Dan Rather investigates "Castle Doctrine" in Jackson - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Dan Rather investigates "Castle Doctrine" in Jackson

By Bert Case - bio | email

We take note when world-renowned journalists visit the Capital City.  So when Dan Rather came to Jackson, we wanted to know why.

Turns out, the retired CBS news anchor is investigating the Castle Doctrine for the TV network HDNet.

Rather, one of the most recognized journalists in the world, came back to familiar territory, to do a story about how the Castle Doctrine works.

That is the law Mississippi and several other states have, allowing you to protect your home with a firearm and shoot an intruder. 

"This particular story, the Castle Doctrine, in two particular cases, both convenience store shootings, is drawing the thing in clear sight for everybody in a way they understand," Rather told us.  "And as you know from your long experience -- I won't tell anybody how long you and I have known each other -- that's when we are at our best."

"We inform people, we educate people, we illuminate controversial subjects," Rather said.

Rather covered the civil rights movement in Mississippi in the 1960's as a young CBS reporter, and has fond memories of this state.

"I lived here in Jackson for more than six months," said Rather, "and lived for a few months in Oxford.  It was a bad time.  It was 1962, 1963... I have been back many times since then.  I have very fond memories of how kind everyone in mississippi was to me.