Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Les H who wrote (136569)	4/8/2001 10:06:29 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

This dumb. An excerpt from Reliable Sources. KURTZ: And this RELIABLE SOURCES media item. Dan Rather, the anchor conservatives love to hate, has apologized for participating in a Democratic party fund-raiser. My story in "The Washington Post" has touched off a chain reaction. The Austin event, at up to $1000 per person, raised about $20,000 for the local party. Among the hosts, Rather's daughter, a possible candidate for mayor of Austin. The CBS anchor, long accused of leaning to the left, told me he didn't know the gathering was a fund-raiser beforehand. But, he admits he made a serious mistake and says he is embarrassed and sorry. Bernie, how serious a mistake? KALB: Well, let's look at it this way. What's the lesson in all this, Howie? Don't respond to your daughter's invitation? He goes to some sort of backyard barbecue, he gets there and finds out, in fact, it is a fund-raiser. Dan himself has said it's a serious mistake, that he regrets it. But I don't believe for an instant it will affect Dan's constant pursuit of objectivity. KURTZ: But there is the question of perception, and I happen to believe it was a huge mistake because by violating this cardinal rule, and particularly with Dan Rather, whose been the favorite whipping boy on the right for a long, long time, he has handed his critics a sword. And everything that he says, every raised eyebrow from now on will be scrutinized with an extra bit of care from his detractors for evidence of some sort of democratic bias. KALB: I'm not going to defend that, but that, you're talking about, is the sort of perception, and I think one has to be fair, and Dan will, I'm confident, will not affect his pursuit, as I say, of objectivity and the way he reports stories, although the perception will be there. KURTZ: Perception is important in the media and in politics. KALB: Without question. KURTZ: And when we come back, China and the talking heads in Bernie's "Back Page."