Excellent first-hand exploration of media today

I just finished reading this book. I recommend it to anyone who wonders how corporations influence the media. What I took away from the book is the following:

The fourth part of checks and balances in this country is a free press. It is enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and is an integral part of informed voting and participation in our democracy. The public is entitled to receive information, despite making angry those who don't wish certain information to be known. Oftentimes, it is precisely that hidden information that MUST be known. The corporatization, trivialization, politicization of the press is a serious national problem that continues to grow worse. The problem is that the public is becoming more and more desensitized to the sensationalistic corporate "news" being aired today.

Lots more than that, but you'll have to listen for yourself.

A most excellent book.

14 people found this helpful

Speaking truth to power and the cost.

If you could sum up Rather Outspoken in three words, what would they be?

Wake up call!!

Have you listened to any of Dan Rather’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

Rather is rooted in the great age of journalism, He crossed swords with powerful corporate and governmental interests in his attempt to get at the truth during the G W Bush administration, and he paid a heavy price. This is a great story. Rather is a great man and a great American.

9 people found this helpful

Stunning

this has been on my list for years. glad I finally bought it. ironically, this book and its portrait of mainstream media is even more applicable today than it was when first released. it also gives you hope that journalists like Rather are still pursuing the truth.

3 people found this helpful

Preach, Dan Rather - Democracy Needs Your Voice

When I was marching in St. Paul, Minnesota at the Women's March on Jan. 21, 2017, a fellow marcher recommended this book. What a timely read. I teach journalism at the college level, and I will recommend this book to all my students. Dan Rather is one of my heroes, and reading this book only deepened my respect for him and my gratitude for his legacy. I loved listening to him tell his own story too.

2 people found this helpful

Engaging!

I am Canadian, and grew up with the CBC, not CBS. So I bought this on a whim. What a great surprise. Mr Rather was much more interesting than I had anticipated, and - though melodramatic in parts - presents a compelling argument ( I say as a lawyer) that he was not treated well by CBS. ( As a trial lawyer I found this - which takes up the first 50% of the overall book- interesting but can understand lots will not). The second part of the book - his experinces in the Kennedy, Nixon, years, his time in Vietnam etc - well worth the time to listen. I found his character part of the appeal, surprisingly so. Less ego than I had anticipated.

And above all - what a treat to listen to that voice!

High recommendation

5 people found this helpful

Better than expected !!!!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Rather Outspoken to be better than the print version?

Yes. Although I will not be able to read the printed version. I love to listen to Dan Rather.He is an amazing story teller.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked all of it, and will re-listen to it.

Which scene was your favorite?

No scenes, just great stories. An eye opener of inside journalism and our media, and how things are not always as we hear or see them. Our US network media does a lot of cut and paste.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was perfect. I will re-listen to this book again.

Any additional comments?

It's perfect! Thank you Mr. Rather.

5 people found this helpful

A must read.

If you could sum up Rather Outspoken in three words, what would they be?

Educational, shocking, disturbing

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rather Outspoken?

Learning how news media controls what US citizens are and aren't privy to.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Whatever happened to our free press?

4 people found this helpful

Love this book

This book is amazing, it has taught me historical events and has let me to understand history more.
Thank you Dan Rather for writing this book, I enjoyed reading it and you were an amazing reporter for CBS News.

1 person found this helpful

Great and interesting story!

This was a great autobiography of Mr. Rather's life and career. I very much enjoyed it and he narration. It was a fairly long listen and I got through it very quickly---unlike some autobiographies, there was never a lull in the storytelling. Each section was very captivating and his remembering of 9/11 brought me back to that day myself. Great great listen!

3 people found this helpful

An compelling, authoritative listen!

I stumbled across this excellent audiobook - equal parts personal memoir and professional wake-up call to fellow U.S. journalists - entirely by chance and was hooked instantly just listening to the preview. Rather's telling of his life's work and travels here and abroad, are recalled in his trademark no-nonsense fashion, seasoned with just the kind of behind-the-scene anecdotes and details that keep you paying close attention, chapter after chapter. From covering the White House, to Vietnam, 9/11, Afghanistan and so many more, he shares the stories behind the stories, and in doing so paints a vivd self-portrait of a devoted journalist (and Texan) borne of an unflinching, old-fashioned patriotism as well as a confessed obsession to "get it right", in many cases no matter the consequences, personally or professionally.

Just as importantly, Rather makes a strong case for how the last two-decades have dealt wicked blows to our free press, an institution he (rightfully) views as an integral part of our democratic process, and one in peril. His detailed recounting of his personal experiences with the Viacom-owned CBS contains revelations both stunning and sobering, and no doubt serve the perfect example of our need to preserve a press that is free of manipulation - and outright control - by a government which has strayed dangerously far from it's constitutional roots to become "... of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations."

This is an engrossing, and important, listen.

3 people found this helpful