Dan Rather Has Learned to Resist [TV Week's Alex Ben Block discusses Free Republic, Dennis Prager]

www.tvweek.com ^ | November 17, 2003 | Alex Ben Block

[RonDog]

Dan Rather Has Learned to Resist

In the past 21/2 years my path has twice crossed that of Dan Rather, the CBS anchor who has long represented the best of professional journalism for me. Both times he was in Southern California to accept well-deserved awards. Both times a handful of pickets were nearby claiming Mr. Rather's reporting was biased.

The first time, June 9, 2001, Mr. Rather received a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles Press Club, of which I was then executive director as well as producer of the dinner, and where the honor was graciously presented by CBS's Leslie Moonves.

I never met the picketers that night. They were cordoned half a mile away by security. I did get to share a laugh with Mr. Rather, who said being picketed was a first for him.

It happened the second time last week at the Museum of Television & Radio's annual gala in Beverly Hills, Calif. A handful of people, some in costumes, waved placards at the hotel entrance.

I asked Mr. Rather about it. "Part of being a journalist," he said, "and trying to be a journalist who pulls no punches and plays no favorites, who tries to be accurate and fair and who knows you are going to make your mistakes, is sometimes you have to face the furnace and take the heat."

Mr. Rather, who turned 72 on Halloween, has taken the heat throughout his world-class career. "CBS Evening News" may be in third place but his standards remain first rank. That he is among the best but not the most-watched reminded me of his remarks before the Press Club: "We take some slight encouragement from the evidence, faint as it may be, that there may be some good fight to be fought against the growing proliferation of soft news, news you can use, celebrity news … and all the other market-tested filler that is increasingly crowding out a shrinking news hole."

Inspired to do my job as a reporter, I walked down the winding driveway at the Pink Palace (a k a The Beverly Hills Hotel). The protesters couldn't have been friendlier. They were hungry for publicity. A tall lady swathed in white and holding a makeshift scale of justice, with a tiny girl cowering behind her skirt, told me her name was Cinnamon Girl.

I learned there were 10 of them and they were connected by a conservative Internet news site called Free Republic. The protest was organized by Gary Metz, president of the Orange County chapter of Free Republic, and Ron Smith, vice president of the group's L.A. chapter. It was the group's second protest aimed at Mr. Rather. The other one was at the L.A. Press Club awards.

As Mr. Metz spoke, Mr. Smith poked a Kleenex at drops of blood on his face from cuts inflicted by an oversize Saddam Hussein mask he was wearing.

"We can't let the Left have all the fun," Mr. Metz said. "You see all the guys from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have this kind of fun and street theater. We like to get some attention too. We figure this is a good way."

I asked Mr. Metz if he watched Mr. Rather on TV. "I don't actually watch TV," he told me. "The Internet and talk radio are better sources of information."

Do you have a TV, I asked? "I've had a set at home for a long time," Mr. Metz responded. "But I don't turn it on."

When was the last time? "I haven't had mine on for maybe four years," he told me.

"Television has its uses," Mr. Metz added. "Me personally, I'm like an alcoholic. If I get started, I'll watch it all the time, and it's just a bad thing for me. Especially TV news. It's too emotional."

He then told me you can't believe anything you hear on the network news in any case. He said he learned that on talk radio, from Dennis Prager: "If you have to stop one thing in your life, he says, stop television news."

The next morning, I called Mr. Prager and reached him at an airport in the Midwest, where he was on a book tour. "It's good you checked with me," he said, "because I have never said, 'Everything you hear on the news is a lie.'"

Mr. Prager told me he does believe CBS, NBC and ABC all have a liberal slant and that he had criticized Mr. Rather for his interview with Saddam Hussein: "I thought he prostituted himself by asking serious questions of a tyrant."

"If [Mr. Metz] had said, 'Dennis Prager says it's a waste of time to watch the evening news,'" said Mr. Prager, "he would be right."

Then you don't respect Mr. Rather, I asked? "How can I comment?" answered Mr. Prager. "I haven't watched TV news in 35 years. It relies too much on the visual. Most of what is important in the world is not on video."

Stunned by that revelation, I soon learned the Free Republicans were abuzz about the event and my interest. In addition to some e-mail, I got a call from Matthew Sheffield, 25, an unemployed student in Virginia. He and his brother Greg, 22, operate the Web site Rather Biased, which began around the time of the Clinton impeachment. They focused on Mr. Rather, said Mr. Sheffield, who they felt "carried his [opinions] over into his reporting."

Mr. Sheffield told me he considered Fox News Channel biased as well, but to the right. "We're equal-opportunity," he explained.

I asked if he ever tried to contact Mr. Rather. Mr. Sheffield said no, although he did talk to someone at CBS once. "I really haven't thought of that," he added. "I would interview Dan Rather [for the Web site] any day of the week if he would have an honest dialogue about bias. He hates talking about it. If he had a real honest dialogue, we'd probably go away. That's all we want. We all want our voices to be heard."

I was left saddened that Mr. Rather and CBS News might be hurt and the public might be misled by these silly, noisy, publicity-hungry protesters, some of whom don't even watch TV. What a contrast with a dedicated, hard-working journalist like Mr. Rather, who has spent his life serving the public and his profession.

Stranger Than Fiction

After the dinner in Beverly Hills I had a moment more with Mr. Rather. I told him the protesters were the same ones from the Press Club dinner. And the leader hadn't watched TV in four years.

He laughed and said: "You couldn't make that up."

As he walked away, I remembered something Mr. Rather told me earlier in the evening about how journalists should act when attacked for doing their job: "Democratic, Republican, independent, Muslim, they all try to do it," said Mr. Rather with a shrug. "It's our job to resist it the best we can."

No one has done a better job than Dan Rather.#

© Copyright 2003 by Crain Communications

[RonDog]

Well, he still has me and Doctor ZIn confused, and I think that he may have garbled what I said about Dennis Prager when he called Dennis for his response to what I said, but the REST of this article is fairly accurate.

As they say, ANY publicity os GOOD publicity, if they spell your name right.

And he did:

I learned there were 10 of them and they were connected by a conservative Internet news site called Free Republic.

Thank you, Alex Ben Block!

[RonDog]

See also from Cinnamon Girl's "after action" thread:

DOWN AND OUT (AND FREEPED) IN BEVERLY HILLS
[LA Chapter FReeps Dan Rather!]
Cinnamon Girl
Posted on 11/10/2003 8:26 PM PST by Cinnamon Girl

What have you got when a bunch of right wing extremists are standing on a corner in North Beverly Hills, in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel, wearing crazy costumes and holding signs while a nearly endless stream of RICH, OLD, WHITE GUYS IN SUV's and luxury sedans pull up the driveway? Why it must be a GOP FUNDRAISER, RIGHT?!?!!?? After all, if it was a gathering of progressive, environmentally concerned, liberal people of conscience celebrating the achievements of DAN RATHER, they'd all be driving hybrid vehicles or riding their ten speed bikes up the driveway, RIGHT?

Welcome to the land of celebrity activists, and DNC activists-- otherwise known as journalists. Tonight was the big night for Dan Rather, who is being honored for his "steadfast commitment to fair and accurate news reporting" by the Museum of Television and Radio. How apropos that Dan's big night is taking place on SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Freepers RonDog, DoughtyOne, diotima, DavidDennis, absalom1, DoctorZin and Outraged were there with some fabulous signs: "CBiaS", "Losing Share? Try the Truth," and RonDog was dressed as Sadam being pitched "softballs." I was dressed as Blind Justice holding a scale with one side reading "left" and the other reading "far left." Hopefully, DavidDennis will be putting up the pictures soon, and he also took video.

We were standing right at the foot of the driveway, on the intersection of Beverly, Crescent and Sunset so we got a lot of traffic, and the attendees not only drove by us, but sometimes the cars on the driveway got backed up and they were forced to be at a standstill next to our signs. One lady started waving her hand at us as if to say, "oh stop it, just go away."

-- snip --

From left to right: daviddennis (with videocamera), Outraged, diotima and Bob J (seated),
Cinnamon Girl (and her young daughter), Doctor ZIn, absalom01 (in the back),
RonDog (as Saddam, holding a "softball" from Dan Rather)
(Photograph courtesy of DoughtyOne)

CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread

[Mr. Mojo]

"Part of being a journalist," he [Rather] said, "and trying to be a journalist who pulls no punches and plays no favorites...",

Dan, cut the crap.

[Prodigal Son]

Thanks for the publicity Mr Respected Writer Dude.

[Travis McGee]

Somebody has to post those disgusting pics of Rather hugging Castro, and double-hand-shaking Saddam with those orgasmically blissful expressions on his face.

[NYCVirago]

What a sanctimonious suckup this "reporter" is. Could his nose be any further up Dan Rather?

[Mr. Mojo]

"CBS Evening News" may be in third place

Third place, but there are only three teams in the division.

[RonDog]

"Television has its uses," Mr. Metz Smith added. "Me personally, I'm like an alcoholic. If I get started, I'll watch it all the time, and it's just a bad thing for me. Especially TV news. It's too emotional."

He then told me you can't believe anything you hear on the network news in any case. He said he learned that on talk radio, from Dennis Prager: "If you have to stop one thing in your life, he says, stop television news."

The next morning, I called Mr. Prager and reached him at an airport in the Midwest, where he was on a book tour. "It's good you checked with me," he said, "because I have never said, 'Everything you hear on the news is a lie.'"

Mr. Prager told me he does believe CBS, NBC and ABC all have a liberal slant and that he had criticized Mr. Rather for his interview with Saddam Hussein: "I thought he prostituted himself by asking serious questions of a tyrant."

"If [Mr. Metz Smith] had said, 'Dennis Prager says it's a waste of time to watch the evening news,'" said Mr. Prager, "he would be right."

Sorry, Dennis.

In the heat of the moment, I may have mischaracterized your position on television news somewhat, but I am fairly confident that I never said that YOU said:

'Everything you hear on the news is a lie.'

Not sure where THAT came from, unless it was a PARAPHRASE of what Alex Ben Block thought that I said about you.

I intended to say what YOU said:

'Dennis Prager says it's a waste of time to watch the evening news.'

I guess that I will have to work on my CLARITY! :o)

[RonDog]

What a sanctimonious suckup this "reporter" is. Could his nose be any further up Dan Rather?

LOL!

See also, from www.lapressclub.org/board.shtml:

---

ALEX BEN BLOCK
E-Mail Address: alex@lapressclub.org

---

He is Editor-in-Chief of Hollywood Star News, Box Office columnist for Bridge News, and since January 2001, Executive Director of the L.A. Press Club.

He is an internationally known journalist, author, broadcaster, consultant and show business historian, and for seven years was Editor of The Hollywood Reporter.
He is also author of "Outfoxed: The Inside Story of America's Fourth Television Network," and "The Legend of Bruce Lee."

He has also been Entertainment Editor of the Miami News, columnist for The Detroit News, City Editor of the L.A. Herald Examiner and Associate Editor of Forbes Magazine. He has won numerous honors, including the Hearst Award, the LA Press Club Award, and four times was nominated for a Publicist Guild of America Press Award.

So THAT is why he knew about our PREVIOUS Rather FReep - which when the L.A. Press Club gave him a similar award in 2001:

SoCal FReepers: Don't know about you... but this Saturday I'D RATHER BE FREEPIN'!!!
			Posted by AnnaZ On 06/05/2001 9:21 AM PDT with 50 comments

[piasa]

"Part of being a journalist," he [Rather] said, "and trying to be a journalist who pulls no punches and plays no favorites...",

Plays no favorites? Who's he kidding? Dan's been wanting to get in Castro's pants now for years.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>Could his nose be any further up Dan Rather?

Only if it displaced Dan's adam's apple...and it looks like it's close

[PeaceBeWithYou]

What's the frequency Kenneth?

Someone had to say it.

[KellyAdmirer]

The writer carefully, very carefully, never even attempts to examine whether Rather actually IS biased.

Just why are people so upset with Rather, Oh Wise Writer? Because he doesn't know his frequencies, Kenneth? And, bottom line, what exactly DOES not having watched tv for years have to do with anything? Rather also does radio shows and other formats and his remarks are widely transcribed so as to be, well, laughed at. And maybe guys like this WOULD watch tv if it weren't a liberal wasteland caused by biased hacks like Rather.

The author just relays Rather's little self-promotions ("I'm just taking the heat" - yeah, right, Mr. Overpaid Saddam/Castro Lover) as part of his little hero-worshipping schtick. Some reporter!

Nice you Freeper folks got mentioned, but otherwise this tripe could have been written by the CBS PR department.

[RonDog]

Stunned by that revelation, I soon learned the Free Republicans were abuzz about the event and my interest. In addition to some e-mail, I got a call from Matthew Sheffield, 25, an unemployed student in Virginia. He and his brother Greg, 22, operate the Web site Rather Biased, which began around the time of the Clinton impeachment. They focused on Mr. Rather, said Mr. Sheffield, who they felt "carried his [opinions] over into his reporting."

Mr. Sheffield told me he considered Fox News Channel biased as well, but to the right. "We're equal-opportunity," he explained.

I asked if he ever tried to contact Mr. Rather. Mr. Sheffield said no, although he did talk to someone at CBS once. "I really haven't thought of that," he added. "I would interview Dan Rather [for the Web site] any day of the week if he would have an honest dialogue about bias. He hates talking about it. If he had a real honest dialogue, we'd probably go away. That's all we want. We all want our voices to be heard."

Thank you www.ratherbiased.com for being the INSPIRATION for our FReep!

[ppaul]

Somebody has to post those disgusting pics of Rather hugging Castro, and double-hand-shaking Saddam with those orgasmically blissful expressions on his face.

Just because you asked.....

[L.N. Smithee]

I was left saddened that Mr. Rather and CBS News might be hurt and the public might be misled by these silly, noisy, publicity-hungry protesters, some of whom don't even watch TV. What a contrast with a dedicated, hard-working journalist like Mr. Rather, who has spent his life serving the public and his profession.

Well. Mr. Block isn't biased, is he?

He began the evening with sweaty palms for Rather, and worked really hard to poke holes in the protestors without once addressing the legitimacy of the charges. Did Mr. Block even visit RatherBiased.com? He doesn't say -- he just suggests that people who aren't TV news junkies should not be taken seriously, somehow forgetting that the crew at RatherBiased.com watch Rather constantly -- like a hawk.

Congratulations, Mr. Block. You are more honest than most journalists who seek to obscure the existence of Free Republic. But speaking personally, for what it's worth, you have joined Rather on MY list.

[RonDog]

I was left saddened that Mr. Rather and CBS News might be hurt and the public might be misled by these silly, noisy, publicity-hungry protesters, some of whom don't even watch TV.

What a contrast with a dedicated, hard-working journalist like Mr. Rather, who has spent his life serving the public and his profession.

O.K., THIS PART really chaps my hide. :o)

[kcvl]

Wednesday, 26 May 1999

RANTING & RAVING

IN OTHER LAWSUIT NEWS: Alex Ben Block, who left the editorship of The Hollywood Reporter to go be top flack (is that term offensive to our Ethnic Publicistian friends?) at Morgan Creek Productions, is now suing after being summarily fired by notorious rage-monger (and Morgan Creek topper) Jim Robinson. The rumor is that Ben Block was fired for tardiness. After just a few weeks work (That part is a fact.) Two lessons here. One, if Ben Block left The Reporter for a $250,000 a year job, the pay in this business isn't that good. Second, never leave a boss as mellow and self-contained as Bob Dowling. Sure, you have to smooch a lot of butt over a career there, but Bob would never fire anyone for being late. In fact, as far as I recall, the only way to get fired at The Reporter is to put Bob directly into harms way and then, you only get suspended until you curse him to his face. Good job.

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:ZpH_vxGyHR4J:www.thehotbutton.com/today/hot.button/1999_thb/990526_wed.html+Alex+Ben+Block&hl=en&ie=UTF-8