Anchorman bows out under cloud of criticism

Dan Rather echoed a word he once used every night to sign off the “CBS Evening News” – courage – in ending the programme for the final time after 24 years as one of America’s best-known television news anchors.

In a brief statement at the end of the broadcast, Rather paid tribute to September 11 terrorist victims, tsunami survivors, American military forces, the oppressed, those in failing health and fellow journalists in dangerous places.

“And, to each of you…courage,” he said.

He seemed to savour each word of his sign off last night: ”For the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather reporting. Good night.”

Rather’s reporting career spanned the Kennedy assassination to this winter’s tsunami, and he’s been the public face of CBS’s legendary news division since replacing Walter Cronkite on March 9, 1981.

Rather gave his final newscast after enduring a cloud of criticism about a discredited report several months ago on President George W Bush’s military service during the Vietnam War.

He had the longest continuous tenure in the anchor chair for a network newscaster. At age 73, Rather is becoming a full-time reporter for the network’s “60 Minutes” documentary series.

Among the three major US television networks, CBS ranks last in its nightly newscast in terms of number of viewers. Even in his last full week on the air, Rather finished a distant third in the ratings.

The reputation of Rather and CBS suffered after experts questioned the legitimacy of documents used in a September show – which Rather narrated - suggesting that Bush had received preferential treatment during his National Guard service three decades ago, during the Vietnam War.

When CBS could not authenticate the documents, the story’s producer was fired and three CBS News executives were asked to resign.

Many conservatives said the report supported their claims that Rather has a liberal bias.

Back in 1974, Rather drew the ire of Republicans during a combative exchange with former President Richard Nixon.

After Rather – known as an aggressive TV reporter covering the Watergate scandal – was applauded when he stood to ask a question, Nixon said: “Are you running for something?” Rather snapped back: “No, sir, Mr President. Are you?”

Rather had a testy 1988 interview with the former President George Bush, and conservatives also remember Rather’s ill-considered attendance at a 2001 Democratic fund-raiser in Texas.

He also scored several scoops, including anchoring the CBS report that offered the first pictures from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal earlier this year.