HDNet Original Programming – Dan Rather Reports
I have to give credit to Mark Cuban for getting Dan Rather over to HDNet to produce Dan Rather Reports. No matter what you think of Rather, this is one terrific show if I am to judge by the first episode which discussed violence in Mexico including the suppressed information as to what is going on in Acapulco where a drug cartel has moved in. Besides the gunfights in the streets, two policemen were beheaded and their heads mounted outside of police headquarters. This was actually shown in gory and sickening detail. Most of the information contained in the one-hour report was news to me and well produced unlike some of HDNet’s “cheap productions.” Even conservatives would like this particular report. You watch it and realize that although Rather looks pretty damned old, he knows how to do “big news” and should have had an hour to himself for this sort of show years ago. Kudos.
Rather always was a much better reporter than anchor. Glad to see he’s back at what he does best.
The Mexico show was the 3rd since he started up at HDNet — every one worth watching for in-depth detail.
The 2nd was on the non-rebuilding of New Orleans and environs.
The 1st was the sleazy treatment of veterans — especially by the VA — especially vets from Iraq.
All done with a style and attention to detail absent from magazine shows from the Talking Heads. Mark Cuban deserves a ton of credit for no restrictions. He signed Rather to a 3-year contract, a staff of 14 or so — do whatever you feel like doing.
A nice supplement to Greg Dobbs’ uncluttered work on the same channel. The only folks I ever see doing week-by-week coverage of life in the occupied West Bank, for example.
It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep his biases hidden, unlike his past work.
#3 — why not just email him your list of unacceptable topics?
I don’t care if he keeps his biases hidden. I just want him to do his work properly, which he would do better if he could acknowledge his biases and put some conservatives on his staff. He would still be working at CBS News if he had thought for a minute, ‘hmm this guy Burkett has been pushing this story on us for years, and after we ignored him because we needed more proof, he just came to us with exactly what we needed. Maybe we should check this out.’ Instead, his own biases led him to believe the lie. That same logic applies to everyone, whether it’s neocons and intelligence about potential enemies, or people on this site and stories about the President.
There is something weird going on with the comments. It always asks for this kindacaptcha even though cookies are on. Also, several times it will say that I can post only once every fifteen seconds, when I haven’t posted anything in awhile. That last post took more than 15 sec to write, yet it took 5 tries to get to the captcha screen.
This is actually the fourth episode – there was a GREAT one in there about lobbyists and how much certain congressmen (and women) are accepting from them. A solid news show that quickly found its way into my season pass on Tivo.
3, 5,
I’d love to see what you consider bias in these reports.
It will be an awesome and intelligent look at the news with commentary and analysis (Dan knows we are too stupid to interpret the news with out his help) Yes, back on CBS, he always emphasized ‘ANALYSIS’, especially when reporting political stuff.
It will be like this until the next fake memo. When you hate Republicans as much as he does, he will (again) be easily fooled into reporting fake news to throw an election. Its kind of sad being that full of hate. I don’t hate him, I pity him.
off topic… as i was watching the mexico segment i was wondering what la la la los angeles is going to look like in.. oh say… 25 years as the drug cartels start to come ashore here in the same fashion. i know some will say they are already here…. but if you think that you aint seen nothin yet.
It will be like this until the next fake memo. When you hate Republicans as much as he does, he will (again) be easily fooled into reporting fake news to throw an election. Its kind of sad being that full of hate. I don’t hate him, I pity him.
The MEMO was fake, but it’s likely that the information in that memo was accurate.
If you have a past you’d rather forget, and are fearful that there are documents out there that may be embarassing, what better method for defusing the situation could there be than to release your OWN fake documents, leaked through an untraceable source to your political foes, and then discrediting it when and if it’s revealed.
That’s not tin-foil-hat conspiracy stuff, just smart pre-emptive spin control.
#6, that happens quite often with troll posts.
I really like the way neo-cons claim Rather is biased. The three major networks plus CNN news are recognized for impartiality across the board by reputable journalists. Somehow though, Fox is never brought up. The one network that unabashedly admits to a conservative bias, that hosts so many ideologues, is fine by them. In fact, Fox News is good enough to post the party line and talking points.
Could it be that the neo-cons really wish the big news networks weren’t so neutral?
#10 – FWIW, I live in Rosarito, just south of Tijuana, and we’ve had some cop beheadings around here. The powers that be say a particularly violent gang leader, after being pushed out of Nuevo Laredo by the Federales, is trying to fill a power vacuum created when the Tijuana black market boss got arrested while on the lam down in one of the Cabos.
What runs all through it is the black market for drugs. Drug lords aren’t surging up over the border to steal our safe, peaceful city streets. There are such scum everywhere. The black markets provide a ticket to fast money.
According to surveys, drug prohibition black markets have actually made it easier for high school kids to buy drugs than beer, which is regulated these days. Could it be that regulation instead of prohibition would save Los Angeles 25 years hence?
The MEMO was fake, but it’s likely that the information in that memo was accurate.
So you are saying that if it is ‘Likely’ accurate, it should be reported???? Wanting to believe it is true, and hearing rumors does not make it true. I just want the facts, not what is likely to be true.
To quote my a good TV cop. ‘Just the facts Ma’am’
#16, the facts are that Bush didn’t fulfill his National Guard obligations. What happened is a bit of a mystery because for some reason the documents have disappeared.
But there is NOTHING on record saying Bush was serving his country while Cleland, Kerry, Murtha, McCain, or Powell,(and a million other Americans) were fighting in Viet Nam. All men who your great leader has shown disdain for.
#17. I agree. It is a FACT. No fake memos are required to fill in the mystery. Disdain is open to interpretation. As I said earlier, just give me the facts.
On a side note, Fox News is much farther biased to the right than Dan was to the left, IMHO, but the bias exists.
Second paragraph, when you say ‘your great leader’, I assume you are not a citizen of the US. I would disagree with ‘great’ but he is still the president, just like when Mr Clinton was the president, he was the leader. I tend to disagree with both of them, but each was still the president.
Since I am mostly Libertarian, neither party really has anything to offer. The Republican congress of 2006 is as corrupt as the Democratic congress of 1994. This cycle will most likely repeat itself in the next 10 years. It would be funny if it were not so fscking sad.
Please don’t lump Kerry in with those others. He lied about his service at best, and his actions after Vietnam are borderline traitorous. It’s really sad that he even came close to being President of the greatest nation that has ever existed.
Yeah that Geraldo’s a big right-winger, oo, andbeand Greta Van Susteren too and before that Paula Zahn.