Posted on 02/23/2024 4:52:40 AM PST by Red Badger
As we reported, Catherine Herridge was fired from CBS during a bloodbath of them cutting hundreds of employees.
Her firing got the most attention because of her excellence in reporting and the suggestion that it was more than just a layoff when it came to her being let go, just after she'd been reporting on the Hur Report. That suspicion grew louder when it was learned that CBS had also seized Herridge's files, computers, and records, which included her "privileged sources."
According to George Washington law professor Jonathan Turley:
"The timing of Herridge’s termination immediately raised suspicions in Washington. She was pursuing stories that were unwelcomed by the Biden White House and many Democratic powerhouses, including the Hur reporton Joe Biden’s diminished mental capacity, the Biden corruption scandal and the Hunter Biden laptop. She continued to pursue these stories despite reports of pushback from CBS executives, including CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews."
This concerned many that this could "chill" reporting and sources providing information to reporters. Some like Turley and journalist Brit Hume said they had never heard of anything like this before.
Catherine Herridge has now posted an important update from SAG-Aftra, which covers broadcast journalists as well as actors. They posted a statement ripping CBS' actions and coming to her defense, demanding that CBS return her files and records to her. They indicated there was progress because of outreach from CBS and they hoped to resolve the question soon.
SAG-AFTRA strongly condemns CBS News' decision to seize Catherine Herridge's reporter notes and research from her office, including confidential source information. This action is deeply concerning to the union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals and threatens the very foundation of the First Amendment.
It is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter's files, inclusive of confidential source identification and information. From a First Amendment standpoint, a media corporation with a commitment to journalism calling a reporter’s research and confidential source reporting "proprietary information" is both shocking and absurd.
The retention of a media professional's reporting materials by their former employer is a serious break with traditional practices which supports the immediate return of reporting materials. We urge CBS to return this material to Catherine in support of the most basic of First Amendment principles. We are encouraged by recent outreach by CBS News to SAG-AFTRA on this matter, and we are hopeful that it will be resolved shortly.
Hopefully, she gets her files back, and good for SAG-Aftra for standing up for her.
Unfortunately, the horse may be outside the barn already. If the point was to root through the files to find out information, they have already had that opportunity. And would Herridge get all of it back or would some stuff be missing? Even if she gets it back, every journalist out there has to be concerned now about such actions.
People blasted CBS' actions and offered Herridge their support, praising her work.
depends on her contract & who bought the computer
They apparent failure is own her.
Lost in the shuffle?
They weren't lost in the shuffle. They were targeted by CBS. You don't know if she kept them behind a user password or not. So to blame her for an outrageous and possibly illegal confiscation is ridiculous.
Blaming Catherine for the loss of privileged source identities is like blaming a bank for keeping cash in the vault when it is robbed.
Funny you should mention AI.
SAG-Aftra has really sold out the rank-and-file when it comes to AI.
Weird how that happens, don’cha think...
Agreed..and better post they are not suicidal and stay below the 3rd floor in any building
The MSM will have to be brought down and reconstructed. As they are they cannot be trusted.
We’ll need the republic back first.
Yeah, I never understood why she left Fox, at the time, and went to CBS.
I thought she did some great work at Fox, and that her work would get buried at CBS.
Maybe she could collaborate with Tucker or Shapiro or even Glenn Beck.
Stay in contact with sources that are tied to certain sensitive topics, such as the 2017 story where she refused to give up her source.
If that source(s) suffers a mishap such as Vince Foster or Ron Brown, then you know how they were found out.
A case could be made that CBS is an accessory, along with any executives/employees cooperating in handing over the sources.
That in itself is a HUGE story. At least one media network couldn't be relied upon to report on it. And it probably wouldn't get mentioned on MSNBC or CNN.
And then there is the question of a broadcasting license.....
40 out of 50 states (New York is one of them) have shield laws that offer varying degrees of protection to journalists from being compelled to disclose confidential sources. These laws typically require courts to weigh the competing interests of protecting the identity of the source and the need for the information in a legal proceeding.
The 10 states without shield laws are Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.
I would very surprised if she didn’t have a backup of all her information on a thumb drive or portable hard drive, she probably has more than one backup of everything, the bad part is CBS and the Biden Administration getting their hands on whose leaking information to her
The nail was when the democratic party took the election from the voters and installed a dementia patient into the oval office.. BUT.. the reason we lost that fight.. the republicans in congress would do nothing to stop the seizure. Both parties let their jealousy and envy and their power to control the whole shebang. . and hate toward Trump, overrule what was right.... they could have said NO .. they sat and did nothing.. and let it happen... just like the other commie countries..
“Her ‘sources’ are hers, not CBS’s..”
Possibly, unless her contract has some other exclusion.
I have turned down 2 job offers in my life after going through the process. Until I read the employment contract. Both times it was because of an intellectual property clause, that they owned any thing I created while in their employment.
I told them NO. And explained why.
It was pretty late in my work career before I had a contract. Worked for privately held companies.
I was reading and waiting for someone to say this.
Yes, her files belong to CBS.
They were produced while employed by CBS and any wages, salary or compensation paid to her while creating the files/records means CBS bought them as they were created.
CBS simply took possession of what they owned. I learned this the hard way at a job.
I’m not saying I agree with this, but it’s how it works. And the comments others made as to what or how the information might be used could be valid.
Excellent comment.
I worked for a company once that had an intellectual property clause that basically said “ANYTHING YOU INVENT WHILE EMPLOYED, NO MATTER WHAT, IS OURS.”
Even if it had absolutely nothing to do with their business......................
It really doesn’t matter if they give the files back, the damage has been done and the feds now have the names of all the people that communicated with her! They will now begin their threats and intimidation.
Herridge is a smart woman, I am guessing she encrypted her sensitive files.
She may have encrypted her entire hard drive.
I would have in her position.
It won’t stop them, but it would. Slow them down.
Most likely the computer is in the hands of the FBI by now.
They have software that will crack any encryption available to the public. It is only a matter of time.
Yep, I once worked for a company like that. Even my technology thoughts at home they could claim belonged to them. After taking the job I almost immediately started looking for another one.
What was seized was not her “work product”, as you put it. The seizures contained sources and methods - the work product would be the final report/broadcast.
As an aside, I keep all my passwords under lock and key and they are so encrypted (by gibberish) that most of the time even I can't figure them out.
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