This book is a product of more than eight decades of living and loving my country, but it would not have been possible without the last several satisfying and encouraging years of my career—ones for which I am extremely appreciative. I have long said that I am a reporter who got lucky, very lucky. This luck began early, with wonderful family, friends, teachers, and mentors. And it has remarkably continued into the present, an unlikely and unexpected chapter of my life.
For this I will always owe a debt of gratitude to Mark Cuban, who allowed me to continue with my lifelong love of journalism. Many of the ideas for this book grew out of the years at Dan Rather Reports, which Mark made possible with his financial and moral support. He is a firm believer that this country benefits from a vibrant and fearless press and that the necessary debates of governance are useless without an informed citizenry.
I would like to thank the wonderful, intelligent, and dedicated staff at Dan Rather Reports. I consider what we produced some of the best work of my career. Away from the trappings of network news, I reconnected with my country and its people in simple but powerful ways that reaffirmed my belief in the basic dignity and honesty of my fellow citizens. Being around young, energetic journalists filled me with optimism for the future of our country that I hope is evident in this book. I see new generations of clear-eyed patriots who love America enough to want to make it a better place.
Dan Rather Reports was led by executive producer Wayne Nelson, a fellow Texan and pure newsman. Wayne is indefatigable in chasing down a story and making sure the reporting is fair and true. His broad interests led us to report on wide-ranging stories, which helped provide a foundation for many essays in the book. He is now ensuring that the highest traditions in journalism are a cornerstone of my production company, News and Guts. My hope is that we can pursue production projects that build off the themes of this book, and I am thankful for having my longtime colleague Phil Kim lead the development of these efforts. He is a trusted visionary who understands that in a changing media world, we cannot be afraid to adapt and experiment while holding true to our ideals.
Much of the spirit for What Unites Us came out of my surprising experience on social media. It was a strategy conceived and implemented by my coauthor, Elliot Kirschner (who was also the senior producer on Dan Rather Reports). As we collaborated on tone, style, and writing, he proposed we do the kinds of posts we wanted, and not worry if they were too long or too nuanced for the conventional wisdoms of Facebook. He was right, and I am grateful.
Thanks to our Facebook profile, we came to the attention of Kathy Pories, an editor at Algonquin Books. She reached out, and this book idea was born. Kathy doesn’t only deserve credit for the inception of this project; she has served as the book’s incomparable editor. With high standards and a clarity of perspective, she has prompted and polished these essays into their final form. Betsy Gleick, the editorial director at Algonquin, has been an enthusiastic and encouraging supporter of this project since the beginning. Her confidence that this was a book worth writing, and that its messages were urgent and timely, sustained us. And I know that publishing a book takes a broad and diverse team working behind the scenes, so a big thank-you to everyone at Algonquin who made this happen.
I couldn’t do what I do without the invaluable help of Alex Van Amson, who keeps me informed, on track, and on time, as best she can. I also am grateful for Felicity Thompson’s detailed fact-checking on this book.
And, as always and forever, my appreciation and love to fighting heart Jean Grace Goebel Rather, my wife, lifelong supporter, and major contributor to this book.
Finally, I would like to give a tip of the Stetson to all of you. I believe deeply that this nation will thrive, not only because of its institutions but also because of its people. One of the great joys of these recent years on social media has been to read your many thoughtful comments. Seeing my fellow citizens and people from other countries eloquently and passionately sharing their hopes, fears, and dreams for the future of the United States and its place in the world fills me with optimism. My greatest desire for this book is that it encourage conversation and debate about what it means to be an American today, and more broadly over the course of this nation’s history. If we stand firm in our better values, do not shy away from challenging injustice, and can talk to one another rather than past one another, I am confident we can find the common ground that unites us.