Source : @Variety
LOS ANGELES, October 26, 2026 – Veteran newsman Dan Rather has warned that “the wreckage of CBS News is everywhere” as “Rather”, the documentary about his life and the state of modern journalism, begins streaming for free on YouTube.
In an exclusive interview with Variety published on Monday, and shared on X by the entertainment publication, Rather said he was more concerned than ever about the future of the profession, especially at his longtime network.
Free release on YouTube
The 93-minute film, directed by Frank Marshall and first released in 2023, is being distributed for free on YouTube from Monday by producers Wavelength, Fremantle’s Original Productions and Anchor Entertainment, timed to the recent Free Speech Week. The release comes as Rather prepares to turn 95 this Saturday, just days before the 2026 United States midterm elections.
“I hope it will give it a much wider audience,” Rather told Variety. “I’m also hoping that this documentary may, in some pretty small way, help underscore the importance of defending the First Amendment and freedom of the press — especially at this moment in our country’s history.”
The documentary tells three stories at once: the evolution of broadcast journalism and the troubles a free press now faces, along with what the producers describe as the slide of American society from hard-fought advances in social justice and democratic freedoms, all through the lens of Rather’s Emmy, Peabody and Edward R. Murrow award-winning career. It also details his controversial 2006 exit from CBS News, alongside never-before-seen footage from his 44 years at the network.
‘A disaster’ at CBS News
Rather was blunt about what has happened to CBS News under new owner Skydance. “What’s happened at CBS News is sad,” he said. “It is in many ways a disaster, not just for the people who work at CBS News — and there’s still a lot of really good people working there. But this is a further example of big billionaire corporate power in bed with powerful people and the presidency to get control of these operations for their benefit.”
“Donald Trump has expressed his extreme dislike for ’60 Minutes.’ So now, he’s gotten his way,” he continued. “The wreckage of CBS News is everywhere, and continues to this moment. I don’t see how to stop it.”
Rather, a “60 Minutes” correspondent before taking over the “CBS Evening News” anchor chair in 1981, called the newsmagazine “pound for pound the best investigative journalism outfit anywhere in television in the world” and accused the new leadership of trying to turn CBS News into “a kind of more sophisticated version of Fox News”.
He was also critical of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, saying he did not know her before she took over and that “you judge a person by what they do”. He praised former “60 Minutes” correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi for speaking out about the changes before their exits, saying: “You’ve got to admire his guts because somebody needed to stand up, speak out, and start challenging the power.”
‘If freedom of the press dies, democracy dies’
“It’s just never been more important to remind ourselves that if freedom of the press dies, democracy dies,” Rather said. “A truly independent press is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.”
Rather continues to write his Substack newsletter, “Steady”, and is currently focused on covering the midterm elections in his native Texas, describing the state’s Senate contest as “a race for the ages”.
The film’s producers said the free release “aims to spark conversation about freedom of speech, journalistic integrity and the importance of a free press”.
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