[Peach]

And then CBS appoints Thornburg to the panel to investigate this story.

One little problem. Thornburg works for CBS ... he is their lawyer. And if he finds bias on the part of the network, he has opened up his own client to litigation.

Major conflict of interest.

[Drango]

Good post, but Yawnnnnnnnnn....Nothing new in this article so why did the LATimes waste the ink? It's a rehash of what's been said ad nauseam for the last week or so.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

And apparently, it takes a 3 month investigation concluding with a several hundred page report to admit that "mistakes were made", "sources weren't adequately authenticated", and that CBS "rushed to run the story". They always talk vague and use a passive tone like the story fell out of the sky and CBS is at fault for not getting out of the way.

The bottom line is, CBS knowingly used forged military documents to fraudulently influence an election within 60 days of the vote. Dan Rather and his cronies should be charged in criminal court for this.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

And LIBERAL Los Angeles Times Media Critic DAVID SHAW still insists on telling us that...


RATHER's work 'Shoddy, Slipshod' not LIBERAL..?

http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1227809/posts


NUTS

.

[theDentist]

In a series of interviews and in the 224 pages of the independent panel's report, a portrait emerges of what is an inherently messy business — a television news operation "crashing" to quickly land a big story.

The "independent panel" was hardly independent. Thornburg's law firm's biggest client is CBS! That's like having your own lawyer investigate you for misdeeds. They investigated, but due to lawyer-client privilege, certain facts would need to be buried in their client's best interest, wouldn't it?

[Tacis]

You know, that was a very busy period for "news!" There were reports about men from Mars and, IIRC, concerns that a large meteor of krytonite was coming this way! [B]arbra [S]treisand!!!

Rather was trying a political hatchet job! He had done it before! My bet is that he was well paid to do it when he did. The Swift Boat Vets were peeling away some of Kerry's attempted secrecy and deception and the dems needed something FAST to take the pressure off! The forgeries had worked in Kerry's file (the Lehman citations) and would work in the endless attack on Bush's record. Of course the CBS lawyers would place the minimum blame possible and sacrifice underlings to divert attention from the real truths. It is what Willie did with Monica; why wouldn't such a crooked approach work for Rather?

[hflynn]

On page 140 of the CBS Independent Report:

Bush did state in his 1968 TexANG application that he did not volunteer to go overseas. However, Mapes had information prior to the airing of the September 8 Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG, did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots.

This was deliberately buried in the middle of the report. CBS's investigation into itself is just as bias as the Rather/Mapes report. How many of the MSM gave the finding of the report that Bush volunteered to go to Vietnam the light of day?

[thoughtomator]

We know how it fell apart, we watched it happen in front of our very eyes. What we really want to know is, how was it put together in the first place?

[Eastbound]

Even if the story were true, it was a non-story, and certainly not an issue that would warrant the attention and resources of CBS at such a critical period in the campaign. Just goes to show that they had nothing else in the bottom of the barrel against Bush, other than the fact that he poops in the woods the same as a bear when he goes hunting.

Really, really bad planning, CBS. 'Never attempt to kill a king unless you know you are going to succeed,' as the saying goes. Now you know why.

[Paradox]

'The roar of condemnation aroused by CBS' use of unverified documents drowned out other news accounts that exposed Bush's spotty service as a young pilot.'

This is what they don't get, or dont WANT to get. Bush's record is nothing out of the ordinary for an air guardsman at the time! The war is winding down and alot of guys were able to move around, doing what they wanted, getting out a bit early all while earning and honorable discharge.

[popdonnelly]

The LA Times is just figuring this out? The moral is that fake documents aren't facts.

[MizSterious]

Although the news stories just barely scratch the surface of what went wrong, one very satisfying fact stands out:

The President still has his job. Four people at CBS no longer do, and Dan Rather's own job and reputation are in jeopardy.

But as to "what went wrong"--it comes down to one thing: the story wasn't true, and the "proof" was fraudulent. Had they stuck with the truth, they wouldn't be in this fix.

[DustyMoment]

As I predicted at the outset, the SeeBS "internal investigation" snagged a few small fish, but they didn't go after either Dandy Dan Blather or Andrew Heyward.

In case they haven't figured it out, corporate cultures flow from the top down, NOT the bottom up. SeeBS will continue along its merry, leftist ways and dandy Dan will get his cushy retirement with no punitive action taken for wrecking SeeBS' already unflattering reputation.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

FIRE SUMNER REDSTONE!
The conspiracy of liberal bias starts at the top. And even beyond the top. Fire the money managers at the institutional funds who vote liberals onto media boards of directors. The Mapeses and Rathers and Moonveys will just be replaced by more of the same by people who have become major fat cats by pushing an agenda full of lies.

[foolscap]

I have not heard anything about Burkett since the election. Does anyone know what is happening with him since the time the story aired and now?

[hosepipe]

The POT calling the Kettle BLACK....

[ultima ratio]

The Los Angeles Times, along with the Washington Post today, has no problem making excuses. To them the attempt to bring down a President on election-eve with a bogus story based on fraudulent documents was no big deal, just a kind of minor snafu. What WAS a big deal was that Bush as a young pilot thirty years ago may have cut some corner. Never mind that his opponent had sided with the enemy during wartime and had phonied up his military record--nobody they respected was interested in THAT.

[Petruchio]

while tarnishing Rather's storied career.

storied career???? Yup. One tall Tale after another!