CBS (NYSE: CBS) said it has filed a motion to dismiss Dan Rather's $70 million, breach of contract lawsuit, calling Rather's claims "far fetched" and "baseless."

Rather, the former anchor of the CBS Evening News filed suit against CBS, its former parent Viacom (NYSE: VIA), CBS president/CEO Leslie Moonves, CBS and Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, and one-time CBS News president Andrew Heyward, alleging that he was erroneously blamed for the 2004 "Memogate" scandal about President George W. Bush's Vietnam-era military record.

"There was no such nefarious scheme, and Rather's allegations bear no resemblance to reality," CBS said in its motion, Reuters/Hollywood Reporter reported. "CBS and its executives are not now, and never have been, out to get Dan Rather."

CBS's shares were virtually unchanged Friday, falling 8 cents to $27.14 in mid-day trading.

Media Analysis: Although Rather is unlikely to win his suit, the suit represents another demerit for CBS, a network adrift. Few organizations have done more to tarnish their reputation and trample on their tradition and legacy than CBS, the network of Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevareid. The tasteless, disrespectful treatment of Rather during his departure stands in stark contrast to the respect, decorum, and professionalism that was the network's norm for generations.

In a move that will relive his ouster as anchor of the CBS Evening News and subsequent acrimonious departure from the network he called home for decades, Dan Rather has filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS), according to the New York Times.

The 75-year-old Rather obviously is bitter about how the network handled the investigation into how uncorroborated allegations about President Bush's service in the Air National Guard made it onto the air. In his lawsuit, Rather accuses CBS of committing fraud with its "biased" investigation that "seriously damaged his reputation," the Times says. Named in the suit are CBS president Leslie Moonves and Sumner Redstone, the media mogul who controls the company and its former parent Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA).

Oh brother.

I found this article over at CNET to be rather intriguing as it involved Dan Rather and his outlook on the present and future state of journalism. Mr. Rather is still a respected journalist (whether you agree with him or not), and his very public fallout with CBS over 2004's "Bush military duty" fiasco cost him one of the biggest positions in mainstream news.

In his speech at the SXSW conference in Texas this week, Rather made many points crystal clear about journalistic integrity and how it has gone downhill. I personally think he was alluding to the situation at CBS, but we'll move past that sentiment here. Rather said that corporate interests and political agendas were driving the engine of mainstream reporting and journalism these days, not the "actual search for the truth." I agree with this. Whether the organization that is the news-centric power is leaning left or right, the truth is what it is and it's being compromised these days in much of the media based on agendas.

To a point, this is why citizen journalism has taken so strong a hold in the media marketplace. The public (not the majority, yet) has grown tired of news reporting and media agendas that are produced with directions "from above." As Rather said, what happened to asking the hard questions and reporting the truth verified with facts?

That is a lost art form in many circles, but the concerned citizens who are actually fond of the truth and verifiable facts are using the Internet to really get the correct word out. Sure, smears and attacks (en masse) on the internet are just as numerous these days, but informed citizens will cut through the mess and make decisions based on all available information (I hope) -- not just one-sided reporting from one corner.