CBSNEWS PUSHED BOOK IT OWNS; '60 MINUTES' DID NOT REVEAL PARENT COMPANY'S FINANCIAL STAKE

Drudgereport.com ^ | 3/22/04 | Drudge

[NYC Republican]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON MARCH 22, 2004 12:04:25 ET XXXXX

NEWS FOR SALE: CBS PUSHED BOOK IT OWNS; '60 MINUTES' DID NOT REVEAL PARENT COMPANY'S FINANCIAL STAKE IN CLARKE PROJECT

CBSNEWS did not inform its viewers last night that its parent company owns and has a direct financial stake in the success of the book by former White House terror staffer turned Bush critic, Dick Clarke, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

60 MINUTES aired a double-segment investigative report on the new book "Against All Enemies" -- but did not disclose how CBSNEWS parent VIACOM is publishing the book and will profit from any and all sales!

ETHICAL BREACH

CBS even used heavy promotion for the 60 MINUTES/book launch during its Sunday sports shows.

It is not clear who made the final decision at CBSNEWS not to inform the viewer during 60 MINUTES how they were watching a news story about a VIACOM product.

60 MINUTES pro Lesley Stahl is said to have been aware of the conflict before the program aired.

[CBSNEWS.COM did add a disclaimer to its Internet coverage of the book over the weekend: "Against All Enemies," which is being published Monday by FREE PRESS, a subsidiary of SIMON & SCHUSTER. Both CBSNews.com and SIMON & SCHUSTER are units of VIACOM." And CBS RADIO did carry a disclaimer in its news coverage of the book.]

SIMON & SCHUSTER INFO-COMMERCIAL

Earlier this year, it was Stahl who also profiled another author on 60 MINUTES -- for another book owned by VIACOMCBS -- without any disclaimer!

"The Price of Loyalty" by former Treasury Secretary, turned Bush critic, Paul O'Neill was financed, produced and released [and rolled-out at CBSNEWS] by VIACOM's SIMON & SCHUSTER.

Coming in future weeks, best-selling author Bob Woodward is set to release his PLAN OF ATTACK, a fresh look at the Bush White House.

Will the Woodward VIACOMSIMON&SCHUSTER product debut on: VIACOMSIMON&SCHUSTERCBS's 60 MINUTES?

[EDITOR'S NOTE: STAHL'S INTERVIEW WITH CLARKE ON '60 MINUTES' WAS THE TOP-RATED SHOW OF SUNDAY NIGHT WITH 11.9 RATING/19 SHARE.]

[OPS4]

This type of scam has been going on for years, and the FTC has allowed these media companies to have so much cross ownership, it is going unoticed that this is happening
everyday.

This has been the way of the media since the 80's/when 1500 book & Magazine distributors were bought out and now there are 10 for books and 4 for magazines.

There is not a free press.

Ops4 God Bless America!

[new cruelty]

(I can even give you the date if you want it :)

Sounds like an interesting story... do tell.

[aodell]

BTTT

[aodell]

No date is necessary. Just glad you're on board. :-)

[mewzilla]

It was the night the Monica story broke on Drudge. It didn't happen overnight, but that's when it started. I was new to the net, but when I saw how the media was trying to spike the story, and then when I saw a reference to FR in a copy of Newsweek (I used to subscribe to it and Time), well, that as they say is history :) My biggest problem was that I was only getting my news from one place, a variety of sources but one place: the Left. Thanks to the net and my curiosity bump, since 1998 that's no longer been a problem.

[jbstrick]

Cheney is on rush NOW!

He is saying Clarke was out of the loop on most of this stuff.

[mewzilla]

He was out of the loop in 43's admin. Cheney suggested, though, that Clarke should be quizzed about what he did while counter-terrorism czar under Toon. Don't hold your breath waiting for ben Veniste, Gorelick, and Fielding to do that, though. That's NOT what they're there for.

[Imal]

News like this makes me more supportive of efforts to break up media monopolies.

I generally don't approve of attacks on "big business", but in the case of outfits like this, I tend to look at anti-trust actions as more of a defense than an attack.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Anyone remmember the end of the book, "Animal Farm", where the animals could not tell the pigs from the humans?

Sounds like todays Socialist elite.

[Alia]

You are right. And CBS is just beginning to reap the seeds they sowed so many years ago, through their partisanship.

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[nutmeg]

ping

[Ciexyz]

CBS News = unethical journalism.

[Ciexyz]

I don't watch Fox News that often as it turns out, but when I do....

I'd recommend that you at least watch Hannity & Colmes at 9 PM EST to catch Sean Hannity's perspective, then branch out to catch other shows thruout the day, such as the evening news blocks from 6 PM to 8 PM. That's a step in the right direction that you're taking.

[new cruelty]

Excellent story. Thank you for sharing.

[Rockitz]

Nice resource.

I saw this following posted on another thread, which might be a nice addition. It's from left-wing PBS also.

Interview with Iraqi officer about terrorist training grounds

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"Someone must get the "courage" to watch Dan Rather this evening to see how he sluffs it off."

I will volunteer to do the dirty deed.

[NYC Republican]

Great, please keep us updated. Thanks

[rj45mis]

Thanks Peach. I called CBS to register my complaint and got right through.

[My back yard]

Another article on the subject here -- White House Rebuts Ex-Bush Adviser Claim --

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TERRORISM_ADVISER?SITE=OHCIN&SECTION=HOME

"The White House, fuming over a former aide's charge that President Bush gave short-shrift attention to al-Qaida while obsessing over Saddam Hussein, branded the fighting-terrorism flap as "Dick Clarke's American Grandstand."

-snip-

"Bartlett said Clarke's memo to Rice in January 2001 discussed recommendations to improve security at U.S. sites overseas, not inside the United States. "Each one of these, while important, wouldn't have impacted 9/11," Bartlett said."