Posted on 09/20/2004 8:54:24 AM PDT by TheGeezer
Edited on 09/20/2004 9:07:32 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Update by moderator:
EXCLUSIVE
STATEMENT FROM DAN RATHER:
Last week, amid increasing questions about the authenticity of documents used in support of a 60 MINUTES WEDNESDAY story about President Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, CBS News vowed to re-examine the documents in question—and their source—vigorously. And we promised that we would let the American public know what this examination turned up, whatever the outcome.
Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically. I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers. That, combined with some of the questions that have been raised in public and in the press, leads me to a point where—if I knew then what I know now—I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.
But we did use the documents. We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism.
Please know that nothing is more important to us than people's trust in our ability and our commitment to report fairly and truthfully.
It's unreal to me.
And reading and hearing the statement, they still aren't moving much.
What does lying about the source mean? Who typed up the docs?
Wonder how much the Source got paid? Mainstream press is unethetical! Thank God for PJ Bloggers.
Why would O'Reilly go to a network anchor job when the networks are failing and soon to be antiques?
Cable is the future of news.
Does anyone else here love the irony that a gambit that was supposed to damage the President ended up hurting Kerry for the last few weeks.
Then the Kerry campaign regrouped, and Kerry gave his new big, bold Iraq speech this morning. The CBS drama was cooling down, and this speech was supposed to give new life to the campaign.
Then minutes after Kerry finishes his speech, CBS admits the docs were phony, and the pundits forget about Kerry's speech completely to talk about dishonest CBS was, and question if the Kerry campaign was involved.
Who needs a right wing conspiracy when Kerry's pals have two left feet.
I may be splitting hairs here, but has anyone else but me noticed that their most important principle is to maintain people's trust in their ability and committment to report fairly and truthfully, not to actually report fairly and truthfully.
What a bullshit CYA statement.
Mr. Rather, you have neither given up your alleged source for the fraudulant documents, nor apologized to the president for falsely maligning him. Apology not accepted.
Absolutely!
These CBS POS's owe GW a big apology as well as America.
Greenberg says this is not the last time the internet people will challenge the the mainstream media.
Wolf Bliltzer asks what about the warnings CBS got before they aired the report. Greenberg says it's almost a post-modern world.....its understandable for conservatives to question CBS and Dan Rather's motives for going ahead with the report.
NO Greenberg, conservatives wouldn't have been as rabid about this report if it had come from FOXNEWS, but liberal internete sleuths would have been!!! Jeez, he asked himself such dumb questions!!!
CNN scroll "Burkett admits to misleading CBS".
This is a non-denial denial. Until someone admits to ginning up these things, preferably under oath in court, we don't know jack.
Hey Rather didn't you tell us that "the source," your source, was 'Impeachable'?
Heehee...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/06/politics/main641481.shtml
"Based on what we now know, CBS News cannot prove that the documents are authentic, which is the only acceptable journalistic standard to justify using them in the report," said the statement by CBS News President Andrew Heyward. "We should not have used them. That was a mistake, which we deeply regret."
CBS/Dan interviewed Burkett back in Feb also
Wolf saying motive for this whole thing appears to be anti-Bush (good grief--no kidding) but it played into the Bush campaign's hands.
I don't think I can take too much more CNN.
The spin around this story is making me dizzy.
Exactly. CBS is only sorry that they got caught. Now they've moved on to protect Kerry/DNC.
CBS wouldn't screw itself into the wall for Burkett.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1221387/posts
This gives other reporters the chance to say "They were had" and back off.
And Kerry enjoyed the limelight for his bullshit speech today for all of 45 mins...now the CBS forgeries take over the spotlight for the rest of the week.
When is Tropical Storm soon to be Hurricane Lisa gonna hit the U.S.? A day before the first debate? Kerry has less than 30 days to make his case to any un-decided voters imo. The news will be filled with too many stories including baseball playoff's,the world series,nfl football,scott peterson,hurricanes,cbs memo's,and a few other stories that are bound to come out in the next 30 days that have nothing to do with politics.
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