Dan Rather Public Quotations

Journalists should denounce government by public opinion polls.

What I hope will not change is the understanding that news needs to serve the public interest as its primary goal. That is its greatest calling, to keep freedom and independence alive, and keep it honest.

The public has lost interest. They'd much rather hear about the Robert Blake murder case or what is happening on Wall Street. A feeling is creeping back in that if you lead foreign, you die.

International coverage will continue to shrink unless those of us who believe it's important can make the case to the leadership and ownership that this is a public service. It may not help the demographics, it may not help the ratings. But it's the kind of coverage you have to have if you want to be a quality operation.

The reporting for Katrina has been fabulous, among the best I have seen, right across the board, ... Television is at its best when it commits itself to public service and this was a classic, almost pluperfect, example of television news as a public service.

This was great reporting. I think the public should know that great reporting starts with a publisher who has guts and an editor who has guts. And the role of the late Katherine Graham, who owned The Washington Post, is not to be underestimated.