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Former CBS anchor Dan Rather is suing the network for $70 million, charging breach of contract and that the network kowtowed to the Bush administration in forcing him to apologize for a news segment about President Bush's National Guard record.

Rather, 75, says executives at CBS and its parent company, Viacom, forced him out because they were seeking "regulatory favors" from administration officials who were upset by allegations in Rather's "60 Minutes" report that Bush had received preferential treatment while in the National Guard. The report, which alleged Bush disobeyed orders and shirked some of his duties during his National Guard service, was built around documents that an expert panel, convened by CBS, later said could not be verified.

Rather makes the point that despit the report's shortcomings, the fundamental facts of the "60 Minutes" segment are not in question.

Though opponents of the lawsuit and an assortment of Dan Rather haters are bound to dismiss the legal action as sour grapes, the suit is extremely significant. By taking CBS and Viacom to court, Rather is exposing the deplorable state of today's corporate-owned media, which rather than report the news based on the public's right to know is making decisions on what to report with an eye to maximizing profit, increasing shareholder value and bowing to government pressure.

It's no secret that the Bush administration has had an authoritarian stance toward the press, at times punishing reporters for unflattering stories. Rather says Viacom boss Sumner Redstone grew "enraged" over the Bush-story controversy during a board meeting. Worried over his company's standing in Washington, Redstone said that "Dan Rather and anyone associated with Dan Rather has to go," Rather alleges.

During an appearance on the "Larry King Live" on CNN, Rather said his goal is to highlight the damaging influence that corporate boardrooms are having on how the news is reported. He wants to remove the corner office from the newsdesk, and says that a failure to do so will spell an end to investigative journalism.

Whatever his faults, Rather is right. Putting the spotlight on corporate and government influence in how news is reported is sorely needed. The case he is making will be difficult to prove, but that may become irrelevant so long as the public gets its attention directed at the deplorable state of today's media.

Learn more about this author, Pedro Pereira.
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