CBS refuses.. so the FCC goes to court. If the court rules the media can not hide a forger guilty of fraud, then the media has lost a huge hunk of power. That is the media could lose the right to never reveal sources of a story. The case law used to support the right not te reveal souces was based on the source leaking government or corporate wrong doing. Not on a source trying to use forgery to effect the outcome of a presidential election. This would be a very bad case for the meida to let go to the Supreme Corut.
Now if you are ABC, NBC, or USA Today do you let the court take away your right to keep all sources secret or do you make the story mute by revealing the source yourself? What if the source is the DNC? Do you take the fall for them.. or let it all hang out to dry?
If the source is as I suspect someone from the Democratic party there is a watergate situation where the Democrats go to prison. The key slip was that they have been working on this story for 4 years. That says DNC or its allies does it not? It could hurt the Democrats far more than watergate hurt the Republicans.
This was a huge gamble that just did not pay off. I can't believe the major media is this stupid. It had to be done by someone too young to understand there was a day when there were no computers.
This story is a long way from being over. And the for the first time in memory the media does not have reasons to present a single united front. The solidarity of the media may for the first time in my memory come apart.
Think of all the bad press and loss that CBS is taking. The consequences of revealing the truth... must be far worse than the consequences of stone walling the situation.
The problem for CBS is that USA today had all six documents. USA Today knows the source. Will Gannett lose the power to keep all sources secret to protect CBS and Dan RAther? I would not be surprised to find these documents were shopped to all the networks except Fox.
There is no way this can go away. There will be House and perhaps senate hearings. With talk radio, Fox, and the Internet a new day has dawned... CBS is going down. But the only reason for CBS to continue to stone wall is the consequences of telling the truth are just plain disasterous for CBS and more importantly for the source.
The Story CBS did on 60 minutesd was 100 percent anti Bush. There was zero attempt to present the Bush side of the argument.
The Supreme court in the FCC Vs Red Lion case ruled that he FCC can take stations licenses for a broadcasters failure to present both sides in a controversial story.
There is no requirement that both sides be presented equally. Some say a 9 to 1 ratio against Bush, that is 9 against Bush to 1 for him, would have been legal. But as Krauthammer said on FOX the CBS 60 minutes story was 100 percent one sided. They had facts that cast doubt but did not air them. That can cost them billions of dollars worth of station licenses.
The FCC under Collin Powell's son might give Viacom the option of selling the network and all stations at cost, or suffering the loss of all 0&0 licenses. They might have to turn the equivent of states evidence to get that deal. The FCC has made stations sell at a huge loss. Forced sales have been held up bh the courts. Punishment can be sell out at a loss or lose it all.
It is not a good day for CBS.. And we got a picture of where NBC was going when Matt Lauer and Chirssy Matthews ate Kitty Kelly a new one.
This is along way from being over. and I expect there may be a divide an conquer strategy.This is a watergate sized story that may very well destroy a large hunk of the old media.And a fair amount of the Democratic party.
Let the games begin.
That should be our goal.
Nothing less.
How to hail all freepers to a plan?
Let's talk about that.
CBS is dead. In six weeks.
That should be our goal.
Nothing less.
How to hail all freepers to a plan?
Let's talk about that.
CBS is dead. In six weeks.
Thank you.
For me, this is not about the election. I am damned tired of being lied to.
Perhaps, it has always been such. They have always tried to tell me, "No pain reliever is stronger than Bayer", when in fact they are all the same.
But this time, it's different. I am very motivated.