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Global Edition | Today Is Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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Rather Said It First
New York – Maybe Dan Rather was right. It’s looking increasingly possible that Leslie Moonves really doesn’t know much, if anything, about television news. Nor, some might believe, in the wake of Katie Coruic’s tumultuous first year on The CBS Evening News, might Sean McManus — who oversees CBS News and Sports.
After twenty years of let’s pretend efforts, journalists are acutely aware that Roone Arledge, McManus’ former mentor at ABC, was wrong when he presumed that Sports and News were sufficiently similar to be combined. They’re not. One is showbiz and the other is public service. To his credit, Arlege served both masters by letting the journalists and editors run ABC News. Peter Jennings saw to that, some say today.
Troubles At Blackrock
Sean McManus’ shop is not doing well today. By overlooking John Roberts, the man many believed to be heir apparent to Dan Rather, CBS News appears to have sidestepped an opportunity to outdistance ABC. Now, with Roberts at CNN, CBS News is faced with a difficult, perhaps insurmountable, imponderable: How to gracefully get back into a competitive position?
So, there’s already embarrassing speculation in the business about whether Couric’s replacement ought to be Harry Smith, or Russ Mitchell. That’s a tough call, for either of these men is well qualified to serve in a principal newsreader role. Both have meaningful journalistic experience and excellent on-camera skills. Sadly, both have been immersed in entertainment values by virtue of their Morning Show connections. Still, their journalistic instincts are deeply rooted which demands that neither of them be overlooked.
Mitchell and Smith share more than a journalists mindset, for each of these men possess the level of gravitas that has proven so successful for ABC since it restored serious news under the aegis of Charles Gibson last year. Better yet, the evidence strongly suggests that both of them understands the news business, the importance of being accountable, the essentials of integrity, and what’s relevant in today’s turbulent world.