Dan Rather

Daniel Irvin Rather Jr., born on October 31, 1931, is a distinguished American journalist and commentator, renowned for his impactful reporting and long-standing career in television news. He first gained national prominence in September 1961 when his coverage of Hurricane Carla played a crucial role in saving thousands of lives. Over the decades, Rather has reported on pivotal historical events, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, and the ongoing war on terror.

Rather's career took a significant turn in November 1963 when he reported from Dallas during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This pivotal moment led to his promotion at CBS News, where he became the White House correspondent in 1964. His tenure included covering the presidency of Richard Nixon, notably Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China, the Watergate scandal, and the president's eventual resignation.

In 1981, Rather ascended to the role of anchor for the CBS Evening News, a position he held for twenty-four years. Alongside Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw, he formed the trio of the most recognized nightly news anchors in the United States from the 1980s through the early 2000s. He was also a frequent contributor to CBS's acclaimed news magazine, 60 Minutes.

After leaving the anchor desk in 2005 amid the Killian documents controversy, Rather continued to work with CBS until 2006, when he was dismissed. In September 2007, he filed a lawsuit against CBS and Viacom for seventy million dollars, claiming he was made a scapegoat in the Killian story. Although the lawsuit was dismissed in 2009, Rather's career continued on cable television, where he hosted Dan Rather Reports from 2006 to 2013 on AXS TV. He has also hosted various projects, including Dan Rather Presents and The Big Interview with Dan Rather.

In January 2018, Rather began hosting an online newscast called The News with Dan Rather on the Young Turks YouTube channel. Since 2021, he has been sharing his insights through the newsletter 'Steady' on the Substack platform, with a remarkable collection of one hundred seventy posts as of 2024.