RELATED: Lara Logan on 60 Minutes Benghazi Report: 'We Were Wrong'
During a conference call to promote the AXS-TV special My Days in Dallas: A Remembrance with Dan Rather, the former CBS anchor was asked to compare the flawed report on President Bush's National Guard service that led to his ouster from CBS with the current uproar over the network's 60 Minutes report on Benghazi.
"Whatever happened and however it happened, our story was a true story," Rather said. "One can argue about the process by which we got to the story. This story, unfortunately, involved someone who was caught lying. ... I hope people recognize the difference."
Correspondent Lara Logan has taken a lot of heat for fronting the report, which led to a rare on-air apology by 60 Minutes. "The tendency" with reporting scandals, Rather said, "is to put all the blame on the correspondent. Common sense tells you that's not the reality. I'm not sure if this story goes away or not. But if it doesn't, part of it will lead away from the correspondent and toward people who were involved in the decision-making process from the highest levels."
Rather, one of the few surviving media members who was in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, shares his recollections and experiences. Earlier this month, CBS announced its JFK plans, which notably excluded Rather. The announcement prompted objections from Rather and some other media obervers.
Asked again about the CBS coverage of the anniversary, Rather reiterated his objection to the perceived effort to "airbrush me out of history," but added, "I'm at peace with it."
My Days in Dallas premieres Nov. 18.
