Veteran news anchor and outspoken President Trump critic Dan Rather is launching a weekly evening news program with the liberal online outlet The Young Turks Network starting Monday.
The former “CBS Evening News” anchor admitted to CNN that he wasn’t very familiar with the network before he took a meeting with its founder and CEO, Cenk Uygur, but he “jumped” at the opportunity once he realized what a great team they’d make.
“At this age and stage in my life, my attitude is, ’What the hell,’ ” Mr. Rather, 86, said. “I am not the smartest guy around and don’t know everything, but I have been blessed as a reporter and have seen a few things. And now I have moved to a different place. I want to contribute if I can.”
“The News With Dan Rather,” a 30-minute show billed as an “untraditional evening newscast,” premieres Monday at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be made available online weekly.
Mr. Rather said the no-frills show will be shot from his office and focus on the stories he doesn’t believe are receiving enough attention in traditional media. He said he was inspired to launch the show after President Trump’s repeated attacks on the press.
“I feel strongly that when you have a president who is continually, relentlessly damning the press, individuals by name, individual institutions and calling the press the enemy of the people — listen, this has to be resisted,” he told CNN.
“This is a time when everybody needs to be counted,” he added. “I don’t want to be preachy about it, but we have a real responsibility, those of us in journalism and those of us who have experience in journalism, to do what we can. … These efforts to convince the public that people in the news are dealing in fake news is quite frankly bull——.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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