Dan Rather, the former CBS anchor who left the network in disgrace nearly two decades ago, is set to return for an interview about his career in journalism and his time at CBS.
Rather, who was forced to step down from his role as CBS Evening News anchor in 2005 following a discredited report about then-President George W. Bush, will feature in an upcoming episode of CBS Sunday Morning, as reported by USA TODAY.
The network recently announced the 92-year-old former anchor's interview in a statement, stating, "Lee Cowan talks with former CBS News anchor Dan Rather about his work at CBS and his life in news."
The interview will also delve into the documentary "Rather," which chronicles his rise to prominence in the media and his subsequent fall from grace. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is set to debut on Netflix on May 1, according to USA TODAY.
Rather's departure from CBS was triggered by his report on fabricated documents allegedly about Bush's military career. In the run-up to Bush's re-election, Rather aired a "60 Minutes" special featuring forged memos that disparaged Bush's conduct during his service in the National Guard in the 1970s. These memos were supposedly penned by his commanding officer at the time.
Critics argued that the documents were forged in a blatant attempt to tarnish Bush's image two months before the 2004 election. After initially defending the memos, Rather and CBS eventually conceded that the authenticity of the documents was never verified and should not have been used.
Ahead of a CBS investigation into allegations of journalistic malpractice, Rather apologized for the scandal. He resigned from his role as anchor of "CBS Evening News" a few months after the controversy and officially left CBS in 2006.
The 2015 film "Truth," featuring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford as Rather, explored the anchor's downfall. In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the film, Rather asserted, "We reported a true story. We didnt do it perfectly. We made some mistakes of getting to the truth. But that didnt change the truth of what we reported."
Despite his controversial exit, Rather has remained a prominent figure in the media, frequently appearing on left-leaning and anti-Trump media outlets. He has been a regular guest on CNN and MSNBC during the Trump presidency and is known for his prolific anti-Trump tweets.
In 2021, he was invited to discuss "misinformation" on "PBS NewsHour Weekend," where he cautioned viewers about how "misinformation, outright lies, propaganda, all of this gets loose on the internet."
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