Dan Rather Sues CBS CEO Moonves, Ex-CBS Pres Heyward For $70M

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090803-716725.html
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Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather fired another salvo Monday in his efforts to pursue damages against his former employers.

Rather sued Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp.'s (CBS) chief executive, and Andrew Heyward, CBS News's former president, for fraud in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan Monday, seeking $20 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.

Last month, a state judge reinstated a fraud claim by Rather in a separate $70 million lawsuit against CBS.

Rather has alleged in part that CBS violated his contract by failing to provide him enough airtime on "60 Minutes" or "60 Minutes II" after removing him as anchor of CBS Evening News in March 2005 following a controversy over a 2004 report about President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
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Go Dan Rather!!!

or that CBS was leaned on by the WH to can Rather? My hunch is they will keep it strictly to what they promised him if they can.

although we all know Bush was AWOL

They set Rather up so they could can him because he was going off the reservation concerning their man, bush the junior. No better way to put a stop to all the talk about the texas air national guard and w than by doing what they did plus it gives them the cover to fire Rather. Rather was punked and maybe he can turn the tables on this whole sordid affair

Andrew never wrote me back :cry:

SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-04 12:18 PM
Original message

Write a "snail mail" letter to Andrew Heyward...(CBS)

Here's his address...and my letter to him.. He seems to be at a point in his life, where he could use some feedback :evilgrin:




July 20, 2004

Mr. Andrew Heyward
President
CBS News
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019




Dear Mr. Heyward,

I understand that you are "unhappy", and "surprised" that The Daily Show won an award for news presentation...

There are a few things that you may not have realized about your "audience". The big-bucks you pay your focus groups, market researchers, poll takers, etc, are wasted, because you and your company have missed the most important thing... TRUTH...

It does not take a genius to figure out that what we get now-a-days is NOT news... It's "infotainment". We do not turn to the CBS Nightly news to be "entertained". We want to know what happened today... That's ALL we need... We do not want our news "spun" or "sanitized-for-our-protection".

To be fair, I must say that of all the current prompter readers, Dan Rather has started to tell a bit more truth. We realize that 'some' administrations are petty, vindictive and secretive, but that should be no reason for you and your news organization to capitulate and take your news report right from their faxes.

The fact that some 'journalists' are risking their lives in Iraq is very sad... To die for a lie is always a sad thing. They DO have one distinction though...They went for personal gain, fame, accolades, and maybe a book deal when they return. The soldiers, who went, have no such "treats" waiting for them.

The "in-bedding" (not a spelling error) of journalists was an especially egregious error on your part. The REAL story had you chosen to report it, was the fact that the military was so "eager" to accommodate the media... THAT was the story. It does not take a wild leap of imagination to know that "reporters", who were "suited up and encamped" with the same people who would protect their lives, would write glowing reports of their bravery and success.

CNN used to be the place to go for news... Why?? It was because they were "the fly on the wall", and we saw events unfolding, with little commentary. It is indeed sad, that instead of holding onto their principles ,even they have descended into the glitzy Fox-ified slimy journalism, like everyone else.

Those of us with satellite TV have left you and the rest in the dust, because we have found other, more credible sources for news. Example: This administration is the least respected worldwide, of ANY in hundreds of years.

How do I know this? Not because I read US papers or listen/watch US networks. I go to the SOURCE... Foreign news. To read a paper here, or watch a broadcast, we would have to assume that because Afghan and Iraqi girls have pencils, all is right with the world...and that during protests here, even though an overhead shot showed that they filled the mall, "a few hundred" "anarchists and troublemakers" marched ....spin-spin-spin..

We were attacked on 9/11 , in some part, because you and your fellow news people have seen "trials of the century", shark attacks, missing blonde girls, feuding teenage divas, car chases, diet gurus, movie star shenanigans, and assorted other "fluff", as more important then NEWS , and have spoon-fed that trash to the citizens, instead of facts that we needed to know.

Globalization/consolidation of media has made it a very ugly situation. We, the public, GAVE you our public airwaves, in exchange for the obligation BY you, to inform us of the important happenings in our world. Instead of fulfilling your obligation, you and yours, TOOK those airwaves, and turned them into a cash-cow for yourselves and to HELL with us.

There used to be investigative journalism, but that seems to have vanished. It's hard to investigate when the eventual target may be someone who controls the purse-strings of your own network. There is enough corruption and political evil to last a lifetime, if only some network were brave enough to dig into it. We won't hold our breath... Self-preservation and greed will win out, and we know it.


Your advertisers and corporate masters certainly have total control (even if only implied) over what you report, and more and more of us are realizing this... Notice your ratings/share dropping over the years?? Hmmm?

The Daily Show tells it like it is, and that is why it won and you didn't. They deserve to be recognized because they have the audacity to tell the truth and expose the nonsense the rest of you are serving up to us daily.

Instead of getting your panties in a wad, because you were overlooked, perhaps a better tack would be to watch Jon Stewart... watch and learn.

A former viewer

I hope Dan takes CBS to the cleaners. Loudly.

:applause:

some press time with this last administration.

Depends on what the official reason he was fired.

The truth of the allegations he made about Bush's service are central to his firing and his case.

There's no question it will come into evidence at trial, and no question that discovery in the case will encompass the full breadth of the Bush issues. His pleadings define the case, and he's entitled to take discovery on any issue remotely connected to his dismissal.

As I said, Rather's case is the gateway to his proving that Bush did all the things Rather claimed Bush had done.

I realize that Rather wants admissions as opposed to cash, but getting to trial is still not certainty. CBS is still caught in the middle. Thornburgh may not still be riding herd, but someone will be. Keeping the the bushkid's cowardass covered is on the base level of the neofascist house of cards.

A "forced" settlement is still possible. Particularly if they "pony up plus" and whine about a show trial. Dan may be left with a non-specific, self-declared victory that preserves their deniability. They could also just stipulate the whole desertion issue and defend on "other factors."

Then there's the possibility of trotting some issue -- any issue -- up to the Five Stooges for one of their special edicts.

--

Never say die! :bounce: