Posted on 01/10/2005 2:38:40 PM PST by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - The ousting of four CBS News journalists for their roles in the "60 Minutes" memo scandal is "a good start" by one assessment but merely a series of "superficial reforms," according to another media expert.
The firings were announced Monday as the long-awaited report from a special panel composed of former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and retired Associated Press executive Louis Boccardi was issued.
CBS News Senior Vice President Betsy West; "60 Minutes/Wednesday" Executive Producer Josh Howard; Howard's deputy, Mary Murphy; and "60 Minutes" producer Mary Mapes lost their jobs over the controversial segment that aired Sept. 8 about President Bush's service with the Texas Air National Guard.
The segment relied on documents that, following the broadcast, were immediately branded forgeries by typography experts nationwide. CBS News also had to eventually admit it could not guarantee that the memos were authentic.
"These firings are a good start toward the path of objectivity for CBS," said Greg Sheffield, one of the editors of the RatherBiased.com website, which has established itself as one of the loudest critics of outgoing CBS News anchor Dan Rather, who was the anchor of the Sept. 8 "60 Minutes" segment.
However, Sheffield added, "If the network wants to truly show that it is serious about being fair, it needs to fire News President Andrew Heyward, who personally approved a public relations strategy of stonewalling and lying when confronted with evidence that CBS had erred.
"Everyone who got fired deserved to be fired," Sheffield said. "No one who was deeply involved in the production of a report based on fraudulent documents deserves to work in any news organization."
Meanwhile, Michael Paranzino, founder of the BoycottCBS.com site, said he felt the Thornburgh/Boccardi report and the network's reaction to it didn't go nearly far enough.
"The reforms suggested by the CBS News-paid 'independent' panel will help CBS News, but they will not solve the fundamental problem, which is that CBS News is dominated from page boy to president with Manhattan liberals who are out of touch with mainstream America," Paranzino stated.
"Does anyone really believe CBS News would have aired phony documents smearing President Bush, shortly before a close election, had a single conservative been anywhere near the newsroom to point out the obvious flaws in the story?" he asked.
"The report lists a devastating set of 16 egregious errors made by CBS News in airing the false story and then defending it for nearly two weeks," Paranzino stated. "Such error layered upon error can only happen when there is a rigid political orthodoxy that not only does not encourage dissent -- it does not even recognize that dissent might exist.
"CBS News has no respect for conservatives, people of faith or people who live east of Berkeley and west of Manhattan," he added.
Paranzino had three specific suggestions for CBS News to restore credibility, integrity and ratings:
"First, fire Dan Rather. Even the panel seemed stunned that Rather 'still believes the content of the documents is accurate.'
"Second, CBS News should adopt a program focused on introducing diversity of thought. People of faith, conservatives and people from the heartland of America should all be considered for jobs at CBS News.
"Third, CBS News should add a broadcasting location in the American heartland, and its evening news should either be solely or jointly anchored from Middle America, every night.
"But make no mistake: If CBS News makes only superficial reforms while maintaining its liberal advocacy 'DNA,' Americans will continue to turn away from CBS News," Paranzino concluded.
Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the Media Research Center -- the parent organization of the Cybercast News Service -- also thought the report exposed the political motivation of the CBS team.
"It's wrong for Thornburgh and Boccardi, or anyone else, to minimize the obvious liberal agenda behind what Dan Rather and others were trying to do to George Bush's electoral chances last September," Graham said.
"In a race in which John Kerry was touting his military service in Vietnam as making him a superior commander-in-chief to Bush, CBS's zeal on this Bush-bashing story with a Bush-hating source cannot be dismissed as merely a search for a ratings boost, as if the president were Michael Jackson or Scott Peterson," Graham stated.
The source of the documents for the "60 Minutes" segment was a long-time Bush opponent from Texas.
Peter Hart, an analyst with the media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), claimed that the Thornburgh/Boccardi report contained "no surprises" and said it is "understandable that people would lose their jobs" over the lack of caution and scrutiny regarding the story.
"In journalism, you don't get a second chance," Hart added.
Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie also weighed in Monday afternoon.
"All Americans should welcome today's report on CBS News' unprofessional conduct regarding its story about President Bush's National Guard service," he said.
"CBS deserves praise for undertaking this effort in light of the concerns raised last fall. We should remember that today's report would not have come about without a vigilant public and also recognize that the vast majority of journalists are hardworking professionals who practice their craft with honesty and integrity," Gillespie added.
E-mail a news tip to Randy Hall.
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CBS Firings: A 'Good Start' or 'Superficial Reforms?'
It's a good, superficial start.
I think its a good start. They clearly laid out the mistakes that were made, and that there is no excuse of shoddy journalism. The only bit that was superficial was the covering up of the political agendas.
Serious CBS reforms would stop the phony pretence of being politically objective and neutral. It's an insult to the minds of intelligent people. Just admit that you are speaking from the DNC playbook.
Alternatively, they might consider hiring a few conservative voices. Yet, as much as I would love to see Britt Hume as Rather's replacement, I would hate for FNC to lose him.
Job losses took a dramatic leap upward for the new year and they can be directly linked to George Bush.....film at 11.
Personally, I think they are just superficial reforms. CBS hasn't changed and, in my humble opinion, are sorry only that they got caught, not that they committed any wrongdoing. The whole idea is just to give the appearance of true journalism.
"All Americans should welcome today's report on CBS News' unprofessional conduct regarding its story about President Bush's National Guard service," he said.
"CBS deserves praise for undertaking this effort in light of the concerns raised last fall. We should remember that today's report would not have come about without a vigilant public and also recognize that the vast majority of journalists are hardworking professionals who practice their craft with honesty and integrity," Gillespie added.
Humbug! Anyone who throws schlock like that 60-minutes fable out the door, and then stonewalls when called on it - while propagandizing to the effect that the SBVT claims had been "discredited" - deserves no credit at all for calling in the whitewash committee to do damage control later.The committee makes the ridiculous suggestion that commercial rather than partisan interest motivated that hit piece - but it is up to CBS, on a daily basis, to rebut the presumption that they are partisan.
There is no reason why we-the-people should require proof that CBS is partisan; that is the natural order of things. And it is natural for all journalists, whose professional focus in on others' failures, to focus on the failures of Republicans. Because Democrats essentially toady to the negative, superficial, and arrogant perspective of journalism, journalists have a hard time seeing anything wrong with people who assiduously agree with journalists.
Yeah, and I can see See-BS re-hiring these $hitheads later on down the road when the frenzy dies down. Pay 'em off for six months and once Rather is gone and we've all forgotten who they are, they'll be baaaaack.
Off Topic - has anyone tried to visit Little Green Footballs today and succeeded in getting the site to load.
Much obliged my fellow freepers.
Until it purges itself of Dan Blather and his overt liberal agenda it shall remain constipated.
Les Moonves was on MSNBC and during the soft ball interview said he didn't think it was politically motivated. People were just interested in getting "the story" out first.
I also saw Chris Cox, Chairman of House Government Reform Committee, and he said that there needs to be a criminal investigation, because at a minimum, there was false of misuse of government documents and an attempt to influence an election using false and fraudulent documents.
So, Moonves needs to talk to Cox and convince Cox that it wasn't politically motivated, because he sure can't convince me, even if he is unchallenged on MSNBC!
There absolutely should be one. I notice Barbara Boxer and the rest of the Dems aren't screaming for an investigation of this fraud being perpetuated on the public. Oh, no, not them -- they're too busy screaming about supposed irregularities in freakin' OHIO!!!!
The Justice Dept needs to arrest the entire Democratic Causus and send them to Abu Ghraib for the "panty job" until the truth comes out!
The four outsted journalists were the sacrificial rats. The high priests of deceit, bias, and conspiracy are still running the show. Moonves should take the ultimate responsibility and resign. Rather should take "journalistic harakiri".
For too many of them, that would be just a typical Friday night. ;)
I remember watching CSPAN when Alabama Senator Howell Heflin had the floor.
Rumors were rampant that Senators Chuck Dodd and Ted Kennedy were on Kennedy's yacht off Florida doing an on-deck sandwich job.
Ol' Heflin spotted Senator Dodd arriving in the Chamber and commented in his drawl, "Why, I see the honorable Senator Dodd of Connecticut has arrived. I understand the good Senator has recently changed his position on 'OFF- SHORE DRILLING'!" (emphasis mine).
Man, that is PRICELESS!!!!
ANY firing OTHER THAN Dirty Dan Rather is inadequate.
1. It was terrible journalism.
But we already knew that.
2. We can't be completely sure the documents are fake, though there are big problems with them.
They're fake; that hasn't been in question since 12 hours after the report.
3. The motivation for the story was ratings, not politics.
The first two questions were not up for debate. The answers to them do no injury to CBS it had not already sustained. On #3, the ONE question the Panel could have answered in a way that would have hurt CBS, it furnished a relative exoneration.
You can talk tough when your target is already obviously guilty, and distract attention away from the paragraph where you give him a pass on other charges.
Some on FR are praising this report. It is a total exoneration of CBS on the one remaining important question.
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