by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
“This was unquestionably the darkest time in my professional career,” said Dan Rather, the veteran journalist and former CBS News anchor who is at the center of the story of the new film “Truth” starring Robert Redford.
Dan Rather – Photo by Kris Connor/Sony Pictures Classic
Rather told Hollywood on the Potomac, “we reported a true story.” The story in question, depicted in the film is the Killian documents scandal that many dubbed ‘Rathergate.’ The investigation into the National Guard records of George W. Bush produced documents that turned out to be forgeries lead to apologies from the network and the event ultimately prompted the longtime anchor stepping down from his post at CBS News.
Dan Rather – Photo by Kris Connor/Sony Pictures Classic
The film dramatizes the investigation into the story, the production of the controversial news items and the aftermath as CBS probes the journalistic process that was ultimately deemed full of holes, however allegations of political bias were unfounded. Producer Mary Mapes, portrayed by a dominant Cate Blanchett in the film was a long time collaborator of Rather and it was herself and her team that chased lead after lead, possibly at times letting ambition to succeed face off mentally with solid judgement to prove facts. The film is based on Mapes’ book that gives account of the incident after she was fired from CBS over the incident.
Robert Redford as Dan Rather — Photo by Lisa Tomasetti © 2015 RatPac Truth LLC., Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Discussing the film with CNN’s Brian Stelter at a screening of the film in Washington DC this week, Rather and director James Vanderbilt discussed the subject matter and the film with a frankness that some may not have been ready for. Rather calmly declared that he had “come to peace with it” and “you don’t get to play them over.” Rather ultimately holds, even a decade later, that even if the reporting process was flawed, his story was grounded in truth. “”From what did I need exonerating?” he said, after an audience member asked if the film gives an effort for him to clear his name.
CNN’s Brian Stelter leads discussion with Rather and Vanderbilt – Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
The film is deliberate and even delicate every time it invokes the title word, truth. There is a subtle commentary that the values of Superman; truth, justice, and the American way; are in danger at the hands of profit and cronyism, and maybe it’s the truth. Rather says that this incident was the collapse of a much needed firewall where the news division was insulated from the business side of CBS.
Cate Blanchett as Mary Mapes — Photo by Lisa Tomasetti © 2015 RatPac Truth LLC., Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The film has deep undertones not just about this incident, but the impact that the world has felt since. Fan’s of HBO’s The Newsroom may recognize the symmetry of Rathergate to the fictional “Operation Genoa” foul-up that dominated season 2 storylines. The cultural impact of what occurred for Mapes and Rather and the team only begins with the tributes and stretches much further in an era of internet fact checking and citizen journalism.
Dan Rather and director James Vanderbilt – Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
“It’s still one of the ways we process things as a culture,” said Vanderbilt about the role of dramatization in exploring historical incidents like this. He cited films like Platoon as other examples of how fact and fiction meld to bring a story to the masses.
Rather and Vanderbilt – Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
Rather and Vanderbilt both agree that the decade that has passed since the incident has been huge technological growth and it comes with the good and the bad. No longer the days of Brokaw and Jennings or the trust of Cronkite to get to the news. Rather referred to the 10,000 voices available in his pocket at any given time–the game has very much changed.
Unsurprisingly, a rep for the Tiffany Network had less than kind words about the project; telling Variety, “It’s astounding how little truth there is in ‘Truth.'” Such a review didn’t discourage anyone though. “What are they gonna say, thank you?” quipped Rather.
Rather, along with the film’s director James Vanderbilt sat down with Hollywood on the Potomac to talk about the scandal, accuracy in journalism, and the evolution of media in a time of the internet.
