Twenty years ago, when Dan Rather was pushed out from CBS News following a controversial 2004 report on former President George W. Bush’s National Guard service, it was a massive scandal. While many remember it for being predicated upon shaky documents, it was also incredibly prophetic about the future media landscape: One that’s rapidly consumed by corporate interests, political pressure and the erosion of editorial independence.

After a 24-year tenure in the anchor chair of the “CBS Evening News,” Rather did not depart quietly. “They sacrificed support for independent journalism for corporate financial gain, and in so doing, I think they undermined a lot at CBS News,” he told CNN’s Larry King in 2007. “Somebody, sometime, has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much le

See Full Page