Posted on 09/19/2004 7:12:06 AM PDT by hiho hiho
It's probably important to say this up front: This year's presidential election shouldn't be about George W. Bush's four years in the Texas Air National Guard or John F. Kerry's four months in Vietnam. We shouldn't be even talking about these issues in the middle of today's war on terror.
For good or ill, the public will judge the Bush on his almost four years as commander-in-chief. And, however heroic or unheroic Kerry's tour of duty in Vietnam may have been, it's hard to discern what his four months of military action has to do with the issues facing us almost 40 years later. Kerry and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth think it's important. They've certainly earned the right to raise the issue, if they want. But the rest of us have better campaign issues to discuss.
So let's not pretend CBS's Bush-National Guard story has anything to do with the substance of this presidential campaign. It may, however, tell you more than you need to know about the corruption or politicization of a once great news organization.
How else to explain the whole approach of "60 Minutes" and Dan Rather to the "papers" of long-dead Lt. Col. Jerry Killian? It's impossible to believe CBS conspired with the source of the almost certain forgeries. It's more likely that a "Get Bush" newsroom culture compromised professional checks and standards and allowed the network to be had. Whatever its documents experts said -- whatever countervailing evidence there was to cast doubt on the claims of Bush's accusers -- the story just had to be true. CBS wanted to believe. That seems to be the network's position even today.
Forget the questions about the typography, fonts, special characters and content of the blockbuster documents. Forget that CBS ignored the warnings of the documents experts it consulted. All this is damning enough. But you don't need to be a documents gumshoe to detect something fishy about CBS' whole approach to its big scoop -- and perhaps news gathering generally.
When the Washington Post asked CBS about the fact that their lead expert was saying he never authenticated the documents, a CBS spokesman had this curious response, "In the end, the gist is that it's inconclusive," said Sandy Genelius. "People are coming down on both sides, which is to be expected when you're dealing with copies of documents."
So, the documents might be true -- and they might not be true. CBS' new standard: Whatever.
Then the next day, with more evidence the documents were bogus, Rather urged Bush just to answer the questions raised by the documents. Let's see if we've got this right: Charges are leveled in documents that may or may or may not be bogus -- whatever -- and the targeted public official is obliged to respond to the charges?
And journalism mandarins worry about the blogosphere and talk radio.
Finally, Rather and company tried what the Nixon White House would have called a "modified, limited hang-out." While admitting questions have been raised about the memos and promising to "redouble its efforts" to probe the documents, the network featured a Killian secretary, Marian Carr Knox, on "60 Minutes" this week.
Knox said she believes the documents were phonies, but that didn't seem to matter. She and Rather insisted that the view the documents expressed was correct. Knox then told Rather she "feels" that young Bush received special treatment.
Which is curious enough. Maybe the documents are fake, but at least their "thrust" is correct. And CBS is now leveling charges on someone's feelings. But there's more. There's what CBS failed to tell viewers about this 86-year-old former secretary with feelings.
One, that she has made quite clear she opposes Bush's re-election. She has told the Dallas Morning News that the president was "unfit for office" and "selected, not elected."
Two, that the people who might be expected to know Killian's true view of Bush -- his widow, Marjorie Connell, and his son, Gary -- say Killian, in fact, had a high regard for Bush.
Three, that the week before Knox appeared on "60 Minutes" she told the Houston Post that "she had no firsthand knowledge of Bush's time with the Texas Air National Guard."
Would I want to defend a politically charged and widely discredited story with a source such as Marian Knox?
Rather not.
Reinhard is the token conservative columnist at the Oregonian.
MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT SEEKS FCC RULING AGAINST CBS NEWS FOR RATHERGATE
Media Ethics Project (“MEP”) of New York today petitioned the FCC to sanction CBS News and its parent organization, Viacom, Inc., for its recent broadcast of news reports based on forged documents.
In announcing the FCC filing, MEP Chairman William L. Whitely stated: “Most people familiar with Dan Rather’s reports have seen solid evidence from various credible sources showing the documents to be forged. Yet, day in and day out, CBS has stubbornly continued to maintain that the memos are authentic. This supremely arrogant conduct violates the public trust and FCC rules and policies. Viacom cannot be allowed to flaunt the Commission’s rules in this manner. ”
MEP seeks a ruling by the FCC finding that the deliberate actions of CBS and Viacom maintaining the authenticity of the documents, constitute broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports in violation of Commission policies. MEP is asking the FCC to sanction Viacom including imposing fines and ordering forfeiture of one or more broadcast licenses .
Mr. Whitely added that, “This whole episode must be regarded as a remarkable failure of management. It is truly sad that the proud traditions of professionalism of CBS News, the division built by the likes of Morrow, Severeid, Reasoner, Mudd and Cronkite, have been allowed to slowly fade away. In their place is an organization where unprincipled ego, bias, negligence, partisanship and vindictiveness apparently determine the setting of management policy. Such changes are not in the best interest of CBS, the CBS affiliates and CBS shareholders, nor, most certainly, are they in the public interest as well. Staying to this course, the House that Paley Built will likely become the Network that Rather Wrecked.”
MEP has asked that the FCC expedite its consideration of the group’s Petition for Declaratory Ruling against CBS News.
See a full copy of the MEP Petition for Declaratory Ruling at http://mediaethicsproject.blogspot.com/ or www.mediaethics.8k.com
With MEP's filing, the FCC now has a formal Petition to review requesting that CBS be found guilty for violating Commission policy prohibiting the broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports as contrary to the public interest.
All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.
FCC Contact Information:
Chairman Michael K. Powell: Michael.Powell@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov --- Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
For this reason alone, they look VERY complicit. IMO
correct on everything except your choice of verb. The left doesn't want us to make the same "mistake"; they want us to recreate their greatest "victory" over their enemy, the United States of America.
I am amazed that this came from the Oregonian!!! Just one more indication that the left has decided to eat their own.
Still their new strategy is laid bare. And a counter message that resonates needs to be shared.
From the Sunday Morning Talk Show thread:
And this is being charitable.
testing bttt
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.