Dan Rather, at 92, on a life in news

what a place what a time what a story it's  Friday morning here and this is Tiananmen  

square for decades he was front and center at CBS  News all these years later we thought it was time  

for a look back Lee Cowan traveled to Texas for  a conversation with Dan Rather and to each of  

you courage it's been almost 20 years for the CBS  Evening News Dan Rather reporting since Dan Rather  

good night signed off from the anchor desk here at  CBS News of the so-called big three TV anchormen  

back in the day watched by some 50 million  people a night rather was there the longest  

almost a quarter Century the hurricane has been  hitting full force the operative board tonight  

for the war against Terror here in Afghanistan  is more when he blinked I climbed up the Berlin  

Wall the cbs eye did too CBS News in his 44 years  with CBS he held every post- a network reporter  

could bureau chief War correspondent 10 years ago  there were no segregationist candidates for places  

in British Parliament foreign correspondent  White House correspondent are you running for

something No Mr President are you but in 2006 a  little more than a year after he stepped down from  

the the anchor desk Dan Rather left CBS itself  Dan Rather was one of the great reporters of his  

time good luck Dan all the best Dan Rather CBS  News became sort of a whole part of my name part  

of my identity and you have interviewed how many  presidents I'd have to count everyone instrument  

gosh this is the first time he's appeared on  this network since without apology or explanation  

I missed CBS I've missed it since the day I left  there even at 92 how and why he left still stings  

in the heart of every reporter worthy of the  namely there's a message that News Real News is  

what somebody somewhere particularly somebody  in power doesn't want you to know that's news  

and that's what got him into trouble NBC News and  death tonight the black eye at CBS News Today CBS  

news anchor Dan Rather and the News division  in 2004 rather filed a report for 60 Minutes II  

that questioned George W Bush's service record in  the Texas Air National Guard tonight we have new  

documents and new information on the president's  military service but the documents on which rather  

and his producer based their reporting could not  be later authenticated it was a mistake CBS News  

deeply regrets it also I want to say personally  and directly I'm sorry is that the lowest point  

for you you think of course it was the lowest  point I gave CBS News everything I had they  

had smarter better more talented people but they  didn't have anybody who worked any harder than I  

did cbs's Lee Cowan tells us one firehouse within  sight of ground zero has had its heart cut out I'd  

only been at CBS a few years by then during  which Dan Rather had kindly and unexpectedly  

taken me under his wing he made me feel welcome  you told me once that it's not the question but  

it's the followup but that's yes what often is  more important I hope you will not be following  

up today minus the suspenders and his cigars  rather remains just as I remember him an intently  

curious I'll bring you back in about 10 thanks  thoughtful well-read skeptic who wants nothing  

more than to wear out his shoe leather chasing the  next headline what made you want to be a reporter  

in the first place you know I've never quite  known the answer to that question all I know  

is it's the only thing I ever wanted to be was a  reporter and I get up every morning and soon as  

my feet hit the ground I say where's the story you  still do that huh I do and it doesn't matter how  

big or small the audience is no good evening from  Dharamshala India Port au Prince Haiti Welcome to  

Alaska after CBS rather continued to report from  all over the world for several news broadcasts  

of his own we come to you tonight from the line  between Israel and the occupied West Bank he wrote  

books and thank you so much that's exactly why I  wanted to talk to you became a sought-after voice  

on presidential politics and found a new younger  audience on social media you either get engaged  

and you get engaged on the new terms or you're out  of the game I want to stay in the game how would  

you rate where we are today in journalism let  the record show that I paused the people who are  

practicing journalism today are so much better  than those of us who came up at another time  

they're better educated they're more knowledgeable  about the world they want to do the right thing  

they're doing the best they can take your hands  off on me unless you intend to arrest me don't  

don't push me in his time he knew his best wasn't  to try to be his predecessor Walter Cronkite  

instead he tried to be the best Dan Rather he  could be you can see which came with price tags  

some professional talk to the man many of them  personal we had the assassination on Friday the  

interrogation of the assassin on Saturday in 1963  while the nation mourned the assassination of John  

F Kennedy in Dallas rather didn't have that luxury  I mean you didn't have any time to grieve yourself  

I didn't take time to grieve because I said to  myself it's my professional responsibility and I  

remember calling my wife Jean who was in Houston  at the time of the assassination but she she had  

cautioned me then sooner or later you have to make  room for your own emotions and I love my church  

that's why I'm trying to show my church where  they are in grave error if they accept integration  

rather also led cbs's coverage of the Civil Rights  movement those were the days he thought might  

Define him as a reporter but then came Vietnam no  Soldier worthy of the name will leave even a dead  

comrade you know there's a great misunderstanding  of what soldiers sailors Marines and airmen are  

afraid of in war they are afraid of dying of  course they are but that's not what they're most  

afraid of fighting men and women are most afraid  of letting down the guy to their left or the woman  

to their right race was rarely even thought of  the saying among the truths was same mud same

blood man that's the way it was handled being a  

hard charging reporter doesn't mean  being a heartless one after 911  

rather's raw emotion reflected what we were all  feeling thine Alabaster City's gleam undimmed by  

human tears we can never say that s again that was  all long ago these days you'll find him under the  

shade of a stately old oak not far from his home  in Austin Texas well it's called the treaty tree  

Lee it's outlasted Spanish conquests the Civil War  even urban sprawl and and in its Tangled branches  

Dan Rather sees himself it couldn't survive for  these 600 years without having very deep roots  

there's a lot comparable to you it's endurance  strength and has been in Texas for a long time  

yeah I wish that were true he spent his career  trying to put the world in context for others  

Penning the first draft of history in his  reporter's notebook Dan Rather knows more  

than anyone that the final draft though is up to  others and that's how it should be the closest  

you can do about Legacy is not think about your  work think about what you did as a person those  

important questions of who am I why am I here what  can I contribute those are the important questions  

not how well one did or didn't do as anchor  and managing editor of the CBS Evening News