In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather reflects on his exit from CBS, and the fondness he still has for the people–and the legacy–of CBS News. Nobody “worked harder and cared more about the people and the place that CBS is…than I did. And still do,” said Rather, whose $70 million lawsuit against CBS was dismissed in 2009, during which he spent $2 million of his own money.
Rather said he’s “at peace” with his departure from the network–the scandal that forced his exit is now the subject of the Robert Redford film Truth, in theaters next week. He said he’s “moved on,” though his role in sharing his story with the filmmakers has brought him again to the relationship with the network that made him famous:
“CBS,” says Rather, his voice almost a whisper, “has a great history of backing its reporters, Ed Murrow with McCarthy, Cronkite with the Vietnam War, myself and others during Watergate. The movie has brought it back into focus. I have been and still am trying to be deep into humility and modesty, grateful for being able to make a living at this. I mean, CBS may have correspondents and anchors who are better at it than I’ve ever been. But they haven’t had anybody who worked harder and cared more about the people and the place that CBS is — its history, its traditions — than I did. And still do.”
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