Dan Rather Blinked by Penn Jones

              VOLUME I NUMBER 12 JULY 22, 1977
DAN RATHER BLINKED by Penn Jones
The greatest criminal in this nation, we think, is a dishonest newsman. News­men
have been given the highest gift a nation can give a group: a RIGHT. Newsmen
have been given this right of freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the
expectation they would report the truth as honestly as humanly possible. Ordinary
criminals kill individuals, but dishonest newsmen are involved in killing a nation-in
this case, this democracy. Which brings us to native Texan Dan Rather, a long
time Houstonian, and his new book, THE CAMERA NEVER BLINKS.
Rather's book is somewhat like Jim Bishop's THE DAY KENNEDY WAS SHOT. At
least a month's work would be required to correct the many errors Jim Bishop and
Rather each foist on the readers. We limit our criticisms of the Rather book to
the sections dealing with CBS coverage of President Kennedy's visit to Dallas.
Rather was chief of the Dallas bureau.
The omissions, errors, distortions, and untruths
too great and too numerous to be dismissed as unintent
less forgetfulness. Back in Dallas after having been
Orleans just a few weeks before President Kennedy's as
a major role that day in all the events for CBS. For
important assignment on his hands, we find it strange
trip that morning. Rather reports he went to Uvalde,
meeting with former Vice President John Nance Garner a
doesn't mention the distances involved. He does not b
was a six hundred mile round trip and that he was back
dent's parade.
in Rather's book are just
ional inaccuracies or harm-moved
from there to New
sassination, Rather played
a young newsman with such an
that he would take a side
Texas for an after-breakfast
t his home there, but he
other to tell his readers it
in Dallas before the Presi-
That kind of timing would have required a jet, we think,
didn't say.
Whose jet, Rather
Back in Dallas before noon. Rather says he discovered the most important film
drop location on the Dallas motorcade route had been left unmanned, "...so I
picked up a yellow grapegruit bag and ..." went to the assignment which he says
was only four blocks away. Somehow, according to Rather, on return it became five
blocks. Actually it was nine blocks from the Dallas Times Herald building which
was Rather's headquarters for the day.
It seems to us Rather used tangled logic in picking a spot to catch film from
a moving vehicle. Not content with Dealey Plaza where the cars actually slowed
to four miles per hour, he opted to be on the opposite side of the Dealey Plaza
railroad underpass—just out of the kill area, where he knew the cars would be
traveling much faster than in Dealey Plaza. The motorcade was to end the parade
at the underpass and speed on out to the Trade Mart which was the luncheon site.
So Rather chose his position to catch this important film, but failed to tell
us if he ever got the film. Failed to tell what the film showed.
Rather selected a spot which required that he catch the film from a truck
which would be traveling at least forty to fifty miles per hour. He does pause to
tell that the press cars were placed well back in the motorcade and that this has