Dan Rather 2.0

Bloggers killed Dan Rather's career, right?

Wrong.

Dan Rather's career is alive and well, thanks to a rich entrepreneur, a premium cable channel, and his own ingenuity and skill.

Enter HDNet, a premium channel available to select cable and satellite TV subscribers. HDNet features HD movies, television shows, sports programs, and Dan Rather.

Dan Rather Reports is an investigative news program that is a self-proclaimed watchdog on domestic and international issues. Dan Rather has said that he has tremendous leeway in deciding which stories to cover and what issues to emphasize. Rather's program is, as he says, "making a lot of money for the new network," and shows that journalism is still a viable trade. Moreover, the owner of HDNet, Mark Cuban, has expressed a lack of concern over whether or not Dan Rather Reports makes money for the network. Rather says that the news industry needs monetary support from businessmen and investors who care more about the essence of journalism than they do about making tons of money. In this way, privately owned news organizations, such as the New York Times, have a leg up on publicly traded news sources.

While the old dog isn't necessarily learning new tricks, I definitely applaud Rather's ability to stay viable and vibrant in an evolving industry. This contrasts quite a bit with Katie Couric's comments about how, no matter how well or poorly she reports, her viewership will decline in numbers. I think that Rather seems willing to buck the system and fight for what he believes in, and, in doing so, provides an excellent example for the budding future generation of journalists. Couple this with Rather's tenacious lawsuit against CBS, and I see a Dan Rather who refuses to bow to scary new technology, partisan media, or old age.

Thank you Dan Rather for your example.