Media Research Center -- Press Release -- January 18, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2002

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“Quote Of The Year”

CBS’s DAN RATHER TAKES HOME TOP “DISHONOR” AT MRC CEREMONY

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather won the “Quote of the Year” award last night at the Media Research Center’s annual “Dishonors” Awards Ceremony. The audience chose Rather from among the evening’s top three “Dishonor” award winners. Rather won for his absurd defense of Bill Clinton’s honesty during his appearance on Fox News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor last May 15.

Bill O’Reilly: I want to ask you flat out, do you think President Clinton’s an honest man?
Dan Rather: Yes, I think he’s an honest man.
O’Reilly: Do you, really?
Rather: I do.
O’Reilly: Even though he lied to Jim Lehrer’s face about the Lewinsky case?
Rather: Who among us has not lied about something?
O’Reilly: Well, I didn’t lie to anybody’s face on national television. I don’t think you have, have you?
Rather: I don’t think I ever have. I hope I never have. But look, it’s one thing …
O’Reilly: How can you say he’s an honest guy then?
Rather: Well, because I think he is. I think at core he’s an honest person. I know that you have a different view. I know that you consider it sort of astonishing anybody would say so, but I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things.

“It really wasn’t much of a contest,” said MRC President Brent Bozell. “Rather’s insistence that someone – much less a President of the United States – could be an honest man at his core and still lie about any number things was more than the audience could take. Rather admitted that we would consider it – in his words – ‘astonishing’ that anyone would think that way and say so, and he’s right.”