The New York Post revealed today that Dan Rather characterized Katie Couric on CBS Evening news, his old show, as “dumbing it down, tarting it up.” In an appearance on MSNBC yesterday morning, he said, “…I think it has become even clearer that the mistake was to try to bring the ‘Today’ ethos to the evening news and to dumb it down, tart it up, in hopes of attracting a younger audience.” Read the piece here.
We’ve been talking about the impossible expectations put upon Couric since she was first tapped to be the first female evening news anchor. Now, one of her male counterparts has publicly insulted the show Couric anchors. Do you watch the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric? What do you think of Ms. Couric, the first female evening news anchor? How did you react to Dan Rather’s comments?
June 12, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I think Mr. Rather is talking sour grapes. Having another perspective is critical for our progress. Mr. Rather is afraid of change and wants to stick to what is safe to him and what he knows—the “good ol’ boys” club. Wake up! We’re in the 21st century!
June 12, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I hate to say it, because I would love to have a strong woman heading a serious news program, but Katie Couric’s show is not it. I watched it a few times and found it vapid and like so much of the news today that is rapidly leaving news content behind in favor of entertainment. Not that a lot of the male news anchors are doing much better, but Katie Couric has certainly not raised the level of discourse on her show, by any means.
Why can’t a woman like Christiane Amanpour have an anchor position? She probably wouldn’t ask Condoleeza Rice about her dating life, as Katie Couric did.
June 12, 2007 at 7:39 pm
I watch the CBS Evening News and enjoy it. I think that Couric does as good of job as any of the other anchors. I don’t think Rather’s comments were appropriate or professional.
June 12, 2007 at 11:22 pm
I think Dan Rather was telling the world that he fears the competition from women. Much the same as Vigih Singh did when he said he hoped Anika Sorensen would not make the cut and get to play. I think they are showing that they are afraid they will not be as good as the females at their own game.
June 13, 2007 at 7:50 am
Frankly, I don’t think the issues with the the news (Print, Radio, or TV) are just gender issues, as Rather has shown the media bias against women is alive and well. Nonetheless, until two things happen journalism is in trouble:
1. Consumers need to participate in demanding the rules of journalism be respected, beginning with truth and accuracy;
2. Consumers need to participate in demanding a clear line between journalism and entertainment.
There are many ways to do this, particulary in the 21st Century. Here are a couple that I try to work on daily:
a. Everytime you hear something wrong, call or E-mail to let them know it was wrong
b. Everytime you read something wrong, E-mail the writer and let him or her know that it is wrong
(I also write and say — great article, but you left this out…)
And, I’m with Kim, demand that reputable newswoman do the news. I hadn’t thought of getting involved in that one, but I will certainly share my new found opinion with programs.
This is not to slam Katie in any way. She was hired to do what the CEOs believe the viewers want — and what, unless they say otherwise, the viewers do want. She is who she is. It’s a style issue for me. And, I lean more toward the Christianne-type of reporting, too.
So — I say shame on Rather’s sexist comments and bring journalism back to the Fourth Estate Status.
June 14, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I’m not sure that it’s Couric fault, but the news media in general has become considerably dumber. They fail to ask the right questions of our politicians and accept whatever they’re told as the truth. Whatever happened to investigative journalism and news people being hard-hitting with real facts which ultimately force the politicians to change or get out of office??
June 19, 2007 at 6:04 pm
When I first heard that Katie Couric would be anchoring CBS news it seemed like an odd choice, in that she is not known for serious news and investigation. The choice appeared to be based more on celebrity. I would love to see a strong newswoman, respected in that field, anchor the evening news, and I’m sure a woman could do a fantastic job — potentially BETTER than the long-time male anchors, if she’s the right combination of seriousness and humanity.
Unfortunately, Katie is a different style and therein lies the problem, which CBS should have foreseen. It’s too bad, because some people will conclude that a woman is not as good as a man in this position, but as in most endeavors it’s about the person, not the gender. Like another responder, I wonder why no one tapped Christiane Amanpour, or another strong reporter from cable news, even if less well-known? It does say something about the media in general, and the “dumbing down” factor, that both news and print think all the public wants is entertainment and nothing more serious.
June 21, 2007 at 2:00 pm
I agree with Dan Rather that Katie is not a strong enough person for the 6:30 p.m. news. I do not watch her because she is to “soft” and “cautious.” I love to see what she is wearing, but I do not take her for a serious reporter. I like Dan’s style because he was not trying to kiss up to anyone. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Women have a hard time being progressive and aggressive like some men are. If we want a woman to become president of this U.S.A., we women have to get progressive and aggressive. Think about it!!
July 2, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Dan Rather was insulting the show, not necessarily Katie. But if anyone “tarted” the show up, it was not just Katie. The Executive Director for the show, Rick Kaplan, took the evening news in a bad direction. The commentary I think Dan Rather was trying to make was about the news industry as a whole. Integrity in the news should be the issue. That affects us all.
July 10, 2007 at 8:09 am
Couric is the professional with heart that she was when I first saw her as a reporter during the hostage taking in the ’80′s. Men and women are, by the way, different, so saying she does not have what her male counterparts HAVE is akin to the “Apples and Oranges” comparison. As for Dan, I’d “rather” not comment…
August 29, 2007 at 9:20 am
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