I guess this is rather old news, but it’s still funny. (get it, rather, Dan Rather? Never mind…) Apparently, Dan Rather has developed a reputation for “jumping the gun” when it comes to possible scoops on developing news stories, sometimes reporting on things that are spurious or not established as fact. I had heard about the incident where a Howard Stern listener crank-called Rather that he had found JFK Jr.’s wrecked plane. Well, it seems that Dan has been taken again, this time when a Howard Stern fan called in to say that he found a piece of the Columbia Shuttle wreckage:
My name’s Mike. I’m in Euless, Texas, and a little over an hour ago I heard a loud explosion and a big piece of what appeared to be metal landed on my property. It’s lying there now and there are a lot of people here, obviously, looking at it….And they believe that it’s one of Baba Booey’s teeth.
Apparently, the first crank-call was spotted by producers and quickly cut off, but apparently this time Dan Rather forged ahead, blissfully ignorant of the situation and his producers’ attempts to avoid further embarrassment:
[Rather:] Hold on just one moment while I keep you, Mike. A lot of people don’t know where Euless, Texas is. From Dallas you’re in what direction and where?…
[crank caller:] You’re a real idiot, you know that?
Well, there you have it. Dan Rather, always ready to take a hit in the name of consoling the nation during a time of tragedy. What a national treasure…
