Dan Rather was recently interviewed at South By South West, an interactive media extravaganza, where he was asked his opinions on bloggers and blogging. Mr. Rather, ever the southern gentleman, had a few interesting things to say about blogging, in spite of the role it played in his downfall as a CBS correspondent and lead anchor.
For those not quite in the know, Mr. Rather’s career ended on a disappointing note after he reported on a story that was later fact-checked as false by bloggers. Sure enough, once the mainstream media got wind of it, it led to a media frenzy which led to Dan Rather quitting his job at CBS. You might think Mr. Rather was soured on bloggers, but in fact, he makes a case for blogs as legitimate sources of news, and blogging as a legitimate form of journalism.
Furthermore, for all the columnists out there who do opinion pieces (yours truly included), he has a few opinions on that as well:
No matter what your political persuasion, blogging as a tool for futher dialogue, further conversation, and as a push for further accountability is nothing but a good thing. While blogging will always have its share of detractors, I find Dan Rather’s thoughts in this interview interesting, because they really give an idea of what blogging — for those who are interested in blogging as a form of journalism — can and should be.
Feeling stuck in self-doubt?
Stop trying to fix yourself and start embracing who you are. Join the free 7-day self-discovery challenge and learn how to transform negative emotions into personal growth.
