What real journalism looks like

Twenty-two years ago today, Americans saw what real journalism looks like:



(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy45grGpB6o)

That clip contains Dan Rather's now-famous interview of the elder Bush during the 1988 campaign. While the interview sent conservatives into a years-long tantrum against Rather, the interview was a good example of incisive, tough reporting.

Can you imagine a reporter questioning a politician like that now? If the politician was anything other than a Republican, they might, as long as the questioning had to do with something less serious than the Iran-Contra scandal. But you can probably forget about any American journalist seriously questioning a GOP politician over any major issue these days.