Document distraction

Alleged forgery drama has cost CBS some credibility, and has postponed - again - focus on today's issues

Friday, September 17, 2004

CBS News, in the person of anchorman Dan Rather, has staked its professional reputation on the authenticity of over-the-transom documents purporting to show that, 32 years ago, the man who would become president of the United States had shirked his military duty. Shaky ground on which to place something so important.

Such sourcing is always risky for a news organization. But when the object of the reporting occupies the White House, the consequences of being wrong are immense. And scarcely had CBS aired its report before reams of document experts were punching holes in paperwork that looks, even to the untrained eye, far more like the product of Windows than of a Smith-Corona.

The network's later position - that the story is true, even if the documents turn out to be falsified - is backpedaling onto a banana peel. The venerable Rather is now the vulnerable anchor, as polls show a general widespread disbelief in the proffered "evidence," and Nielsen numbers show CBS falling badly behind its broadcast competitors in nine of the top 10 markets.

What happens between CBS and the viewing public is no particular concern of ours. But the result of this weeklong national news media tempest - and the months of navel-gazing about what President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry did or did not do more than half their lifetimes ago that it caps - is nothing short of vexatious in its irrelevance.

In just 47 days, Americans will decide who will lead this country through increasingly perilous times: We are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who has a plan for victory? We are threatened by terrorists. Who can best defend us? We are in a painfully slow economic recovery. Who can offer hope for the hurting? We face a spiraling national debt. Who can bring it under control?

These are but a few of the very real issues that we face. And with the critical decision day just six weeks away, we find ourselves mired in a debate about typefaces. Enough about Vietnam and 1972.

We need, desperately, to focus on America in 2004.




Document distraction Alleged forgery drama has cost CBS some credibility, and has postponed - again - focus on today's issues Friday, September 17, 2004 CBS News, in the person of anchorman Dan Rather, has staked its professional reputation on the authenticity of over-the-transom documents purporting to show that, 32 years ago, the man who would become president of the United States had shirked his military duty. Shaky ground on which to place something so important. Such sourcing is always risky for a news organization. But when the object of the reporting occupies the White House, the consequences of being wrong are immense. And scarcely had CBS aired its report before reams of document experts were punching holes in paperwork that looks, even to the untrained eye, far more like the product of Windows than of a Smith-Corona. The network's later position - that the story is true, even if the documents turn out to be falsified - is backpedaling onto a banana peel. The venerable Rather is now the vulnerable anchor, as polls show a general widespread disbelief in the proffered "evidence," and Nielsen numbers show CBS falling badly behind its broadcast competitors in nine of the top 10 markets. What happens between CBS and the viewing public is no particular concern of ours. But the result of this weeklong national news media tempest - and the months of navel-gazing about what President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry did or did not do more than half their lifetimes ago that it caps - is nothing short of vexatious in its irrelevance. In just 47 days, Americans will decide who will lead this country through increasingly perilous times: We are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Who has a plan for victory? We are threatened by terrorists. Who can best defend us? We are in a painfully slow economic recovery. Who can offer hope for the hurting? We face a spiraling national debt. Who can bring it under control? These are but a few of the very real issues that we face. And with the critical decision day just six weeks away, we find ourselves mired in a debate about typefaces. Enough about Vietnam and 1972. We need, desperately, to focus on America in 2004. Copyright 2004 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved.