WAS DAN RATHER SHUNNED BY CBS FOR KENNEDY SPECIAL?

Dan Rather will not participate in CBS News’s special on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy scheduled to air on Nov. 16. In an interview with the Associated Press, the 82-year-old Rather, who was forced to leave CBS in 2004 after 44 years with the network after questions were raised about the legitimacy of documents produced for his report on the military service of former President George W. Bush, indicated that he had hoped to appear on the special. Instead, he will be interviewed for NBC’s special on the assassination due to air on November 22. “Setting my feelings aside about it, this is not a good idea to say we want to change the historical record so we’re going to airbrush this guy out because we don’t like him,” Rather told the AP. However, Susan Zirinsky, who is producing the CBS special, told Broadcasting and Cable magazine that Rather will be included in the special. “Dan was a big part of CBS’ coverage in that historic time of the assassination,” she said, “and of course he is in the coverage and, over the years, has been extremely eloquent and reflective of that event and CBS’ role in history. Because I have that already captured in pretty amazing terms, that will be included in the show.”