Posted on 09/20/2004 6:26:45 PM PDT by IDontLikeToPayTaxes
CBS's Mike Wallace got caught again; this time fooling his "60 Minutes" audience with a phony document that made it look like a U.S. Customs official was trying to help Mexican drug smugglers.
On April 20, 1997, Wallace hosted a "60 Minutes" segment that claimed Customs officials were allowing trucks with drugs to cross easily into the United States.
As proof of his allegations Wallace cited what he claimed was a U.S. Customs memo written by Rudy Camacho, then the San Diego Customs district director.
Last week, Michael Horner, a Customs department whistleblower who had anonymously provided Wallace and "60 Minutes" with the memo, admitted he had fabricated the document.
Horner, 47, pleaded guilty to two felony counts last week.
The bogus memo "60 Minutes" said was written by Camacho provided instructions to Customs inspectors at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to give easy clearance to a trucking company suspected of drug smuggling for a Mexican cartel.
Wallace never bothered to interview Camacho before broadcasting the allegations. Camacho later sued Wallace and won. The case got almost no national publicity. As part of its settlement, "60 Minutes" apologized on-air for making the allegations about Camacho.
Still, Wallace, who made his career demanding others answer his questions, has been ducking questions from the press about the Camacho controversy.
Wallace's deceptive use of the fabricated document, which could have been vetted with a minimum of journalistic footwork, fits a pattern with the veteran broadcaster.
Earlier this year, NewsMax.com reported on Wallace's "60 Minutes" attack piece on the 5-million-member Farm Bureau, a group he said had a conservative political agenda. Wallace didn't disclose that his "60 Minutes" segment had been produced with the help of a radical animal rights group that has opposed the Farm Bureau.
Wallace has openly admitted he lies when it suits his purposes.
During the controversy over tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, Wallace appeared on the "Charlie Rose" program with colleague Morley Safer. Wallace was asked point blank by Rose if he or "60 Minutes" had paid Wigand for his cooperation. Wallace denied doing so.
Later, after documents in a legal case showed that "60 Minutes" and Wallace had indeed paid Wigand $13,000 as a consultant, Wallace admitted he had lied on Rose's program.
bump
More from SleazeBS!!!
Hmmm, I thought journalists were supposed to be unbiased and fair, no agenda, etc etc?
If advances a story the reporter loves..fake it, lie about it and never check the valididty of the sources.
Yep, nothing new for SeeBS. Rather (and I believe, Mapes)used fake Vietnam veterans for their slander of all real Vietnam veterans with their "The Wall Within" years ago. IIRC, ABC won a major award for their expose of CBS's fraud.
"Mike Wallace of CBS 60 Minutes blasts President Bush at WW II Memorial."
I listened to this a day or two ago. Wallace calls Iraq an unjust war.
And just earlier this morning I was thinking how ironic it would be if Dan Rather's secretary announced that "a Mr. Mike Wallace was here with a video crew and would like to discuss some forged papers on the record". More ironic now, I suppose.
This is just one of many incidents where CBS got caught and then got away with an apology. Don't forget the "Wall Within" bogus report by our good old boy Dan. It also explains why CBS figured they could get away with Rathergate. Didn't work this time! And I don"t think an apology alone is going to cut it.
I can only hope...
I'd like to suggest a great new show for one of the networks....
Debunking 60 Minutes
Each show could be about an old 60 minutes episode and how it was either a lie, exaggeration, falsehood, or agenda driven conspiracy.
The show would be a hit, and they'd have enough material to work with for years!
Looks like ABC has been doing their thing for a while, as well. I'm beginning to believe that ABC News hates 60 Minutes more than they collectively hate Bush.
lol Yep, Rush says he could do a radio show for 6 hours a day every day about media bias.
It's simply amazing that on all the talking head shows for the past week, whenever somebody from the networks or a newspaper comments on media bias they ALWAYS say "Nope, not us, no bias here."
I googled after someone mentioned The Wall Within and found a long thoughtful piece by Michael Kelly.
http://www.vwam.com/vets/suicide.html
The Three Walls Behind the Wall
The Myth of Vietnam Veteran Suicide
by Michael Kelley (Michael will be missed..he was killed in Iraq)
Here's also an FR thread ..linked by Winter Soldier.com
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1213341/posts
Dan Rather at work
Interesting that See BS gives us reality TV shows like "Survivor", and then operates a news department that relies upon fiction.
Well I finally understand why they named it "60 minutes". That's the time they put into investigating anything and now with the internet, that's about how long it takes to find their lies!
CBS is soooooooooo over!
ping
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