Editing Dan Rather (section)

=== Departure from the ''CBS Evening News'' ===
{{blockquote|We've shared a lot in the 24 years we've been meeting here each evening, and before I say "Good night" ''this'' night, I need to say thank you. Thank you to the thousands of wonderful professionals at CBS News, past and present, with whom it's been my honor to work over these years. And a deeply felt thanks to all of ''you'', who have let us into your homes night after night; it has been a privilege, and one never taken lightly.

Not long after I first came to the anchor chair, I briefly signed off using the word, "Courage". I want to return to it now, in a different way: to a nation still nursing a broken heart for what happened here in 2001, and especially to those who found themselves closest to the events of September 11; to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, in dangerous places; to those who have endured the tsunami, and to all who have suffered natural disasters, and must now find the will to rebuild; to the oppressed and to those whose lot it is to struggle in financial hardship or in failing health; to my fellow journalists in places where reporting the truth means risking all; and to each of you, Courage.

For the ''CBS Evening News,'' Dan Rather reporting. Good night.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.emmys.tv/news/2005/march/ratherfarewell.php |title=Dan Rather Delivers Final Newscast CBS Anchor Signs Off After 24 Years |publisher=Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |date=March 10, 2005 |access-date=June 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115031132/https://www.emmys.com/news/2005/march/ratherfarewell.php|archive-date=15 November 2006}}</ref> |Rather's speech at the end of his farewell newscast|title=|source=}}

Rather retired as the anchorman and Managing Editor of the ''CBS Evening News'' in 2005; his last broadcast was Wednesday, March 9, 2005.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |work=NewsHour with Jim Lehrer |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/rather_06-20.html |title=Dan Rather Leaves CBS |publisher=PBS |date=June 20, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2012 |archive-date=June 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601120812/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/rather_06-20.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He had worked as the [[anchorman]] for 24 full years, the longest tenure of anyone in American television history, and for a short time, continued to work as a correspondent for ''60 Minutes''. [[Bob Schieffer]], a fellow Texan and host of ''[[Face the Nation]],'' took over Rather's position on an interim basis,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Folkenflik |first1=David |title=Rather Leaves, Schieffer Arrives, Heyward Talks |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4528580 |website=npr.org |date=March 9, 2005 |publisher=National Public Radio, Inc. |access-date=August 11, 2019}}</ref> with [[Katie Couric]] replacing Schieffer in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Katie Couric says she's leaving 'Today' |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/katie-couric-says-shes-leaving-today-wbna12137229 |website=today.com |date=April 5, 2006 |publisher=NBC Universal |access-date=August 11, 2019}}</ref>
Since retiring, Rather has spoken out about what he perceives as a lack of courage by American journalists. On January 24, 2006, Rather spoke to a [[Seattle]] audience. Before the speaking engagement, he told a newspaper reporter, "In many ways on many days, [reporters] have sort of adopted the attitude of 'go along, get along.'"<ref name=demand>{{cite news |last1=Skolnik |first1=Sam |title=Demand solid news, Rather urges |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Demand-solid-news-Rather-urges-1193799.php |website= Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=January 25, 2006 |publisher=Hearst |access-date=August 21, 2019}}</ref>

"What many of us need is a spine transplant," Rather added. "Whether it's City Hall, the State House, or the White House, part of our job is to speak truth to power."<ref name=demand/>