Poynter Online's Bill Mitchell offered a good roundup earlier today of some of the coverage of Dan Rather's departure from CBS.
However, he missed one important contribution to the tributes and analysis.
I just flew in to New York, where I'll be working for a few days. On the plane I caught up on a few podcasts -- including the most recent episode of "Le Show," by comedian, actor, longtime radio personality, and keen media critic Harry Shearer.
The June 18 Le Show featured an irreverent but, I think, insightful glimpse of the evolution of broadcast news: "Bad Day at Black Rock: Dan's Out at CBS." (Also available as an MP3 download from KCRW.com).
The setup: Dan Rather, off to see "Good Night and Good Luck" yet again -- alone and dejected -- dozes off in the theater. In his dream he's joined by Walter Cronkite for a rueful, frank chat. Edward R. Murrow arrives late, worn out from all the spinning he's been doing in his grave lately.
Shearer, as always plays all the parts. Bravo! While Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert get the lion's share of credit for skewering the news these days, for my money Harry Shearer belongs right there in that pantheon.
