Dan Rather: a pioneer and a lightning rod

Rather was also the quintessential competitor, which didn't go unnoticed in other broadcast shops. Joseph Angotti, chairman of the broadcast program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, remembers the days when he was a senior vice president at NBC News, and Rather was on the White House beat. He says Rather used to "drive them crazy" by popping up in places they weren't.

"Especially, when he was at the White House, he used to drive [Tom] Brokaw crazy ... because he was always coming up with little nuggets of information that wouldn't become public for a day or two," says Mr. Angotti. "He was an excellent reporter, but unfortunately he was also the kind of reporter who frequently gave the impression that he was more important than the story, and I think that hurt Dan in the eyes of a lot of viewers."

Rather never lost his drive nor his feistiness once he moved into the anchor's chair. "One could argue that Cronkite introduced the American people to the concept of the reliable, trustworthy anchorman," says Marvin Kalb, senior fellow at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. "Dan is the next generation - the Rather-Brokaw-Jennings generation that demonstrated they can be reporters as well as anchormen because they had to be."

Perhaps Rather held onto the role most fiercely. To a certain extent, says Gene Mater, who was a senior vice president at CBS for more than 15 years, the other anchors morphed into editors once in the chair. "Dan always looked at himself as a reporter," he says.

That may have worked against him at times. "Rather had a way of creating controversy," says Jagoda. "He was not as good as Cronkite. Somehow he didn't know how to go down the middle as much, or keep out [of the story] as much."

Many say Rather's detractors have been unfair in their criticism. "He sat in the anchor seat for 24 years, which is absolutely amazing. You don't sit in an anchor's chair for 24 years without attracting critics," says Susan Bennett, director of international exhibits at the Freedom Forum's Newseum. "People forget the role of a journalist is not to be a pleasant conversationalist with those in power."

When the most recent controversy settles, many say Rather will emerge from the story because he is returning to what he does best: full-time reporting with "60 Minutes Wednesday." A permanent replacement for Rather has not been announced. Bob Schieffer, host of "Face the Nation," will fill in during an interim period beginning Thursday.

Among his peers, Rather was known for always seeking to improve himself, whether through dogged reporting or delving into books on new subjects. Perhaps it is this lesson that he has unwittingly left the next generation of journalists. During weekly meetings at the newspaper in Wharton, where an exhibit at the county museum is dedicated to him, the staff has debated the scandal surrounding Rather's fall. "It was a good lesson for us," says. Mr. Parsons, a reminder "to check sources before moving forward."

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