Connie Chung
Chung in San Diego in 2008
Born	Constance Yu-Hwa Chung (1946-08-20) August 20, 1946 (age 65) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	News presenter, reporter
Years active	1972–present
Spouse	Maury Povich (1984–present)

Connie Chung, full name: Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich (Chinese: 宗毓華; pinyin: Zōng Yùhuá; Cantonese Yale: Jung Yukwa; born August 20, 1946) is an American journalist who has been an anchor and reporter for the U.S. television news networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow and U.S. Representative Gary Condit, whom Chung interviewed first after the Chandra Levy disappearance,^[1] and basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson after he went public about being HIV-positive. She was criticized for what was perceived as insensitivity with regard to an interview about the Oklahoma City bombing and her tactics to get Newt Gingrich's mother to admit her unguarded thoughts about Hillary Clinton.

She is married to talk show host Maury Povich and they have one adopted son, Matthew Jay Povich.^[2]

Background[link]

The youngest of ten children (of whom she and four others, all girls, survived^[3]) of a high-ranking Chinese diplomat, she was born and raised in Washington, D.C.^[4] She graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, and went on to receive a degree in journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1969. She has been married to talk show host Maury Povich since 1984. Chung converted to Judaism upon her marriage to Povich.^[5] Chung announced that she was reducing her workload in 1991 in the hopes of getting pregnant. Together, they have one son whom they adopted on June 20, 1995, Matthew Jay Povich. He attended the Allen-Stevenson School and now attends the Riverdale Country School.

Career[link]

Chung was a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite in the early 1970s, during the Watergate political scandal. Later, Chung left for the Los Angeles-owned and operated station of CBS, KNXT (now KCBS) which was in the nation's second largest (and highest paying) local market, southern California. Chung also anchored the CBS Newsbriefs for the west coast stations from the KNXT studios at Columbia Square during her tenure there.

She returned with great fanfare to network news as NBC created a new early program, NBC News at Sunrise, which was scheduled right before the Today program. Later, NBC created American Almanac, which she co-hosted with Roger Mudd, after Mudd left the NBC Nightly News, where he co-anchored for two years with Tom Brokaw.

Chung left NBC for CBS where she hosted Saturday Night with Connie Chung, and on June 1, 1993, she became the second woman (after Barbara Walters with ABC in 1976) to co-anchor a major network's national news broadcast (the solo national news anchor title in the United States goes to Katie Couric at CBS). While hosting the CBS Evening News, Chung also hosted a side project on CBS, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung and also Face to Face with Connie Chung. After her unsuccessful co-anchoring stint with Dan Rather ended in 1995, Chung jumped to ABC News where she co-hosted the Monday edition of 20/20 with Charles Gibson and began independent interviews, a field which would soon become her trademark.

Chung's interviews were largely gentle, but often they were punctuated by a rapid-fire barrage of sharp questions. Despite this, her interviews were still widely recognized as being decidedly softer than those of other interviewers, such as Barbara Walters or Mike Wallace. Consequently, her interviews were often used as a public relations move by those looking to overcome scandal or controversy. Some of her more famous interview subjects include Claus von Bülow and U.S. Representative Gary Condit, whom Chung interviewed first after the Chandra Levy disappearance.^[1] Chung was the first journalist to interview basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson after he went public about being HIV-positive.

Chung was a judge for the Miss Universe 2011.

Kathleen Gingrich interview controversy[link]

In a January 5, 1995 interview with Kathleen Gingrich, mother of Republican politician Newt Gingrich, on Eye to Eye, Ms. Gingrich said she could not say what her son thought about First Lady Hillary Clinton on the air. Chung asked Ms. Gingrich to "just whisper it to me, just between you and me," and Ms. Gingrich replied that her son thought of Clinton as a "bitch".^[6] Many people interpreted Chung's suggestion that if Ms. Gingrich would whisper this statement it would be promised that the statement would be off the record. Bill Carter for the New York Times reported, "Ms. Chung had become the object of some of the most ferocious criticism, justified or not, ever directed at any network anchor as a result of her now infamous interview with Speaker Newt Gingrich's mother, Kathleen."^[7] The interview was also parodied on Saturday Night Live.^[8]

Oklahoma City bombing interview[link]

A few months later, in the wake of the April 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Chung asked an Oklahoma City Fire Department spokesman, "Can the Oklahoma City Fire Department handle this?" Many viewers, particularly those in Oklahoma City, felt the question was insensitive to the situation. Thousands of viewers in Oklahoma and elsewhere called and wrote letters of protest over the tone of the questions. Moreover, co-anchor Dan Rather was irate that Chung was sent from New York to the assignment while he was already in nearby Texas. Consequently, after public outcry, and Rather's complaints, Chung was laid off as co-anchor of the CBS Evening News and was offered a demotion to weekend anchor or morning anchor.

ABC and CNN[link]

After making the jump to ABC News as a co-host of the Monday edition of 20/20 alongside Charles Gibson, she had an interview with Gary Condit, on his relationship with murdered Washington, D.C., intern Chandra Levy.

She was a guest host of the morning program, Good Morning America. After short-lived host Lisa McRee left the program, Chung declined to take over on a permanent basis, saying she did not want to broadcast 10 hours a week in early morning hours.

Chung briefly hosted her own show on CNN entitled Connie Chung Tonight, where she was paid $2 million per year. Though her arrival at CNN was heavily hyped by the network, her show was panned by critics. CNN changed her show from live to tape-delay to make it flow better. Although it did moderately well in the ratings (a 500,000 increase in viewers), her show was suspended once the 2003 Iraq War began. During the war, she was reduced to reading hourly headlines. Once CNN resumed regular programming, Chung requested that CNN resume broadcasting her show as soon as possible. The network responded by cancelling it, even though her contract had not yet expired. In an interview, CNN founder Ted Turner called the show "just awful".^[9]

Martina Navratilova interview[link]

In July 2002 Chung interviewed tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who at that point had been a naturalized U.S. citizen for more than 20 years, about her recent criticisms of the U.S. political system. Chung labelled these criticisms "un-American" and "unpatriotic", and suggested Navratilova should "go back to Czechoslovakia" rather than use her celebrity status to gain a platform for her complaints. When Navratilova asked why it was unpatriotic to speak out, Chung replied, "Well, you know the old line, love it or leave it."^[10]

MSNBC[link]

In January 2006, Chung and Maury Povich began hosting a show titled Weekends with Maury and Connie on MSNBC. It was Chung's first appearance as a television host since 2003. The show was later cancelled and aired its final episode on June 17, 2006. On this episode, Chung, dressed in a white evening gown and writhing atop a black piano, sang a parody to the tune of Thanks for the Memory. Video clips of the bizarre, off-key farewell performance circulated on internet video sites. Connie herself commented, "All I want to be sure of is that viewers understood it was a giant self-parody. If anyone took it seriously, they really need to get a life."^[11] On the June 27, 2006, episode of The Tonight Show, Chung was interviewed by Jay Leno regarding her "Thanks for the Memories" parody. During the interview, Chung poked fun at her show's low ratings, referring to the musical number as a "private joke for our two viewers."

Teaching[link]

Chung accepted a teaching fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.^[12] While at Harvard, she wrote a discussion paper titled The Business of Getting "The Get": Nailing an Exclusive Interview in Prime Time.^[13][14]

Career timeline[link]

• 1983–1986: NBC News at Sunrise anchor^[15]
• 1989–1990: Saturday Night with Connie Chung anchor^[15]
• 1993–1995: Eye to Eye with Connie Chung anchor^[15]
• 1998–2002: 20/20 anchor^[15]
• 1999–2000: ABC 2000 Today correspondent^[15]
• 2002–2003: Connie Chung Tonight anchor^[15]
• 2006: Weekends with Maury and Connie anchor^[15]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Connie Chung

• Connie Chung at the Internet Movie Database
• Maury Povich and Connie Chung Discuss Work and Family on Larry King Live
• Lifetime's Intimate Portrait: Connie Chung
• Mates: Maury and Connie - New York Magazine
• "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" for June 22, 2006: Interview with Connie Chung after her farewell song
• Connie Chung, The Business of Getting "The Get": Nailing an Exclusive Interview in Prime Time April, 1998. D-28.

Dan Rather
Dan Rather at Kabul, Afghanistan, in July 2011
Born	Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. (1931-10-31) October 31, 1931 (age 80) Wharton, Texas, U.S.
Education	Sam Houston State University
Occupation	Journalist Anchor
Years active	1950–present
Notable credit(s)	CBS Evening News anchor (1981–2005) 60 Minutes correspondent (1968–1981; 1999–2006)
Spouse	Jean Goebel
Children	Robin (daughter) Danjack (son)

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 President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the National Guard and subsequently left CBS Evening News in 2005, and he left the network altogether after 43 years in 2006.^[1]

Early life[link]

Rather's boyhood home being restored at the Wharton County Museum

Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. (/ˈræðər/) 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^[2] 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.^[3] 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 was soon discharged because of having had rheumatic fever as a child .^[4]

Early career[link]

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."^[5] 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.^[6] He later spent four seasons as the play-by-play announcer for the University of Houston football team.^[7] 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 the Kennedy assassination.

CBS News[link]

Rather speaking about his experiences in his 61 years of journalism before a group of NATO commanders at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan in July 2011.

JFK assassination to Watergate[link]

Rather was the first network television journalist to report that U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.^[8][9] 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.^[10] The film was never 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 report 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.^[11] 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).

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. Rather was among those journalists who accompanied Nixon to China. 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.^[12]

CBS Evening News anchor[link]

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.

Good evening. President Reagan, still training his spotlight on the economy, today signed a package of budget cuts that he will send to Congress tomorrow. Lesley Stahl has the story.

– Rather's first lines in his debut as anchor of The 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's World News Tonight. By 1992, however, the Evening News had fallen to third place, where it remained until Bob Schieffer, who acted as the interim anchor between Rather and Katie Couric, saw the Evening News rise to #2 ahead of ABC World News Tonight in the wake of the death of Peter Jennings but remaining behind NBC Nightly News.

The traditionally strong journalistic bench of CBS News was changed 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. This eventually caused CBS News into third place in the ratings.^[13] Reporting by Peter Boyer of the New York Times indicates that Rather did relatively little to stop this.

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.^[14] 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.^[15] In the aftermath of the incident, CBS fired multiple members of the CBS News staff but allowed Rather to stay on.

Personal life[link]

Rather at South by Southwest 2007; discussing media, the internet, and asking the "hard questions."

Rather married his wife Jean in 1957. They have a son and daughter, and maintain homes in New York City and Austin, TX.^[16] 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."^[17]

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[link]

Nixon[link]

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?".^[18] 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.^[18]

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[link]

Rather speaking with Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell and Sergeant Maj. Ralph R. Beam about the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) training mission and other issues at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 26, 2011.

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.^[19]

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.^[20]

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.^[21]

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

There is no powerful and quick strike that a people could deliver, whatever their overall power. The United States depends on the Air Force. The Air Force has never decided a war in the history of wars.

—Saddam Hussein in an interview with Dan Rather on August 29, 1990^[22]

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.^[23]

[edit] 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.

Killian documents[link]

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.^[24] 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.^[25] The accusations then spread over the following days into mainstream media outlets including The Washington Post,^[26] The New York Times,^[27] and the Chicago Sun-Times.^[28]

Rather and CBS initially defended the story, insisting that the documents had been authenticated by experts.^[29] CBS was contradicted by some of the experts it originally cited,^[30] 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.^[31]

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."^[32] The controversy has been referred to by some as "Memogate" and "Rathergate."^[33]

Following an investigation commissioned by CBS,^[34][35][36] 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.^[37] 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."^[38]

In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, Rather's report was ranked #3 on a list of TV's ten biggest "blunders".^[39]

Lawsuit[link]

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".^[40] 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.^[41] On September 29, 2009, a New York state appeals court dismissed Rather's lawsuit against CBS.^[42] On January 12, 2010, New York's top court refused to reinstate Rather's $70 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS Corp. In 2012, May 18, on Bill Maher, Rather said he was fired for reporting a story about George W Bush's year of absence from reserve unit he served with, and that the news corporations were 'very uncomfortable' with running the story.

[edit] Departure from the CBS Evening News

"We've shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting here each evening, and before I say 'Good night' this night, I need to say thank you. Thank you to the thousands of wonderful professionals at CBS News, past and present, with whom it's been my honor to work over these years. And a deeply felt thanks to all of you, who have let us into your homes night after night; it has been a privilege, and one never taken lightly.

Not long after I first came to the anchor chair, I briefly signed off using the word, 'Courage.' I want to return to it now, in a different way: to a nation still nursing a broken heart for what happened here in 2001, and especially to those who found themselves closest to the events of September 11; to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, in dangerous places; to those who have endured the tsunami, and to all who have suffered natural disasters, and must now find the will to rebuild; to the oppressed and to those whose lot it is to struggle in financial hardship or in failing health; to my fellow journalists in places where reporting the truth means risking all; and to each of you, Courage."

For the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather reporting. Good night.'^[43]

—Dan Rather's speech at the end of his farewell newscast

Rather retired as the anchorman and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News in 2005; his last broadcast was Wednesday, March 9, 2005.^[44] 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."^[45]

Departure from CBS News[link]

In June 2006, reports surfaced that CBS News would most likely not renew Dan Rather's contract.^[46] 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.^[47][48] Rather issued a separate statement which accompanied the news of the departure^[49]:

I leave CBS News with tremendous memories. But I leave now most of all with the desire to once again do regular, meaningful reporting. My departure before the term of my contract represents CBS's final acknowledgement, after a protracted struggle, that they had not lived up to their obligation to allow me to do substantive work there. As for their offers of a future with only an office but no assignments, it just isn't in me to sit around doing nothing. So I will do the work I love elsewhere, and I look forward to sharing details about that soon.

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.^[50]

Awards[link]

This section requires expansion.

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

Criticism[link]

As one of the last broadcast news journalists from the era of the "Big Three" network news primacy, Rather was generally regarded highly within his profession by long-serving journalists. Rather has, however, been the object of criticism from people who accuse him of having a liberal bias.^[51] Other critics 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[link]

For much of his career, Rather has been the target of critics who have accused him of having a liberal bias.^[52][53]

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".^[54]

During the weeks following the Killian documents stories, Rather received widespread criticism from other journalists and historians.^[55] 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 for not offering any evidence to support the claim.^[56]

In 2002, Bernard Goldberg published a book with the title Bias, alleging a liberal bias in print and broadcast news organizations. In the book, Goldberg used Dan Rather as a primary example of a news anchor with a liberal bias. He also criticized the anchor for his criticisms of President George W. Bush's and Vice President Dan Quayle's service in the National Guard rather than the Active Duty military during the Vietnam War, and questioned Rather's own service.^[57]

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has accused Rather of having "an unwillingness to challenge official power and policy" in his reporting.^[58] 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".^[59]

In April 2001, according to a front-page story in The Washington Post, Rather spoke at a Democratic party fundraiser in Austin, Texas, where he was the featured speaker. One of the official hosts for the fundraiser was Rather's daughter, Robin Rather; Rather said that he didn't realize that his daughter was a host of the fundraiser. Rather also said that he didn't realize that the event was a partisan fundraiser, although he did realize that after he arrived at the event. Rather did not say that his speech was a mistake or that he would not have attended if he realized beforehand that he was being used to raise funds for the party.^[60]

Criticism from Walter Cronkite[link]

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.^[61]

Notable incidents/Controversies[link]

1968 Democratic convention[link]

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[link]

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[link]

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.^[62] During the trial, Galloway's side used outtakes from the TV report showing that one interview was rehearsed.^[62]

"Kenneth, what is the frequency?"[link]

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^[63] 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.^[64] 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.^[65]

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.^[66]

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.^[67] 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.^[68] The second, written by Allman himself, premiered in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2004.^[69]

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.^[70]

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"[link]

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"). Other newscasters ridiculed and parodied Rather, and he dropped it.^[71] 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[link]

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.^[72] The next day, Rather apologized for leaving the anchor desk. The following 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 by those seven minutes when you walked off the set in New York?"^[73]

"Ratherisms"[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dan Rather

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 about the 2000 Election, include:^[74]

• "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)^[75]

In pop culture[link]

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.^[76]

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[link]

Under predecessor Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News was a strong #1 in the ratings^[77], and Rather maintained a small ratings lead for a few years among the networks' news broadcasts through the early 1980s.^[78] 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.^[79]

Quotes[link]

• "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."^[80]
• 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."^[81]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Dan Rather; Digby Diehl (2012). Rather outspoken : my life in the news. Grand Central Pub.. ISBN 978-1-4555-0241-7. OCLC 756584260. 
• Leonard Downie; Robert G. Kaiser (2003). The news about the news: American journalism in peril. Vintage. ISBN 978-0-375-71415-3. http://books.google.com/?id=ySyfJQFajJkC. 
• Hertsgaard, Mark (1988). On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency. Farrar Strauss & Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-25197-0. http://books.google.com/?id=Xxa0QgAACAAJ. 
• Rather, Dan. The Palace Guard, with Gary Gates
• Dan Rather; Mickey Hershkowitz (1984-02-02). The Camera Never Blinks: Adventures of a TV Journalist. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-31833-6. OCLC 444864709. http://books.google.com/?id=U1iupYxNh8QC.  .
• Rather, Dan. I Remember, with Peter Wyden.
• Rather, Dan with Herskowitz, Mickey. The Camera Never Blinks Twice. 1995. William Morrow.
• Dan Rather (1999-06-02). Deadlines and datelines. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 978-0-688-16566-6. http://books.google.com/?id=KKVZAAAAMAAJ. 
• Peter J. Boyer (1989-04-15). Who killed CBS?: the undoing of America's number one news network. St Martins Press. ISBN 978-0-312-91531-5. http://books.google.com/?id=LOTjGwAACAAJ. 
• 2nd Saddam interview

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dan Rather

• CBS biography of Rather
• Booknotes interview with Rather on Deadlines & Datelines: Essays at the Turn of the Century, July 25, 1999.
• Dan Rather discusses the 2008 Presidential Campaign
• Dan Rather at the Internet Movie Database
• 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
• Dan Rather appears in Lee Atwater documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
• A film clip "The Open Mind - A Newsman's Credo, Part I (1994)" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• A film clip "The Open Mind - A Newsman's Credo, Part II (1994)" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]

This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider modifying the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points in such a way that it can stand on its own as a concise version of the article. (discuss). (October 2010)

Maury Povich
Maury Povich, October 11, 2006
Born	Maurice Richard Povich (1939-01-17) January 17, 1939 (age 73) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Talk show host
Years active	1962–present
Spouse	Phyllis Minkoff (m. 1962–1979) «start: (1962)–end+1: (1980)»"Marriage: Phyllis Minkoff to Maury Povich" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Maury_Povich) Connie Chung (m. 1984) «start: (1984)»"Marriage: Connie Chung to Maury Povich" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Maury_Povich)
Website
www.mauryshow.com

Maurice Richard "Maury" Povich (born January 17, 1939) is an American television talk show host of the tabloid talk show Maury.

Personal background[link]

Povich was born to Jewish family in Washington, D.C., the son of Ethyl (née Friedman) and Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich, and was the second of three children.^[1] His paternal grandfather, Nathan Povich, immigrated from Lithuania to the United States in 1878; Nathan was 12 at the time.^[2][3] Maury Povich graduated from the Landon School in 1957^[4] and the University of Pennsylvania in 1962 with a degree in television journalism. From 1962 to 1979, Povich was married to Phyllis Minkoff. Povich later married news anchor Connie Chung in 1984, whom he met while working in the news department at WTTG-TV in Washington.^[5] With Minkoff, Povich had two daughters, Susan and Amy; in 1995, Povich and Chung adopted a son, Matthew Jay Povich.^[6][7]

Career[link]

Television news anchor duties (1962–1983)[link]

Not long after graduation, Povich got his first job on Washington, D.C., radio station WWDC, where he did publicity and worked as a reporter.^[8] By 1966, Povich became a news reporter and sportscaster for DC television station WTTG-TV. In 1967, he became the original co-host of the station's popular midday talk show, Panorama,^[6] which brought the rising star widespread acclaim and national recognition.^[9] From 1977 to 1983, he worked as a news anchor at stations in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia. He finally returned to Washington, D.C., in June 1983.

[edit] A Current Affair (1986–1990)

When media mogul Rupert Murdoch acquired the Metromedia TV station group in 1986, one of his first moves was to bring Povich to New York to host A Current Affair. The show began in late July 1986, and while it was considered a tabloid infotainment show that often focused on celebrity gossip, it also made time for compelling human interest stories. Critics praised the show for trying to be both informative and entertaining, much like "a good afternoon newspaper."^[10] Povich hosted Affair until 1990.^[6] He also anchored newscasts at WNYW.

[edit] The Maury Povich Show (1991–1998), Maury (1998–present)

Povich served two consecutive terms as president of the New York Chapter of the National Television Academy.^[11] In September 1991, he left A Current Affair to host The Maury Povich Show, which was nationally syndicated and distributed by Paramount Television in partnership with Povich's production company "MoPo Productions" and in national syndication from 1991 to 1998.^[6]

For raising awareness of National Adoption Month, Povich was honored by New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1995. In 1998, the show was taken over by Studios USA (then a division of USA Networks, later renamed Universal Television after being sold to Vivendi Universal; and NBC Universal Television after VU Entertainment was sold to NBC owner General Electric). When they took over the show's production, they renamed it Maury. The show often veered into what critics called trash TV, and in 1998, it became known for a segment called "Who's the Daddy?" during which men who were denying paternity (or who wanted to know if they really were the father) were given 40 DNA tests and the results were revealed on the air.^[6]