BILL AT INDCJOURNAL earlier reported that the Boston Globe misquoted the statement of forensic expert Philip Bouffard. He has posted the results of a telephone interview with Bouffard, where Bouffard says they misrepresent his conclusions, suggesting that the documents may be genuine when he didn't say that, and reports that he's "pissed."
Now Bill reports that CBS is repeating the Globe misquote as part of its efforts to defend its own position. Bill has posted the Globe ombudsman's address and suggests that you contact her.
UPDATE: I don't know what they said on the air, but CBS is amazingly sloppy on their website, where they get Bouffard's name wrong, calling him "Phillip Broussard" -- even though they're referencing the Globe story which, despite misquoting Bouffard, at least gets his name right. CBS reports: "Saturday's issue of the Boston Globe reports that one document expert, Phillip Broussard, who had expressed suspicions about the documents, said 'he now believes the documents could have been prepared on an IBM Selectric Composer typewriter available at the time.'"
Bear in mind that to be quoting from the Globe article they must have had it in front of them, and they still got the name wrong. (Even adding an extra "l" to the first name.) Sheesh. Get these guys some pajamas, fast!
ANOTHER UPDATE: David Hogberg saw the broadcast and reports. They seem to have gotten the name wrong on the air, too.
At the climax of the movie Return of the King, the evil villain's tower collapses spectacularly.
Atop the tower is what looks like a flaming CBS logo.
Have they not reduced Miss Kitty's appearance to one day re: her tell-all book? They fear that she will be dragged feet-first, kicking and screaming, into the Blogosphere and the Free Republic Truth Grinder.
Ooo we gonna mess with that po' woman.
""We believed Col. Hodges the first time we spoke with him. We believe the documents to be genuine. We stand by our story and will continue to report on it."
So CBS, faced with a witness who they misled and/or who recants within days, states they choose to believe him "the first time." What the heck journalistic standard is that, other than "we only believe witnesses when they say what we want"?
Bouffard was very convinced it was a forgery but then some questions arose because of the potential availability of the IBM Selectric Composer. He didn't want to fully commit until he could see good documents. The ones available for review were crap.
And it looks like the AP is saying that "CBS spoke with Dr Broussard (intentional sic to complicate googlers from finding out about Bouffard's problems with BG?). Reynolds is suggesting that CBS said tonight that BG talked to him, they never said they did. SO now the AP is trying to put forth the idea that CBS spoke to PB (even though CBS didn't say that tonight in its newscast) after PB said via the blogosphere that he was pissed with what BG did.
Am I right? Isn't that where we are right now?
I just e-mailed the Boston Globe's Ombudsman. The IBM Selectric Composer is not your mother's office typewriter. It cost as much as a full sized car. It probably cost more than the entire typewriter budget of the Texas National Guard.
You might want to e-mail the Ombudsman, at:
ombud@globe.com
In flying we call it going into a GRAVE YARD SPIRAL (CBS and Danny Boy)!
Only this time, there is no bluffing their way out of the situation, nor boats to rescue them.
BTTT
http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/000859.php
Related info
"If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes accepted as the truth." -- Joseph Goebbels
p-p-p-ping
This is like seeing a Boing 747 in a movie supposedly from World War II, and some partisan defenders insisting that really, jet engines existed and were in use back then so it could have been genuine.
CBS is just doing what the spinners have done for years. The Democrats are past masters of the technique. Find a reasonable sounding explanation for bad behavior and repeat it endlessly as a talking point. After it begins to unravel with investigation, continue to repeat it endlessly. Eventually it will become old news and if anyone has the temerity to bring it up later they can just smirk and say that is an old story that has been thoroughly investigated and found to be groundless. Lets move on.
Except these days the investigation and unraveling can take place overnight, so when someone like Rather or Kerry or McAuliff tries to stall until the problem goes away they just end up looking like stupid misbehaving children. Skewered by the truth, you might say.
UPDATE: I don't know what they said on the air, but CBS is amazingly sloppy on their website, where they get Bouffard's name wrong, calling him "Phillip Broussard" -- even though they're referencing the Globe story which, despite misquoting Bouffard, at least gets his name right. CBS reports: "Saturday's issue of the Boston Globe reports that one document expert, Phillip Broussard, who had expressed suspicions about the documents, said 'he now believes the documents could have been prepared on an IBM Selectric Composer typewriter available at the time.'"
UPDATE OF UPDATE: CBS announced in a tersely worded memo that they stand behind calling Phllip Bouffard "Broussard."
"11th September 2004 -- Mr. Broussard does not know how to pronounce his own name. We have spoken to persons familiar with the pronounciation of his name and stand by our pronounciation."