Jim, apparently CBS News is sending the following to tv personalites before they interview Mapes about her book.
The CBS News response to her appearance on GMA: This was apparently sent by CBS to Larry King yesterday, and he read it before he interviewed Mapes. Apparently O'Reilly got the same response from CBS News before Mapes was on his show.
"(After yesterday's Mapes' Good Morning America appearance, CBS issued the following statement, which Larry King read to Mapes last night):
"KING: We're here with Mary Mapes, the book "Truth and Duty, the Press, the President and the Privilege of Power." CBS News gave us this statement today.
"Mary Mapes' actions damaged CBS News as an organizational and brought pain to many colleagues with whom she worked. Her disregard for journalistic standards -- and for her colleagues -- comes through loud and clear in her interviews and in the book that attempts to rewrite the history of this complex and sad affair.
As always, revisionist history must be tested against the facts. Not only are those facts contained in the extensive media coverage that took place at the time, but also in the 200-plus-page report of the independent panel which investigated the matter for more than three months.
We believe those facts speak for themselves. The idea that a news organization would not need to authenticate such important source material is only one of the troubling and erroneous statement in her account."
(Mapes only reply was: CBS has been working on that statement for months.)
Gosh, she won that round hands down.
"Mary Mapes' actions damaged CBS News as an organizational and brought pain to many colleagues with whom she worked. Her disregard for journalistic standards -- and for her colleagues -- comes through loud and clear in her interviews and in the book that attempts to rewrite the history of this complex and sad affair.
As always, revisionist history must be tested against the facts. Not only are those facts contained in the extensive media coverage that took place at the time, but also in the 200-plus-page report of the independent panel which investigated the matter for more than three months.
We believe those facts speak for themselves. The idea that a news organization would not need to authenticate such important source material is only one of the troubling and erroneous statement in her account."