Getty Images via NYO
Posted Wednesday June 21, 2006 at 10:32 AM
The NYO's Rebecca Dana has a long feature on Rather's departure from CBS, including the revelations that Rather had been gamely submitting story pitches to "60 Minutes" right up to the end and that Rather's office was already being cleaned out when the CBS statement was released yesterday. Money quote:
Mr. Rather has not agreed to any settlement with CBS; the network plans to keep paying out his current contract, which runs through November.
Other reactions:
- Meredith Viera to NYDN: CBS' handling of the situation was "tacky"
- Verne Gay at Newsday: "Wishful thinking" wasn't enough to keep Rather around...
- Peter Johnson at USAToday: It started with the National Guard story and has deteriorated for two years, but ultimately Rather's departure is not much different than Murrow's or Cronkite's. That said, he had less stored goodwill than the others anchors.
- Shister: Rather felt like he was being "pushed out the back door"; McManus says that Rather's career "reads like a history book" and a prime time retrospective is planned for the fall.
- Shales: Reached Rather at home, who said he's off with his family to vacation in the Catskills; NYO's Rebecca Dana called his home, assistant,agent and publicist but got no response.
- The Public Eye: "It's important to remember that we don't know the backstory of how the Rather piece first came out."
- Estrich at Fox: Dan Rather got older, and that has consequences - for all of us.
