Those who have followed the recent RatherGate story may be confused by one item: Why do people keep saying “courage” when referring to Dan Rather?
The indispensable RatherBiased.com provides the answer:
On September 2, 1985, a Monday, Dan Rather surprised everyone at CBS by ending the news with, "Courage." The next day, Tuesday, he said it again. Executive Producer Tom Bettag asked him about it and told Rather to consult him if he wanted to change the daily sign-off. On Wednesday, Rather said it again. TV columnists began to call into CBS to inquire about this unusual closing. The senior staff of the broadcast met with him to try to talk him out of it. On Thursday, Rather didn't use "Courage." Instead, he said, "Coraje" (cor-a-heh). Inquirers jammed the CBS phone lines. One bureau chief said, "What the hell did he say?" to a New York producer. "I don't know, he either said the Spanish word for 'courage' or an Asian form of the martial arts." CBS's Bill Moyers had just done a story on the Mexican-American border and it must have given Rather Latin fever. On Friday, it was back to "courage."
In the meantime, other journalists began ridiculing Rather's fascination. Bryant Gumble of NBC's Today show poked fun with his own signoffs, "Valor," "Hot dogs," "Mazel tov." The next week, on Monday, Rather didn't say it at all. Some of the people in the Broadcast Center broke into applause.
For those who’d like to see some Courage video clips, they are available in either RealVideo (dialup, broadband) or Windows Media (dialup, broadband).
Below are some recent cartoons that reference Rather’s “courage.” I hope you enjoy them. Until my next post: Courage. And good night.
