"The Timing Is Suspicious"
They held on to the Armstrong Williams story, sat on it, until it served a useful purpose for their associates in the established media at CBS. Through USA Today the story was disclosed a mere one business day before the CBS internal investigation was released, the timing for which media insiders surely knew quite well. By doing so they rationalized turning attention away from the CBS scandal."The Timing Is Suspicious"
The thing is, journalism is constantly on the lookout for a mole hill to make a mountain out of.Consider the Rodney King video; as a whole the tape shows someone resisting arrest and ultimately being subdued by the police who, in the circumstances not entirely surprisingly, then belabored him. Did journalists show the exculpatory portion of the tape? Initially they did - but they quickly edited the tape down to the bad news story that would attract an audience - "police brutality."
That's an extreme example of course, but if journalism had its way it would not be. Even within the CBS report debate itself, journalists have assayed to tax "bloggers" for not all being 100% accurate in their speculations on Rathergate. Journalists build themselves up by tearing down people and institutions upon whom/which we-the-people depend.
Journalists exist to critize. Criticize Republicans.
Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate