Posted on 10/01/2004 5:38:27 AM PDT by kattracks
Coral Gables, Fla. (CNSNews.com) - The recent controversy involving CBS News's use of apparently forged memos -- and the reaction to the controversy -- prompted a Newsweek editor to demand that conservatives stop trying to "intimidate" the media.
"I think conservatives ought to quit trying to intimidate the rest of the media," said Eleanor Clift, a contributing editor to Newsweek, in an interview with CNSNews.com following Thursday night's presidential debate at the University of Miami.
The liberal Clift was responding to a question about whether CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer should retain his role as the moderator in the Oct. 13 presidential debate between President George W. Bush and Democratic nominee John F. Kerry.
"Bob Schieffer is one of the most respected newsmen on all sides of the political debate," she said, defending CBS's role in the third and final debate.
A conservative website, BoycottCBS.com, has called for Schieffer's removal from the debate that will take place in Phoenix and suggested NBC's Tim Russert or former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw as possible replacements.
The group notes that the debate commission selected Schieffer before Dan Rather went on "60 Minutes Wednesday" with phony memos discrediting George W. Bush's National Guard service. (Despite questions about the memos' authenticity, Rather says he believes their content is accurate.)
According to BoycottCBS.com, Schieffer has made "troubling statements" about the memo controversy that raise questions about his "appropriateness" as a moderator for the Oct. 13 debate.
"Far from serving as a 'whistleblower' or someone completely separate from the scandal surrounding his friends and colleagues, Schieffer was parroting the CBS News party line a full week after the documents had been exposed as fraudulent," said Mike Paranzino of BoycottCBS.com.
But prominent media figures and politicians attending Thursday's debate defended CBS News.
CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield called Schieffer "about as straight a shooter I know...He is just the gold standard when it comes to a straight up honest reporter," Greenfield told CNSNews.com.
Greenfield acknowledged that CBS News "took a hit" on the Bush National Guard documents, but he insisted that all major media outlets have had similar incidents. "We have all been through this. It's embarrassing. They have to figure out how it happened," Greenfield said.
Anne Lewis, the national chair of the Women's Vote Center, an arm of the Democratic National Committee, doesn't believe CBS has suffered any damage to its credibility.
"CBS stepped up and said, 'Well, we discovered that the documents weren't so.' They said so. I wish that more people in public life would set that example if they come to a wrong conclusion, perhaps," Lewis told CNSNews.com.
"I think that is rather setting an example, and I would like to see other institutions and individuals in high office live up to that," she added.
Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe also defended CBS News. "I don't think CBS has comprised anything," McAuliffe said.
Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie declined to comment on CBS News except to say that President Bush will not request that Schieffer be replaced as the moderator of the final debate.
"We have agreed to the debates as the [presidential debate] commission put them forward -- and the two campaigns negotiated and agreed to -- and we will abide by the agreement," Gillespie said.
Also see:
Swift Boat Vets Should 'Shut Up,' Says Kerry Spokesman (Oct. 1, 2004)
Protester Says She Prefers 'Serial Rapist' to George Bush (Oct. 1, 2004)
E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
Eleanor Clift's a witch! As soon as I saw her as the source of the article I tuned out.
No because McAwful probably did and fed it to cBS.
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That's why they smugly refer to themselves as (ahem) "intellectuals". |
And FOXNews had almost 10 Million viewers last night! Thanks, CBS!
In Jan '88 Greenfield spoke at College of DuPage, IL. Afterwards, us junkies gathered around him for more. I made the comment that Pat Robertson had a lot of support in the area (of Wheaton College and Evangelical central).
Greefield told us Don't worry. We'll do a Swaggart on Robertson in Iowa and he won't know what hit him.
If I recall correctly, Greenfield & friends then reported on the weekend before the caucuses that Pat Robertson was caught in a sex scandal. The headlines belabored the scandal. If you turned to continued below the obits, it seems Pat Robertson Jr had been born to Pat Robertson Sr's wife of 40 years only 8 months after the wedding or something like that. That was the scandal. Prior to that scandal Robertson had been running strong. After the the headlines, his support evaporated. His followers never went to the caucuses.
That is the ethics of Greenfield.
As they used to say on "Cheers"....SHUT UP CLIFT!
Bingo!
Ever since this &%#@$! compared the House Impeachment managers to the KKK, I have simply changed the channel when her mug appears on my television.
For the life of me, I don't understand why she is considered an "opinion maker." She is almost invariably wrong on any prediction or analysis.
Sorry Eleanor, we're here, we have no fear and we're gonna kick your everlying asses.
When you decided to be the news rather than simply reporting it, you declared war on the rest of us. Better get used to abuse because you have seen nothing yet.
We've been in contact already, and the possibilities are endless. eg, ANY shirt could have the "badge" affixed as a badge or enlarged to form more of a "statement" ;^)
I don't know how far along "Seeking the truth" is, so there may or may not can be any changes in the original graphic. But I can play around all I want...
Thoughts?
FGS
FGS
If it was Bob Schieffer, Managing Partner at Arhtur Andersen, or Bob Schieffer, CEO of an oil company, I wonder how the media types would characterize him.
The only fair moderator I can think of is Brian Lamb.
I would find some strong rope, a burlap sack and a slow moving river.
Jeff Greenfield STILL hasn't figured out "what happened."
Here you go, Jeff - - Dan Rather, Mary Mapes, and CBS wanted so badly to smear George W. Bush prior to the election that they willingly put forth documents which, they were warned, may not be authentic in order to embellish and support their interview with one Ben Barnes, a Travis County Democrat and big-time Kerry fundraiser, who made some very unflattering claims ("lies" according to Barnes' own daughter) about Bush's Guard service.
Everybody in the country knows exactly "what happened" but Greenfield still hasn't figured it out.
What a simple clown. No wonder I never see him on TV anymore....
We just continue to beat him (and his friends) over the head with fact, facts, and more facts. Eventually he'll decide to go into a line of work more attuned to his skills -- used car sales, Vegematic sales on TV, Terry McAuliffe's job when he gets fired on 3 November....
Congressman Billybob
Latest column, "And the Debate Winner is -- Lemony Snicket"
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Congressman Billybob
Anyone not blinded by liberalism or other forms of insanity had "discovered" ten days earlier that the documents had to be fake, could only be fake, could not in any way be real. CBS took ten days to discover, not that the documents are fake, but that, contrary to its previous reassurances, their authenticity cannot be easily proven. CBS intends to hide in that limbo of supposed uncertainty at least until after the election.
CBS was not honest then and is not being honest now. Its performance was and is there for all to see.
Your wish is my command:
FGS
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