Rather v. Moonves, Trump v. O'Donnell

This feud isn't as colorful as the Donald Trump - Rosie O'Donnell war; but it will have to do.

After Paris Hilton found God, decided to quit "playing dumb," and chose to cooperate by paying her debt to society, there was a sudden emptiness, a tabloid drama void.

Where's the intrigue?

Dan Rather and CBS CEO Les Moonves are picking up the slack.

The Rather - Moonves spat is lackluster compared to other feuds that play out in the media. What's interesting about it is the deeply rooted bitterness that Rather is letting out.

NEW YORK -- Former CBS news anchor Dan Rather escalated a feud with his former employer Tuesday, saying CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves "doesn't know about news."

Moonves had said earlier Rather's remarks that the network was "tarting" up its newscast with Katie Couric, Rather's successor, were "sexist."

The spat started Monday when Rather, speaking by phone on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program with Joe Scarborough, said CBS had made the mistake of taking the evening news broadcast and "dumbing it down, tarting it up," and playing up topics such as celebrities over war coverage.

While referring to Couric as a "nice person," Rather said "the mistake was to try to bring the 'Today' show ethos to the 'Evening News,' and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience."

Moonves, speaking at an event in New York Tuesday morning sponsored by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, called the remarks "sexist" and said he was surprised at the amount of negative coverage Couric was receiving.

"She's been on the air for nine months," Moonves said. "Let's give her a break."

Of course, Moonves will stand up for Couric. I would expect him to do that.

In Rather's defense, I don't think he was being sexist. I didn't interpret his remarks as cuts on Couric or women. Rather didn't call her a tart.

Let's be realistic. The CBS Evening News changed when Couric took over.

It's not just about Rather being out of the anchor chair.

I don't believe that Rather criticized his replacement Bob Schieffer for altering the broadcast or dumbing it down. Schieffer certainly isn't a tarted up kind of guy.

I think when Moonves brought Couric on board because he was looking to dumb down and tart up the news. Perhaps that's why he's sensitive about Rather's remarks.

...Later Tuesday, Rather said during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto" program that he didn't regret making his earlier remarks, but insisted he was referring to CBS's management of the newscast, not to Couric personally.

"It doesn't have to do with Katie, it doesn't have to do with gender," Rather said. "It has to do with the corporate leadership. ... Les Moonves knows about entertainment, but he doesn't know about news."

This is a rare occasion.

Rather is making sense.

...CBS's corporate office referred questions about Rather's latest remarks to Rick Kaplan, the executive producer of "CBS Evening News," who said: "We are very much a hard news program."

"I wish Dan was watching more closely," Kaplan said, adding: "A lot of people here are very disappointed with him ... They went through some very dark days with Dan, and they don't like hearing that they're not doing the news. They damn well are."

Ooh. I think Danny boy hit a nerve.

They're so sensitive.

They're not very tough in the CBS hard newsroom.