''60 Minutes'' reporter, took over the program on March 9, 1981, but was not as well-received as an anchorman as Cronkite had been – by 1990, the ''CBS Evening News'' was in third place behind ABC and NBC.

Concerns about excessive liberalism in the media were frequently leveled at Rather and CBS in general. Some of these concerns dated from Rather's position as White House correspondent for CBS News during the Nixon administration. An interview related to the Iran–Contra affair with then-Vice President George H.W. Bush where the two engaged in a shouting match on live television did little to dispel those concerns. Rather apologized for his behavior in statements the following day.

On September 1, 1986, amidst turmoil at CBS News and a brewing battle on CBS's Board of Directors for control of the company, Rather closed his broadcast with the word "Courage." He repeated it the following night, while on September 3, he said what he thought was the Spanish word for "courage", pronouncing it "cur-AH-he". In the face of media attention and pleas from his staff, Rather abandoned the signoff on September 8.

On September 11, 1987, Dan Rather marched off the camera in anger when it appeared that CBS Sports' coverage of a U.S. Open tennis semifinal match was going to cut into time allotted for the ''Evening News''. Rather was in Miami covering the visit to the city by Pope John Paul II. When the tennis match ended at 6:32 PM, Rather was nowhere to be found. Six minutes of dead air followed before he returned to the broadcast position – surprisingly, nearly half of the audience watched and waited. Rather later suggested that his intention was to force the sports department to fill up the entire half-hour so that he wouldn't have to truncate their elaborately-planned coverage of the papal visit.

Demonstrators from AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) broke into the CBS News studio on January 23, 1991, and chanted "Fight AIDS, not Arabs" during the show's introduction. One protester was seen on camera just as Rather began speaking. Rather immediately called for a commercial break and later apologized to viewers about the incident.

Dan Rather & Connie Chung (1993–1995)

From June 1, 1993, to May 18, 1995, Connie Chung co-anchored the broadcast with Rather. Chung normally co-anchored in the studio with Rather, but sometimes one appeared on location, while the other remained in the studio. Although Rather never said so publicly, CBS News insiders said he did not approve of her appointment.

Dan Rather (1995–2005)

The newscast returned to a solo anchor format in 1995 with Rather continuing as his role as anchor.

At age 73, Dan Rather retired from the ''Evening News'' on March 9, 2005, exactly 24 years after succeeding Cronkite. Rather left the anchor position amidst controversy and a credibility crisis over reports broadcast in the heat of the 2004 Presidential election campaign. The report was a September 2004 ''60 Minutes Wednesday'' segment questioning President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard record. Conservatives challenged the authenticity of the Killian documents used for the report. A number of bloggers analyzed scans of the documents, and rapidly concluded the documents were forgeries. Subsequently, CBS commissioned an independent inquiry into the matter and several CBS staffers were fired or asked to resign.

After his departure from the anchor chair, Rather continued to work on other CBS News programming as a correspondent. On June 20, 2006, CBS News President Sean McManus announced that Rather and CBS had agreed to end his 44-year career with the network.

Bob Schieffer (2005–2006)

On March 10, 2005, Rather was succeeded on an interim basis by longtime CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer. Schieffer has hosted the CBS News Sunday-morning political program ''Face the Nation'', based in Washington, D.C., since 1991.

At the time Schieffer took over, it was uncertain how long he would host the broadcast; also uncertain was whether it would retain its current shape or instead adopt some kind of multiple-host or other alternative format.

Under Rather in the years leading up to his retirement, the show trailed its rivals at ABC and NBC by a fairly large margin. John Roberts, the White House correspondent and Scott Pelley, his predecessor in that position, were often mentioned as possible successors to Rather when he retired. Jim Axelrod took over as White House correspondent when Roberts later left for CNN, once it became clear to him that he would not become the next face of CBS News.

In the months following Rather's departure, the program came to emphasize live exchanges between Schieffer and the various CBS News correspondents around the world. In contrast to traditional network-news practice, these exchanges are unrehearsed as part of an effort to make the language on the broadcast sound more "natural". Viewership levels increased over this period of time. It was the only news broadcast to gain viewers during 2005. In November 2005, CBS announced that ''Evening News'' executive producer Jim Murphy would be replaced by Rome Hartman, who took the helm over in January 2006.

Schieffer led ''The CBS Evening News'' to become the #2 evening news broadcast, beating out ''ABC World News Tonight''. The death of Peter Jennings in 2005 put the ABC News division in flux. When Charles Gibson was appointed as anchor at ''World News Tonight'', ABC regained much of its momentum to take back the #2 spot. Bob Schieffer's final broadcast of the newscast occurred on August 31, 2006. Russ Mitchell filled in for the following two nights (September 1 and 4), after which he was succeeded on September 5 by Katie Couric.

During this time, Schieffer commuted to New York, where he anchored the Evening News, from Washington D.C., his home and the location of ''Face the Nation''.

Katie Couric (2006–2011)

On December 1, 2005, it was reported that Katie Couric, host of NBC's ''Today'' morning show, was considering CBS' offer to take over the ''CBS Evening News''. On April 1, 2006, Couric officially signed the deal to become the anchor of the ''CBS Evening News''. On April 5, 2006, Couric announced on NBC's ''The Today Show'' that she would be stepping down as anchor of the show, a position she held for fifteen years.

Couric began working at CBS News in July 2006. During her first broadcast as anchor on September 5, 2006, new graphics, a new set, and a new theme composed by Academy Award winning composer James Horner were introduced; similar graphics and music would be used in other CBS News productions such as ''Up to the Minute'', ''CBS Morning News'', and ''The Early Show'' throughout the month of October. A new opening title sequence was designed, with Walter Cronkite providing the voiceover, replacing Wendell Craig unless a temporary voice-over was needed. Morgan Freeman started doing the voice over on January 4, 2010. The program also debuted a new feature called "Free Speech" in which different Americans, ranging from a well known national figure to an average person, would provide a news commentary. However, after overwhelmingly negative reaction, the "Free Speech" segment was discontinued.

On March 8, 2007, ''The New York Times'' reported that executive producer Rome Hartman was being replaced by television news veteran Rick Kaplan. Hartman's last production aired on March 7. Kaplan comes to the ''CBS Evening News'' after stints at MSNBC, CNN, and ABC's ''World News Tonight'' with Peter Jennings.

On April 4, 2007, Couric did a one-minute commentary about the importance of reading in a piece substantially lifted from a ''Wall Street Journal'' column by Jeffrey Zaslow. Couric claimed that she remembered her first library card, but the words were all from Zaslow's column. Once revealed, it was determined that a producer had actually written the piece. What made the plagiarism especially striking was the personal flavor of the video—now removed from the CBS Web site—that began, "I still remember when I got my first library card, browsing through the stacks for my favorite books." Much of the rest of the script was stolen from the ''Journal''. Zaslow said at the time that CBS has "been very gracious and apologetic, and we at the Journal appreciate it." This is considered double plagiarism, the producer who wrote the piece copied from someone else for Couric and for the anchor who claimed the words were hers when they were not. The producer responsible for Couric's piece, Melissa McNamara, was fired hours after the Journal contacted CBS News to complain. The network promised changes in its procedures.

On August 27, 2008, MediaBistro wrote a piece about the Big Three network newscasts, praising Couric's ''CBS Evening News'' for extensive reporting that had, to its eyes, content better than its rivals. Another critic from MarketWatch praised Couric's recent work and said that people should watch out for her this 2009. That didn't stop from there, Tom Shales, a ''Washington Post'' writer praised Couric as a warmer, more benevolent presence than her two competitors; something that she brought to the program nearly 16 years of goodwill from doing "Today" and becoming America's sweetheart, or very close to it, and that goodwill is still there. He went on to say that viewers may find bad news less discomforting and sleep-depriving as Couric gives it to them. It's news you can warm up to. He also added that that doesn't mean she tries to sugarcoat or prettify grim realities. According to Shales, "The CBS Evening News" may be a more hospitable, welcoming sort of place than its competitors. He concluded by stating that it's naive to think that viewers choose their news anchor based solely on strict journalistic credentials, though Couric's do seem to be in order, whatever the Katie haters may say.

''The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric'' won the 2008 and 2009 Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast. In September 2008, Couric interviewed Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, earning respect from a MarketWatch critic for asking tough questions.

On May 18, 2009, the newscast's graphics were overhauled, using a blue and red color scheme with web-influenced motifs and layouts. The new graphics design feature a look influenced by the graphics CBS used during the 2008 presidential election coverage.

Ratings during Couric's period as anchor have fluctuated, seemingly improving at times, but also posting historic lows—going back to at least the 1991-92 season. Despite receiving awards, positive critiques, and 'overhauled' on-air presentation, the newscast remains mired in third place—behind ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''ABC World News''.

Couric had been the only solo female news anchor in the United States from September 5, 2006, until December 21, 2009, when Diane Sawyer joined Couric as the second female evening news anchor, as she took over for Charles Gibson, who retired as anchor of ABC's ''World News with Charles Gibson''.

In 2009, CBS News revived its "CBS Reports" brand for "CBS Reports: Children of the Recession," a critically acclaimed multi-part series. The second installment, "CBS Reports: Where America Stands" aired in January 2010.

On April 3, 2011, The Associated Press reported that Couric would be leaving her anchor post at ''CBS Evening News'' when her contract expired on June 3. Couric later confirmed her departure to ''People'', citing a desire for "a format that will allow (her) to engage in more multi-dimensional storytelling." On Friday May 13, 2011, Couric announced that the following Thursday, May 19, would be her last broadcast.

Scott Pelley (2011–present)

Scott Pelley, who in December 2004 publicly commented about his qualifications for the job when Rather was leaving, was called the front-runner to replace Couric by ''The New York Times''. On May 3, 2011 CBS officially confirmed that Pelley would replace Couric on the ''CBS Evening News'' in June. Harry Smith was the interim anchor until Pelley's tenure started on June 6, 2011.

On said date, Pelley made his first appearance on the program. The news graphics were subtly updated, the American flag background on the news set (used since the 2008 elections) was replaced by a replica of the globe fixture during the Cronkite era, and the James Horner theme was replaced by the 1987-91 theme used during the Rather era.

Reviews for the new program have been mostly positive. The program's ratings have also increased since Pelley took over.

Weekend editions

CBS News National Correspondent Russ Mitchell is the current weekend anchor of ''CBS Evening News'' which airs on Saturday at 6:30/5:30 p.m. ET/CT, and Sunday at 6:00/5:00 p.m. ET/CT. Weekend newscasts are often pre-empted for CBS Sports telecasts, most notably coverage of the National Football League. However, an anchor will deliver updates during a break in the action if major news develops

Scott Pelley anchors the weekend editions if there is major news to report. Mitchell and Bob Schieffer are primary substitutes for Scott Pelley on the weekday editions, and Senior Business Correspondent Anthony Mason, is the primary substitute for Russ Mitchell on the weekend editions.

The weekend editions have been stepping stones for many famous television journalists. Former anchors include Dan Rather (1970–1975), Roger Mudd (1975–1976), Morton Dean (1976–1982), Bob Schieffer (1977–1995), Connie Chung (1990–1993), Deborah Norville , John Roberts rotated (1993-1995), John Roberts (1995–2006), Thalia Assuras and Russ Mitchell rotated (2004–2007), and Jeff Glor (2008–2010). After Glor became part of the daily ''Early Show'' broadcast in January 2011, he was replaced by an arrangement of interim anchors rotating every other Saturday with Mitchell, being the the primary who had already been anchoring the Sunday broadcasts since 1999.

High definition

On Monday, July 28, 2008, the ''CBS Evening News'' began broadcasting in high definition, becoming the third national newscast, behind ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''News Hour with Jim Lehrer'' to do so. In addition, ''60 Minutes'' started broadcasting in HD in September, with the remainder of CBS News programming to follow by the end of 2009.

Broadcasts outside the U.S.

CBS Evening News is shown on Sky News to viewers in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia at 12.30am & 5.30am GMT. In Australia, the bulletin is shown at 11.30am Monday to Saturday, and at 12.30pm on Sundays on Sky News Australia. In New Zealand Sky News broadcasts live CBS Evening News starting 1:30PM Local Time. In Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, CBS Evening News is broadcast on American Network.

CBS is not shown outside the Americas on a channel in its own right. However, CBS News is shown for a few hours a day on satellite channel Orbit News in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In the Philippines it is shown on Q (now called GMA News TV) , everyday Mon to Fri at 1:00pm(local time)and Sat & Sun at 12:45pm(local time) live via satellite after Balitanghali, but it ceased airing on March 31, 2010 when Q went off the air on Holy Week 2010.

''CBS Evening News'' was broadcast live on ATV World in Hong Kong daily until January 1, 2009, when ATV ceased broadcasting ''CBS Evening News'' and its sister program, ''60 Minutes''; the latter being only temporarily. The broadcast of ''Late Show with David Letterman'' has also been stopped. As of September 2010, only "60 Minutes" continues to broadcast.

Correspondents

CBS News HQ in New York City-based

Armen Keteyian (Chief Investigation)

Anthony Mason (Senior Business) (Substitute Anchor)

Byron Pitts (Chief National)

Jeff Glor (National)

Russ Mitchell (National) (CBS Evening News Weekend Anchor/Managing Editor)

Jim Axelrod (National)

Jon LaPook (Medical)

Jennifer Ashton (Medical)

Peter Greenberg (Travel)

Rebecca Jarvis (Business and Economics)

Steve Hartman (Assignment America)

Michelle Miller

Seth Doane

Elaine Quijano

Washington, D.C.-based

Bob Schieffer (Chief Washington)

Jan Crawford (Political & Chief Legal)

Lara Logan (Chief Foreign Affairs)

Chip Reid (Chief White House)

Bill Plante (Senior White House)

Wyatt Andrews (United States Department of State)

Sharyl Attkisson (Follow the Money Investigations)

Nancy Cordes (United States Congress)

David Martin (The Pentagon)

Bob Orr (Justice & Homeland Security)

Whit Johnson

Los Angeles-based

Terry McCarthy (Foreign)

Bill Whitaker

Ben Tracy (National)

London-based

Elizabeth Palmer

Mark Phillips

Other locations

Don Teague (Dallas)

Kelly Cobiella (Miami)

Allen Pizzey (Rome)

Mandy Clark (Kabul)

Celia Hatton (Beijing & Tokyo)

Barry Petersen (Denver)

John Blackstone (San Francisco)

Mark Strassmann (Atlanta)

Dean Reynolds (Chicago)

Cynthia Bowers (Chicago)

Sanjay Gupta (Medical—CNN/Atlanta)

References

External links

Official website

Internet Movie Database links:

Evening News Evening News Category:American news television series Category:1948 television series debuts Category:1940s American television series Category:1950s American television series Category:1960s American television series Category:1970s American television series Category:1980s American television series Category:1990s American television series Category:2000s American television series Category:2010s American television series Category:Early videotape recordings Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television

es:CBS Evening News fr:CBS Evening News ko:CBS 이브닝 뉴스 id:CBS Evening News nl:CBS Evening News ja:CBSイブニングニュース pl:CBS Evening News sh:CBS Evening News zh:CBS晚間新聞

Evening News may refer to:

In television news:

''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast

''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast

''JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast

In newspapers:

''Evening News'' (London), an evening newspaper published in London

''The Evening News'' (Jeffersonville), a daily newspaper serving Jeffersonville and Clark County, Indiana

''The Evening News'' (Sault Ste. Marie), local newspaper in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

''Cambridge Evening News'', a British daily newspaper

''Edinburgh Evening News'', a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland

''London Evening News'', a newspaper that was first published in 1855

''Manchester Evening News'', an English daily newspaper

''Norwich Evening News'', a daily local newspaper published in Norwich, Norfolk, England

''Southbridge Evening News'', a daily newspaper in Southbridge, Massachusetts

''Xinmin Evening News'', a newspaper in Shanghai, China

''Yanzhao Evening News'', a tabloid newspaper published in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

In other uses:

"The Evening News" (Chamillionaire song), a song from the album ''Ultimate Victory''

fr:Journal du soir ja:イブニングニュース zh:晚間新聞

name	Scott Cameron Pelley
birth date	July 28, 1957
birth place	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
education	Texas Tech University
occupation	Journalist
years active	1975–present
credits	''60 Minutes'' ''60 Minutes II'' ''CBS Evening News'' }}

Scott Cameron Pelley (born July 28, 1957) is an American television journalist who is currently anchor and managing editor of the ''CBS Evening News'' and a correspondent for the CBS news magazine ''60 Minutes''. Prior to his ''60 Minutes'' position, Pelley was a correspondent for the ''60 Minutes II'' program and served as CBS News's chief White House correspondent.

Early life

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Pelley grew up in Lubbock, where he graduated from Coronado High School and obtained his first job in journalism at the age of fifteen as a copyboy for the ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''. Staying close to home, he attended the journalism school at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock.

Family

Pelley is married to the former Jane Boone and has two children.

Career

Early career

Pelley began his career as a broadcast journalist at Lubbock's KSEL-TV in 1975. He moved on to KXAS (NBC) in Dallas-Fort Worth in 1978, then jumped to WFAA (ABC) (also in Dallas/Fort Worth) in 1982, remaining there for seven years. In 1985, Pelley's reporting on Guatemalan refugees living in remote jungles of Mexico caught the attention of executives at CBS News, but it would be another four years before Pelley would move to the CBS network.

CBS News

Pelley's CBS career started in New York City in 1989. Later, he returned to Dallas to cover national affairs from the CBS bureau. Pelley covered the 1990/91 Gulf war, reporting from Baghdad and traveling with the XVIII Airborne Corps in its assault on Iraq and Kuwait. He was assigned to cover the 1992 presidential campaigns of Ross Perot and Bill Clinton, and also reported on such major events as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Branch Davidian siege near Waco, Texas, and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Pelley served as CBS News' Chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999. During that time, President Clinton was impeached by the United States House of Representatives. In covering the investigation of the president, Pelley broke the news that Monica Lewinsky had become a cooperating witness in the investigation conducted by the Office of Independent Counsel. Pelley was also first to report that President Clinton had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury. Later, in 2001, Pelley got the first interview with former president Clinton in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.

60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II

In 1999, Pelley left the White House to join ''60 Minutes II'' shortly after its inception. In 2000, Pelley landed the first interview with the new president-elect, George W. Bush. The next year, on the morning of September 11, Pelley reported from the scene of the collapsing World Trade Center towers. In 2002, Pelley landed the only interview with President Bush on the anniversary of 9/11. In 2003, Pelley began filing reports for 60 Minutes on Sunday. He moved to the Sunday edition of the broadcast in 2004.

In recent years Pelley's work has featured reporting on the economic collapse of 2008-2009, on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and reporting on climate change from Antarctica and the Arctic. In 2008, Pelley conducted an interview with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The interview was the first with a Fed Chairman in decades and broke a long standing Federal Reserve tradition. The broadcast was honored with an Emmy Award.

In a 2007 article in ''USA Today,'' Pelley told columnist Peter Johnson, "I am looking for epic stories of human struggle, big issues that I can get my arms around — especially in places that are difficult to get to and which most people don't see."

War reporting

Starting with the Persian Gulf crisis of 1990 and the 1991 invasion of Iraq, Pelley has reported extensively from many war zones, including the former Yugoslavia and post-Taliban Afghanistan. In 2003, Pelley and a ''60 Minutes'' team opted out of the Pentagon's embed system and covered the invasion of Iraq independently from the initial strike to the fall of Baghdad. He has returned to Iraq frequently to report on the insurgency. In 2006 and 2007 he filed reports on the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. In his 2007 report, Pelley enlisted the help of a rebel group to organize an armed reconnaissance into Darfur. The story revealed a village that had been destroyed by government forces in their campaign of genocide. The Darfur report was honored with an Emmy Award. In a review of the story, the ''Washington Times'' wrote, "The legacy of [Edward R.] Murrow lives at CBS in the daring, long-range investigations of Scott Pelley."

CBS Evening News

Pelley became the anchor of the CBS Evening News on June 6, 2011, succeeding Katie Couric. CBS's announcement followed media reporting that had pointed to Pelley being the frontrunner for the position. In his first 10 weeks in the anchor chair, Pelley gained an additional 650,000 viewers.

Appraisals

The reviews of Pelley's ''60 Minutes'' work have been generally positive. David Zurawik of ''The Baltimore Sun'' wrote in 2007, "If there is a single face of the broadcast, it is now that of Pelley who has done several of the biggest interviews and stories." Allen Neuharth, founder of ''USA Today'', noted that "Pelley threw hardballs" in his 2007 interview with President Bush. Bob Woodward, writing in ''The Washington Post'' in 2007, said, "Scott Pelley nailed the crucial question" in his interview with former CIA Director, George Tenet. William F. Buckley, Jr., in the ''National Review'', said "Pelley did fine work" in the Tenet piece. Alessandra Stanley of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "the strongest on-air personality of the moment belongs to one of the program's blander faces, Scott Pelley."

Recognition

In 2011, Pelley's team of producers, photographers and editors won the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for an investigation into the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The story uncovered the troubled history of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the months and days before the 2010 blowout that killed 11 crewmen and unleashed the largest accidental oil spill in history.

In 2009, Pelley's team won its second George Foster Peabody Award for a report on the medical relief organization Remote Area Medical. RAM was created to airdrop doctors and supplies into the developing world, but today it does most of its work setting up free medical clinics for the uninsured in the United States.

Also in 2009, Pelley's team won the George Polk Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for an investigation of American recycling companies that secretly ship hazardous waste to China. The report exposed an illegal trade that ruins the health of villagers who dismantle discarded computers under medieval conditions.

The Pelley team's reporting on the deaths of civilians during a Marine engagement in Haditha, Iraq, won the 2007 George Foster Peabody Award. The citation for the award said in part, "This thorough, open-minded investigation of the worst single killing of civilians by American troops since Vietnam put not just the incident into better perspective but the entire Iraq War and the terrible choices it presents both soldier and civilian".

Pelley has been the correspondent on teams that have won fifteen national Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Their reporting on child slavery in India earned 60 Minutes II the Investigative Reporters and Editors award in 1999. In addition, Pelley's team has won five Edward R. Murrow Awards, bestowed by the Radio and Television News Director's Association and the Writers Guild of America Award.

Pelley serves on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee, the refugee relief agency headquartered in New York City. He is Co-Chair of the IRC's Board of Overseers.

Pelley was inducted into the Texas Tech University alumni Hall of Fame and serves on the board of the university's College of Mass Communications

In 2010, Pelley was named to Salon.com's "Men on Top" list alongside Conan O'Brien, Tom Hardy, and Mark Ronson. "He restores a little of our faith in TV news," writes Salon.com, "while performing hugely important, world-bettering reports along the way."

References

External links

Scott Pelley's bio at CBSnews.com

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:60 Minutes correspondents Category:American people of the Iraq War Category:American television reporters and correspondents Category:People from Lubbock, Texas Category:Texas Tech University alumni Category:War correspondents Category:Gerald Loeb Award winners

de:Scott Pelley fr:Scott Pelley nl:Scott Pelley

name	Dan Rather
birthname	Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr.
birth date	October 31, 1931
birth place	Wharton, Texas, U.S.
education	Sam Houston State University
occupation	JournalistAnchor
years active	1950–present
spouse	Jean Goebel
children	Daughter Robin, son Danjack
credits	''CBS Evening News'' anchor (1981–2005)''60 Minutes'' correspondent (1968–1981; 1999–2006) }}

Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. (born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the ''CBS Evening News.'' He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine ''Dan Rather Reports'' on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the ''CBS Evening News'' for 24 years, from March 9, 1981, to March 9, 2005. He also contributed to CBS's ''60 Minutes''. Rather became embroiled in controversy about a disputed news report involving the 2004 U.S. presidential election and subsequently left ''CBS Evening News'' in 2005, and he left the network altogether after 43 years in 2006.

Early life

Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. () was born on October 31, 1931, in Wharton County, Texas, the son of Daniel Irvin Rather, Sr., and the former Byrl Veda Page. The Rathers moved to Houston, and Dan attended Love Elementary School and Hamilton Middle School. He graduated in 1949 from John H. Reagan High School in Houston. In 1953, he received a bachelor's degree in journalism from Sam Houston State University where he was editor of the school newspaper, ''The Houstonian''. At Sam Houston, he was a member of the Caballeros – the founding organization of the currently active Epsilon Psi chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Rather briefly attended South Texas College of Law in Houston, which later awarded him an honorary Juris Doctor in 1990. In 1954, Rather enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, but did not complete recruit training because of a childhood bout with rheumatic fever.

Early career

Rather began his journalism career in 1950 as an Associated Press reporter in Huntsville, Texas. Later, he was a reporter for United Press (1950–1958), several Texas radio stations, and the ''Houston Chronicle'' (1954–1955). Around 1955, Rather did a story on heroin. Under the auspices of the Houston Police, he experienced the drug which he characterized as "a special kind of hell." While at Sam Houston State, Rather worked for KSAM-FM radio in Huntsville, Texas, calling junior high, high school, and Sam Houston State football games. He later spent four seasons as the play-by-play announcer for the University of Houston football team. During the 1959 minor league baseball season, Rather was the play-by-play radio announcer for the Houston Buffs team of the triple A American Association. In 1959, he began his television career as a reporter for KTRK-TV in Houston. Rather was subsequently promoted to the director of news for KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston. Ray Miller, news director of KPRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Houston, also mentored Rather in the early years.

In early September 1961, Rather reported live from the Galveston Seawall as Hurricane Carla threatened the Texas coastline. In his autobiography, Rather notes that back then, television stations did not have their own radar systems, and of course nobody then had the modern computerized radar that combines the radar image with an outline map. So he took a camera crew to a National Weather Service radar station located on the top floor of the Post Office Building on 25th Street in Galveston, where a technician drew a rough outline of the Gulf of Mexico on a sheet of plastic, and held that over the black and white radar display to give Rather's audience an idea of the storm's size and position its eye. His reporting, which has been imitated by countless other reporters, impressed the network executives at CBS, and they offered him a job as a CBS News correspondent. Rather refused CBS's first offer, but accepted its second offer when it came three months later.

On February 28, 1962, Rather left Houston for New York City for a six-month trial initiation. Rather didn't fit in easily on the East Coast, and his first reports for CBS included coverage of the crash of American Airlines Flight 1 in Jamaica Bay, and a less memorable event on the suffocation of children at a hospital in Binghamton. Shortly after, Rather was made chief of CBS's Southwest bureau in Dallas. In 1963, he was appointed chief of the Southern bureau in New Orleans, responsible for coverage of news events in the South, Southwest, Mexico and Central America. It would be only a matter of time before Rather reported on one of the most tragic events in American history.

CBS News

JFK assassination to Watergate

Rather was the first network television journalist to report that U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. In his autobiography, he also claims to be one of the first to see the Zapruder film showing the assassination and the first to describe it on television. The film was not itself shown on television to the general public, and Rather reported the fatal headshot as forcing Kennedy's head to be thrown violently forward, when it was thrown backwards. This misreporting is sometimes included as part of conspiracy theories which purport that the direction in which Kennedy's head moved supports one theory or another.

Later, he reported that some schoolchildren in Dallas had applauded when they were notified of the president's death. Administrators said that, in fact, the thrust of the announcement was that school was to be dismissed early (making the students' delight more understandable). This story infuriated local journalists at then-CBS affiliate KRLD-TV (now Fox owned-and-operated KDFW-TV), who temporarily threw the CBS News staff out of their workspace

Rather's reporting during the national mourning period following the Kennedy assassination and subsequent events brought him to the attention of CBS News management, which rewarded him in 1964 with the network's White House correspondent position.

After serving as a foreign correspondent for CBS in London in 1965 and Vietnam in 1966, he served his second tenure as White House correspondent during the Richard Nixon presidency. He covered the Watergate investigation as well as the impeachment proceedings. In 1970, he drew the assignment as primary anchor for the CBS Sunday Night News.

CBS Evening News anchor

After President Nixon's resignation in 1974, Rather took the assignment of chief correspondent for the documentary series ''CBS Reports''. He later became a correspondent of the long-running Sunday night news show ''60 Minutes,'' just as the program was moved from a Sunday afternoon time-slot to primetime. Success there (and a threat to bolt to ABC News) helped Rather pull ahead of longtime correspondent Roger Mudd in line to succeed Walter Cronkite as anchor and Managing Editor of ''CBS Evening News''.

Rather assumed the position upon Cronkite's retirement, making his first broadcast on March 9, 1981. From the beginning of his tenure, it was clear that Rather had a significantly different style of reporting the news. In contrast to the avuncular Cronkite, who ended his newscast with "That's the way it is", Rather searched to find a broadcast ending more suitable to his tastes. For one week during the mid-1980s, Rather tried ending his broadcasts with the word "courage" and was roundly ridiculed for it. He eventually found a wrap-up phrase more modest than Cronkite's and more relaxed than his own previous attempt; for nearly two decades, Rather ended the show with "That's part of our world tonight."

While Rather had inherited Cronkite's ratings lead, the success of the ''Evening News'' with Rather at the helm fluctuated wildly. After a dip to second place, Rather regained the top spot in 1985 until 1989 when he ceded the ratings peak to rival Peter Jennings at ABC. By 1992, however, the ''Evening News'' had fallen to third place, where it remained.

The traditionally strong journalistic bench of CBS News was weakened in 1984, when new owner Lawrence Tisch oversaw layoffs of thousands of CBS News employees, including correspondents David Andelman, Fred Graham, Morton Dean and Ike Pappas. Fewer videotape crews were dispatched to cover stories and numerous bureaus were closed. Reporting by Peter Boyer of the ''New York Times'' indicates that Rather did relatively little to stop this, having already chosen to marginalize the people he considered to be "B" level correspondents.

For a short time from 1993 to 1995, Rather co-anchored the evening news with Connie Chung. Chung had previously been a Washington correspondent for CBS News and anchored short news updates on the west coast. On joining the ''CBS Evening News'', however, she worked to report "pop news" stories that did not fit the style of the broadcast. In one incident, she was on an airplane interviewing Tonya Harding, who was accused of being behind the plot to injure fellow Olympic ice skater Nancy Kerrigan. Chung ultimately left the network, and Rather went back to doing the newscast alone.

At the end of Rather's time as anchor, the ''CBS Evening News'' lagged behind the ''NBC Nightly News'' and ''ABC World News Tonight'' in the ratings, although it was still drawing approximately 7 million viewers a night. Criticism of Rather reached a fever pitch after 60 Minutes II ran his report about President Bush's military record; numerous critics questioned the authenticity of the documents upon which the report was based. Rather subsequently admitted on air that the document's authenticity could not be proved. In the aftermath of the incident, CBS fired multiple members of the CBS News staff but allowed Rather to stay on. Rather retired under pressure as the anchor of the ''CBS Evening News'' on March 9, 2005.

Personal life

Rather married his wife Jean in 1957. They have a son and daughter, and maintain homes in New York City and Austin, TX. Their daughter Robin is an environmentalist and community activist in Austin, Texas. Their son Dan is an assistant district attorney in the District Attorney's office in Manhattan, New York.

Sam Houston State University renamed its mass communications building after Rather in 1994. The building houses ''The Houstonian'' and KSHU, the student-run radio and television stations. In May 2007, Rather received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, for his lifetime contributions to journalism.

A columnist whose work is distributed by King Features Syndicate, Rather continues to speak out against alleged influence in journalism by corporations and governments. At a recent conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sponsored by the group Free Press, Rather criticized both local and national news organizations, stating – according to reports – that there is no longer incentive to do "good and valuable news."

On May 28, 2007, Rather compared historical events to events in the ''Star Wars'' films in the History Channel special, "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed".

Journalistic history and influence

Nixon

During the presidency of Richard Nixon, critics accused Rather of biased coverage against President Nixon. At a Houston news conference in March 1974, Nixon fielded a question from Rather, still CBS's White House correspondent, who said, "Thank you, Mr. President. Dan Rather, of CBS News. Mr. President.... Mr. President...." The room filled with jeers and applause, prompting Nixon to joke, "Are you running for something?" Rather replied "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?". In his question, Rather accused Nixon of not cooperating with the grand jury investigation and the House Judiciary Committee in relation to the Watergate scandal.

According to NBC’s Tom Brokaw, the network considered hiring him, Brokaw, as its White House correspondent to replace Rather. But these plans were scrapped after word was leaked to the press. The controversy did little to dent Rather's overall tough coverage of the Watergate scandal, which helped to raise his profile.

Afghanistan, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush

During the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Rather was on camera wearing a traditional Mujahadeen headdress and garments while reporting from near the front lines. These reports helped Rather gain prominence with the Evening News audience (and the nickname "Gunga Dan"; Rather's reports were also spoofed by the comic strip ''Doonesbury''). It later turned out that Rather's reports played a role in moving Congressman Charlie Wilson to try to help the struggling mujahideen, which led to the largest-ever CIA covert operation in supplying aid and advanced arms to the mujahideen, which in turn eventually led to the Soviets quitting Afghanistan.

Rather's energy and spirit helped him out-compete Roger Mudd for the anchor spot on the ''Evening News''. Mudd was a more senior correspondent and a frequent substitute anchor for Walter Cronkite on the ''Evening News'', and he also anchored the Sunday evening broadcast. But it was Rather who traveled through Afghanistan when the news led there. A few years into his service as anchorman, Rather began wearing sweaters beneath his suit jacket to soften and warm his on-air perceptions by viewers.

Later during the 1980s, Rather gained further renown for his forceful and skeptical reporting on the Iran-Contra Affair, which eventually led to an on-air confrontation with then Vice President George H. W. Bush: Bush referred to Rather's "dead air incident" saying, "I want to talk about why I want to be President, why those 41 percent of the people are supporting me. And I don't think it's fair to judge my whole career by a rehash on Iran. How would you like it if I judged your career by those seven minutes when you walked off the set in New York?" Rather ignored Bush's comment.

Shortly after Iraq invaded Kuwait, Rather secured an interview with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

On February 24, 2003, Rather conducted another interview with Hussein before the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. In the interview, Hussein invited Rather to be the moderator of a live television debate between himself and George W. Bush. The debate never took place.

''The Wall Within''

On June 2, 1988, Rather hosted a CBS News special, ''The Wall Within''. In it, he interviewed six former servicemen, each of whom said he had witnessed horrible acts in Vietnam. Two of the men said that they had killed civilians, and two others said that they had seen friends die. Each talked about the effects the war had upon their lives – including depression, unemployment, drug use and homelessness.

In their book ''Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History'', authors B. G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley said they had obtained the service records of all six men, documenting where each was stationed during the Vietnam War. According to the records, the authors said, only one of the men was actually in Vietnam; he claimed to have been a 16-year-old Navy SEAL but, said Burkett and Whitley, the records listed him as an equipment repairer.

Chandra Levy reporting

On July 12, 2001, Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center issued a press release stating that the failure of CBS News to run a single story regarding the disappearance of former Congressional intern Chandra Levy was evidence of "media bias". According to Bill Press, Rather chose to avoid covering the Levy story because he preferred what he called "decent, responsible journalism". CBS News eventually ran a single story about the Levy disappearance the following week.

Killian documents

On September 8, 2004, Rather reported on ''60 Minutes Wednesday'' that a series of memos critical of President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard service record had been discovered in the personal files of Lt. Bush's former commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian. Once copies of the documents were made available on the internet, their authenticity was quickly called into question. Much of this was based on the fact that the documents were proportionally printed and displayed other modern typographic conventions unavailable on military typewriters of the 1970s. This led to claims that the memos were forgeries. The accusations then spread over the following days into mainstream media outlets including ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', and the ''Chicago Sun-Times''.

Rather and CBS initially defended the story, insisting that the documents had been authenticated by experts. CBS was contradicted by some of the experts it originally cited, and later reported that its source for the documents – former Texas Army National Guard officer Lt. Col. Bill Burkett – had misled the network about how he had obtained them.

On September 20, CBS retracted the story. Rather stated, "If I knew then what I know now, I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question." The controversy has been referred to by some as "Memogate" and "Rathergate."

Following an investigation commissioned by CBS, CBS fired story producer Mary Mapes and asked three other producers connected with the story to resign. Many believe Rather's retirement was hastened by this incident. On Thursday, September 20, 2007, Rather was interviewed on ''Larry King Live'' commenting "Nobody has proved that they were fraudulent, much less a forgery. ... The truth of this story stands up to this day."

In a 2010 issue of ''TV Guide'', Rather's report was ranked #3 on a list of TV's ten biggest "blunders".

Lawsuit

On September 19, 2007, Rather filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS, its former parent company Viacom; CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves; Sumner Redstone, chairman of both Viacom and CBS; and Andrew Heyward, former president of CBS News. Rather accused the network and its ownership and management of making him a "scapegoat" in the Killian story. A CBS spokesman claimed that the lawsuit was "old news" and "without merit". On September 21, 2009, Rather's lawyers claimed that Bush's military service would be proven to be a sham and Rather would be vindicated. On September 29, 2009, a New York state appeals court dismissed Rather's lawsuit against CBS. On January 12, 2010, New York's top court refused to reinstate Rather's $70 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS Corp.

Departure from the ''CBS Evening News''

Rather retired as the anchorman and Managing Editor of the ''CBS Evening News'' in 2005; his last broadcast was Wednesday, March 9, 2005. He had worked as the anchorman for 24 full years, the longest tenure of anyone in American television history, and for a short time continued to work as a correspondent for ''60 Minutes''. Bob Schieffer, a fellow Texan and host of ''Face the Nation,'' took over Rather's position on an interim basis, with Katie Couric replacing Schieffer in 2006.

Since retiring, Rather has spoken out strongly about what he perceives as a lack of courage by American journalists. On January 24, 2006, Rather spoke to a Seattle audience. Before the speaking engagement, he told a newspaper reporter, "In many ways on many days, [reporters] have sort of adopted the attitude of 'go along, get along.'"

"What many of us need is a spine transplant", Rather added. "Whether it's City Hall, the State House, or the White House, part of our job is to speak truth to power."

Departure from CBS News

In June 2006, reports surfaced that CBS News would most likely not renew Dan Rather's contract. According to a ''Washington Post'' article, sources from CBS said that executives at the network decided "there is no future role for Rather".

On June 20, 2006, CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus announced that Rather would leave the network after 44 years. Rather issued a separate statement which accompanied the news of the departure:

Rather has since resumed his career as a producer with HDNet, a high-definition cable television station, and as of October 24, 2006, hosts ''Dan Rather Reports'' – a weekly one-hour show. A guest contributor on ''The Chris Matthews Show'' and on ''The Daily Show,'' Rather has formed an independent company called News and Guts Media and is reported to be working on a book.

Awards

He has received numerous Emmy Awards, several Peabody Awards, and various honorary degrees from universities.

! Award	! Year	! Program Title
Peabody	1975	CBS News
Peabody	1976	60 Minutes
Peabody	1994	CBS Reports: D-Day
Peabody	1995	CBS Reports: In the Killing Fields of America
Peabody	2000	48 Hours: Heroes Under Fire
Peabody	2001	60 Minutes II: Memories of a Massacre
Peabody	2004	60 Minutes II: Abuse at Abu Ghraib

Criticism

As one of the last broadcast news journalists from the era of the "Big Three" network news primacy, Rather was highly regarded within his profession by many long-serving journalists. Rather has, however, been the object of criticism from many people who accuse him of having a liberal bias. Still others have expressed dislike for Rather's on-air delivery or argued that Rather was too "ham-handed", "pseudo-folksy" or "old-fashioned."

Claims of bias

Rather has been described as having a liberal bias for much of his career. Media Research Center, a conservative organization which claims to identify liberal bias in the media, has a file devoted to what it says are examples of Rather's bias. The pun "rather biased" has become a catchphrase used frequently by those who believe he has a bias. In 1985, Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina and leading spokesman of the group Fairness in Media (FIM), sent out a letter to members urging them to buy twenty shares each of CBS common stock in an attempt to curb Rather's and CBS's alleged liberal bias. CBS fought back with the help of investment banking houses, and several law and public relations firms.

Rather was criticized for speaking as part of a Democratic Party fundraiser in Texas in 2001. Rather claimed afterwards that he did not realize it was a fundraiser for the party.

Rather's on-screen comments and election-night reporting have come under attack as well, dating back to Richard Nixon's presidency. In a June 2002 interview with Larry King, his long-time co-worker (and self-described liberal) Andy Rooney stated that Rather is "transparently liberal".

Critics claim Rather has a double standard on how and which news stories to report, the Killian documents being the most famous example of this. During the weeks following the Killian documents stories, Rather received widespread criticism from other journalists and historians for his approach on reporting and confirmation of the documents' authenticity, as well as his continued insistence on standing by them. It is also claimed that many of his interviews of public officials reflect a liberal bias, being either overly harsh (when interviewing a conservative) or "soft-ball" (when interviewing a liberal). In an interview with commentator Bill Maher, Rather accused Fox News Channel of receiving "talking points" from the Republican-controlled White House. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, who had defended Rather during the Killian documents incident, criticized Rather heavily for not offering any evidence to support the claim:

In 2002, Bernard Goldberg published a book with the title "Bias", speaking mainly of liberal bias in the news. In the book, Goldberg used Dan Rather as a primary example of a news anchor with a liberal bias. He also criticises the anchor for his criticisms about President George W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle about their military service, when Rather's own service had been brought into question.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has accused Rather of having "an unwillingness to challenge official power and policy" in his reporting. Investigative reporter Mark Hertsgaard characterized Rather as a "stern anti-Communist" during the Reagan administration for allegedly having "reported the pronouncements of public officials with considerable respect".

Criticism from Walter Cronkite

During an appearance on CNN's ''American Morning'', former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite said about Rather: "It surprised quite a few people at CBS and elsewhere that, without being able to pull up the ratings beyond third in a three-man field, that they tolerated his being there for so long." Cronkite also stated that Bob Schieffer's succession was long overdue.

Notable incidents/Controversies

1968 Democratic convention

During live coverage of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Rather attempted to interview a delegate from Georgia who appeared as though he was being forcibly removed by men without identification badges.

As Rather approached the delegate to question the apparent strong-arm tactics of the Chicago political machine, he was punched in the stomach by one of the men, knocking him to the ground. "He lifted me right off the floor and put me away. I was down, the breath knocked out of me, as the whole group blew on by me...In the CBS control room, they had switched the camera onto me just as I was slugged."

Chicago cab ride

On November 10, 1980, Rather landed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and got into a cab. He asked the cab driver to take him to the home of Studs Terkel whom he was interviewing for 60 Minutes. The cab driver couldn't locate the address and Rather felt that he was being ripped off. When he asked to be let out of the cab, the cabbie asked for the fare. Rather refused to pay and the cabbie sped off through the streets of downtown Chicago looking for the police. Rather shouted out the window that he was being kidnapped and eventually the police pulled over the cab. Rather later refused to press charges against the cabbie and CBS paid the $12.55 fare.

Galloway Suit Won by CBS

In 1980, Rather and CBS were taken into court when Carl Galloway, a California doctor, claimed that a report on 60 Minutes wrongfully implicated him in an insurance fraud scheme. CBS stated Galloway had signed the bogus report and was suing Rather because he was upset at being caught. The jury sided with CBS and Rather and they won the case. During the trial, Galloway's side used outtakes from the TV report showing that one interview was rehearsed. After the trial, Rather refused repeated interview requests from a reporter who later tried to get a surprise interview as Rather was entering CBS' studio building. Rather said, "Get the microphone right up, will you?". With the camera rolling, Rather looked at the reporter in the eye and said, "Fuck you. You got it?". The clip was played over and over again on TV and Rather apologized. "I mistook who you were and what you were doing. That was inexcusable, rude and un-Christian behavior, for which I am remorseful," Rather's statement said.

"Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

On October 4, 1986, as Rather was walking along Park Avenue in Manhattan to his apartment, he was attacked and punched from behind by a man who demanded to know, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?", while a second assailant also chased and beat him. As the assailant pummeled and kicked Rather, he kept repeating the question over and over again. In describing the incident, Rather said, "I got mugged. Who understands these things? I didn't and I don't now. I didn't make a lot of it at the time and I don't now. I wish I knew who did it and why, but I have no idea."

The incident and Rather's account led some to doubt the veracity of Rather's story, although the doorman and building supervisor who rescued Rather fully confirmed his version of events. The story entered popular lore and remained unsolved for some time. The incident inspired a song called "Kenneth, What's the Frequency?" by the band Game Theory in 1987. In October 1990, the phrase "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" appeared in an issue of the Daniel Clowes comic ''Eightball'' as part of the serialized graphic novel ''Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron'', and was revealed in a later episode to be a key part of the Mister Jones conspiracy theory. Also in 1990, Scott McCloud used the phrase in the first 24-hour comic. In 1994 the band R.E.M. released the song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" on the album ''Monster''. The phrase became the subject of many jokes over the years and slang for a confused or clueless person. Rather was a good sport about it, and actually sang with R.E.M. during a soundcheck prior to a gig at Madison Square Garden, New York, which was shown the following night on The Late Show With David Letterman before their performance of Crush with Eyeliner.

In 1997, a TV critic writing in the ''New York Daily News'' solved the mystery, and published a photo of the alleged assailant, William Tager. Rather confirmed the story: "There's no doubt in my mind that this is the person." "William Tager's identity as the man who attacked Mr. Rather was established in the course of an investigation by my office", said New York District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau.

Tager was sentenced to a 25-year prison sentence for killing NBC stagehand Campbell Montgomery outside ''The Today Show'' studio in 1994. He was paroled in October 2010 and is believed to be living in New York City.

In the December 2001 issue of ''Harper's Magazine'', writer Paul Limbert Allman speculated that postmodern fiction writer Donald Barthelme (who died in 1989) had somehow orchestrated, or was otherwise connected to, the attack through other unnamed persons, citing unusual passages in Barthelme's writing, including the phrase "What is the frequency?", a recurring character named Kenneth, and a short story about a pompous editor named Lather. Limbert also uncovered the facts that Barthelme and Rather were likely to have known each other professionally early in their careers. The article was adapted into two plays, both entitled "Kenneth, What Is the Frequency?" The first was by Ian Allen and Monique LaForce and debuted in Washington, D.C., in 2003. The second, written by Allman himself, premiered in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2004.

In the 2006–07 graphic novel ''Shooting War'', the fictional Dan Rather of the year 2011 it portrays has adopted the personal motto, "The frequency is courage." In the 2006 film ''Land of the Blind'', the phrase briefly appears on a blackboard in a re-education camp for opponents of the dystopian regime led by Donald Sutherland.

The phrase and a coincidental similarity to Rather by a fictional hero is worked into the book called 'Lady Slings The Booze' by author Spider Robinson. It uses a fictional set-up to explain the mugging incident.

"Courage"

For one week in September 1986, Rather signed off his broadcasts to CBS with the single word "Courage". Apparently it was just a signature line and had nothing to do with the news at the time (which included the Joseph Cicippio abduction and a threat by Arab extremists to "become familiar with your skyscrapers and extend the terror campaign to the United States"), although TV critic Peter Boyer suggested it may have been in response to recent staff cutbacks at CBS News. Other newscasters ridiculed and parodied Rather, and he dropped it. Afterward, he said "And that's part of our world." On his last ''CBS Evening News'' broadcast, he once again signed off with "Courage", this time linking it to the September 11, 2001 attacks, as well as to courage shown by fellow journalists.

Dead air

On September 11, 1987, Rather walked off the set in anger just before a remote ''Evening News'' broadcast from Miami, where Pope John Paul II had begun a rare U.S. tour, when a U.S. Open tennis match was being broadcast into the time scheduled for the newscast. He was upset that the news was being cut into to make room for sports and discussed it with the sports department. The Steffi Graf-Lori McNeil tennis match coverage then ended sooner than expected at 6:32 p.m., but Rather was nowhere to be found. (CBS Sports had finally agreed to break away immediately after the match without commentary.) Over 100 affiliates broadcast six minutes of dead air. The next day, Rather apologized for leaving the anchor desk. The next year, when Rather asked then Vice President Bush about his role in the Iran-Contra affair during a live interview, Bush responded by saying, "Dan, how would you like it if I judged your entire career on the time you walked off the set?"

"Ratherisms"

Rather is known for his many off-the-cuff colorful analogies and descriptions during live broadcasts. Similar to those used by baseball announcer Red Barber, cycling commentator Phil Liggett and Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker, these "Ratherisms" are also called "Texanisms" or "Danisms" by some. A few of the more colorful ones, several of which were used throughout the 2008 HBO made-for-TV movie Recount (film) about the 2000 Election, include:

"This race is shakier than cafeteria Jell-O."

"Things are getting hotter than a Times Square Rolex."

"This thing is as tight as the rusted lugnuts on a '55 Ford."

(When Georgia was called for Clinton in 1992) "Clinton is off to a start, rolling like a big wheel through a Georgia cotton field."

"This race is tight like a too-small bathing suit on a too-long ride home from the beach."

"He swept through the South like a tornado through a trailer park."

"Don't bet the trailer money on it yet."

"It's a ding-dong battle back and forth."

"Look at that. Can't get a cigarette paper between 'em."

"His chances are slim to none right now, and if he doesn't carry Florida, Slim will have left town."

"If a frog had side pockets, he'd carry a hand gun."

"You would sooner find a tall talking broccoli stick to offer to mow your lawn for free."

"Turn the lights down, the party just got wilder."

"It's cardiac-arrest time in this presidential campaign."

"It's too early to say he has the whip hand."

"It's about as complicated as a wiring diagram to some dynamo."

"This election swings like one of those pendulum things."

"This will show you how tight it is – it's spandex tight."

"Al Gore has his back to the wall, shirt tails on fire with this race in Florida."

"Smelling salts for all Democrats, please."

"Maybe you can bring some perspective on this, we're plumb out."

"When the going gets weird, anchor men punt."

"She didn't go to school just to eat her lunch."

"[President Obama] couldn't sell watermelons if you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic." (his characterization of the Republican Party's assessment of Obama)

In Pop culture

He has been referenced in the television shows ''Saturday Night Live'' and ''Family Guy'' and many films. An animated caricature of him made a cameo appearance in the JibJab political cartoon, ''Good to Be in D.C.''

In 2004, he was featured in the documentary film "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story" by Austin-based director Chris Elley. Two years later, Rather and Elley educated a group of New Yorkers in Madison Square Park about the true meaning of BBQ and its significance to the identity of the Lone Star State. Rather began the discussion with a direct statement: "Let's get this straight folks. If it ain't beef and it ain't in Texas, then it ain't barbecue."

In the 2006–07 graphic novel ''Shooting War,'' which is set in the year 2011, an 80-year-old Dan Rather is shown to be one of the last journalists still reporting from Iraq.

Rather had a cameo in the premiere of the Fall 2007 drama Dirty Sexy Money on ABC television.

He guest-starred as himself in ''The Simpsons'' episode, "E Pluribus Wiggum".

Rather appeared on "The Daily Show" in May 2009 wearing an Afro wig and mutton-chop sideburns to narrate a segment about the late former President Nixon eating a burrito, as a parody of MSNBC's extensive coverage of President Obama and Vice President Biden's hamburger lunch.

Rather appears in the 2008 award-winning documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story.

A character "Dano", a spot-on imitation of Rather, appears on the Brad and Britt morning show on WZTK radio, 101.1 FM, in Burlington, North Carolina. The show is heard weekday mornings. Features of the imitation include mentioning "I have the documents" whenever a dubious claim is made. Dano is also heard sometimes interviewing President Obama's teleprompter.

Ratings

Under predecessor Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News was a strong #1 in the ratings, and Rather maintained a small ratings lead for a few years among the networks' news broadcasts through the early 1980s. However, Tom Brokaw and his ''NBC Nightly News'' and Peter Jennings of ABC News ''World News Tonight'' both became more popular than Rather's broadcast.

Quotes

"There's an old saying that you should marry a girl from Texas because no matter how tough things get, she's tougher."

"I cannot remember a time when I didn't want to be a reporter."

During the newscast on May 21, 1980 regarding the Mount St. Helens eruption, Rather (who was substituting for Cronkite) stated "It is an event that defies superlatives."

"You can't be a good reporter and not regularly be involved in some kind of controversy."

In reference to the CBS News, while referring to Katie Couric, Rather stated that "the mistake was to try to bring the 'Today' show ethos to the 'Evening News,' and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience." Mistakenly referred to Barack Obama as Osama bin Laden. "I have a respect for Jesse Jackson. That he was an important figure in paving the way for an Osama bin Laden to appear."

References

Further reading

Downie, Leonard Jr., and Kaiser, Robert G. ''The News About The News: American Journalism in Peril''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. ISBN 0-375-71415-4. Contemporary history of American journalism. Candid interviews with Rather and many others.

Rather, Dan. ''The Palace Guard'', with Gary Gates

.

Rather, Dan. ''I Remember'', with Peter Wyden.

Rather, Dan with Herskowitz, Mickey. ''The Camera Never Blinks Twice''. 1995. William Morrow.

Rather, Dan. ''Deadlines and Datelines'', Perennial, (Harper Collins), 1999, ISBN 0-688-16566-4 (pbk.)

Boyer, Peter J. ''Who Killed CBS'', St. Martin's Press. 1989. ISBN 0-312-91531-4

2nd Saddam interview

External links

CBS biography of Rather

Dan Rather discusses the 2008 Presidential Campaign

PDF of Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS

PDF of CBS' motion to dismiss Rather's lawsuit

"It's running of the bull", Michael Goodwin, ''New York Daily News'', 9 March 2005

"Wrong from the Beginning", Phillip Chalk, ''Weekly Standard'', March 14, 2005.

Rather-CBS lawsuit

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story">Dan Rather appears in Lee Atwater documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story

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de:Dan Rather fr:Dan Rather id:Dan Rather ja:ダン・ラザー no:Dan Rather pl:Dan Rather pt:Dan Rather yi:דען רעדער zh:丹·拉瑟

Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American amateur street photographer who was born in New York but grew up in France, and after returning to the U.S., worked for about forty years as a nanny in Chicago. During those years she took about 100,000 photographs, primarily of people and cityscapes most often in Chicago, although she traveled and photographed worldwide.

Her photographs remained unknown and mostly undeveloped until they were discovered by a local historian, John Maloof, in 2007. Following Maier's death her work began to receive critical acclaim. Her photographs have appeared in newspapers in Italy, Argentina, and England, and have been exhibited alongside other artists' work in Denmark and Norway.

Personal life

Many of the details of Maier's life are still being uncovered. Initial impressions about her life indicated that she was born in France, but further searching revealed that she was born in New York, the daughter of Maria Jaussaud, who was French, and Charles Maier, who was Austrian. Vivian moved between the U.S. and France several times during her childhood, although where in France she lived is unknown. Her father seems to have left the family for unknown reasons by 1930. During the census that year, the head of the household was listed as award-winning portrait photographer Jeanne Bertrand, who knew the founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

In 1951, at 25 years old, Vivian Maier moved from France to New York, where she worked for some time in a sweatshop. She made her way to the Chicago area's North Shore in 1956 and became a nanny on and off for about 40 years, staying with one family for 14 of them. She was, in the accounts of the families for whom she worked, very private, spending her days off walking the streets of Chicago and taking photographs, most often with a Rolleiflex camera.

John Maloof, curator of Maier's collection of photographs, summarizes the way the children she nannied would later describe her:

Between 1959 and 1960, Maier traveled to Los Angeles, Manila, Bangkok, Beijing, Egypt, Italy, and the American Southwest, taking pictures in each location. The trip was probably financed by the sale of a family farm in Alsace. For a brief period in the 1970s, Maier worked as a nanny for Phil Donahue's children. As she got older, she collected more boxes of belongings, bringing them with her to each new post. At one employer's house she stored 200 boxes of materials. Most were photographs or negatives, but Maier collected other objects, such as newspapers, and sometimes recorded audiotapes of conversations she had with the people she photographed.

Towards the end of her life, Maier may have been homeless for some time. She lived on Social Security and may have had another source of income, but the children she had taken care of in the early 1950s bought her an apartment and paid her bills. In 2008, she slipped on ice and hit her head. She did not fully recover and died in 2009 at the age of 83.

Photography

Maier's images depict street scenes in Chicago and New York in the 1950s and 1960s. An article in ''The Independent'' characterizes her photographs thus:

Maier's photographic legacy, in the form of some 100,000 negatives – a large portion in the form of undeveloped rolls – was discovered by 26-year-old real estate agent John Maloof, also president of the Jefferson Park Historical Society in Chicago. While working on a book about the Chicago neighborhood of Portage Park, Maloof bought 30,000 prints and negatives from an auction house that had acquired the photographs from a storage locker that had been sold off when Maier was no longer able to pay her fees. After purchasing the first collection of Maier photographs in 2007, Maloof acquired more from another buyer at the same auction. John Maloof who runs the Maloof Collection owns 100,000 to 150,000 negatives, over 3,000 vintage prints, hundreds of rolls of film, home movies, audio tape interviews, original cameras of Vivian Maier, documents and various other items, representing roughly 90 percent of Vivian's work. Maloof discovered Maier's name at an early stage of his discovery, but was unable to find out more about her until just after her death, when he found an obituary notice in the ''Chicago Tribune''. Her work was first published on the internet in July 2008 by Ron Slattery who had also purchased some of her work at the auction. In the spring of 2010, Chicago art collector Jeffrey Goldstein acquired a portion of the Vivian Maier collection from one of the original buyers. Since Goldstein's original purchase, his collection has grown to include 15,000 negatives, 1,000 prints, 30 homemade movies, and numerous slides. His collection is known as Vivian Maier Prints Inc. In 2009, Maloof started to post some of Maier's photographs on a blog, and later he announced his intention to publish a photo book of Maier's photography. The book ''Vivian Maier: Street Photographer'' is scheduled to be published by powerHouse Books on November 1, 2011, and a feature-length documentary film about Maier and Maloof's discovery of her work, titled ''Finding Vivian Maier'', is scheduled for release in 2012.

Maier's photographs, and the way they were discovered, received international attention in mainstream media.

Exhibitions

''Finding Vivian Maier'', November 18 - December 4, 2010 at The Apartment 02:, Oslo, Norway March 15 - April 30, 2010 at Bruun's Galleri, Århus, Denmark ''Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer'', January 7 - April 3, 2011 at Chicago Cultural Center ''Twinkle, twinkle, little star...'', January 27 - April 28, 2011 at Galerie Hilaneh von Kories, Hamburg, Germany ''Vivian Maier, Photographer'', April 15 - June 18, 2011 at Russell Bowman Art Advisory, Chicago, USA ''Vivian Maier - A Life Uncovered'', July 1 - July 24, 2011 at the London Street Photography Festival, London, Great Britain ''Vivian Maier, Photographer'', July 18, 2011 - January 28, 2012 at Hearst Gallery, New York, USA ''Vivian Maier - A Life Uncovered'', July 29 - September 16, 2011 at Photofusion Gallery, London, Great Britain December 15, 2011 - January 28, 2012 at Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, USA ''Vivian Maier - Hosted by Tim Roth'', December 17, 2011 - January 28, 2012 at Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

References

External links

www.VivianMaier.com, The official website of photographer Vivian Maier. Showcasing photography portfolios, information about exhibitions, print sales, the book and documentary film. This site is run by the Maloof Collection.

Vivian Maier Prints Inc. website showcasing Maier's images from the Jeffrey Goldstein collection. Also showcasing photography portfolios, exhibition information and gallery representation in Chicago and New York.

Vivian Maier, Street Photographer article on Vivian Maier at The Discerning Photographer

Howard Greenberg Gallery, The Howard Greenberg Gallery handles all Vivian Maier print sales for the Maloof Collection.

Russell Bowman Art Advisory website representing Maier's images from her first private gallery exhibition in Chicago

Vivian Maier Facebook Page, The official Facebook page of photographer Vivian Maier. Run by the Maloof Collection.

Category:1926 births Category:2009 deaths Category:French photographers Category:American photographers Category:Women photographers Category:Street photographers Category:French expatriates in the United States Category:Nannies Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Culture of Chicago, Illinois

de:Vivian Maier es:Vivian Maier fr:Vivian Maier hu:Vivian Maier no:Vivian Maier ro:Vivian Maier ru:Майер, Вивиан zh:薇薇安·迈尔