Dan Rather Television Quotations

Television sometimes has difficulty with depth and breadth, context and perspective, but what it does best is take you there. And this coverage took everybody there, up close and personal. You can see people hurting, you can see the response has been too slow. You almost don't need words.

It's been one of television news' finest moments.

This is no big deal, but when you ask me about those specific quotes from those specific people, this is what I have to say, and it's all I have to say: That the accomplishments of these men speak for themselves. Individually and collectively, they've had some of the truly great careers in television news, at CBS or anywhere else. Since that's the way they feel, they're entitled to express their opinions. They've earned the right to voice them. Period.

Artie Bloom was the most accomplished director of television news programs in history. The record shows he was the best.

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.