Monday, September 20, 2004

RNC on CBS

RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie:
"We accept CBS's apology for a breach of the journalistic standards that provide the American people confidence in news organizations, but some disturbing questions remain unanswered.

"CBS has now answered questions about the authenticity of the documents but questions remain surrounding who created the documents, who provided them to CBS and if Senator Kerry's supporters, Party committee, or campaign played any role.

"Did Bill Burkett, Democrat activist and Kerry campaign supporter, who passed information to the DNC, work with Kerry campaign surrogate Max Cleland? Did Bill Burkett's talks with 'senior' Kerry campaign officials include discussions of the now discredited documents? Was the launch of the Democrat National Committee's Operation Fortunate Son designed with knowledge of the faked forged memos? Terry McAuliffe said yesterday that no one at the DNC or Kerry campaign, 'had anything to do with the preparations of the documents,' but what about the distribution or dissemination?

"In an effort to regain the trust of the American people CBS should not only investigate the process that led to the use of these documents but they should identify immediately those engaged in possible criminal activity who attempted to use a news organization to affect the outcome of a Presidential election in its closing days."

Matt's Chat

Excellent questions, Ed. While we're at it, let's make sure we get clarification on the journalistic ethics of making statements like "our proof is a fraud, but the substance is accurate."

Related

CBS News and Dan Rather Apologize:
CBS News said Monday it cannot prove the authenticity of documents used in a 60 Minutes story about President Bush's National Guard service and that airing the story was a "mistake" that CBS regretted.

CBS News Anchor Dan Rather, the reporter of the original story, apologized.

CBS News claimed a source had misled the network on the documents' origins. The network pledged "an independent review of the process by which the report was prepared and broadcast to help determine what actions need to be taken."

In a statement, CBS said former Texas Guard official Bill Burkett "has acknowledged that he provided the now-disputed documents" and "admits that he deliberately misled the CBS News producer working on the report, giving her a false account of the documents' origins to protect a promise of confidentiality to the actual source."
Ed is right, there are still some questions that have to be answered...

Mark's Remarks


Too little, too late CBS....Your lame attempt at damage control is like the lameness your parent company Viacom puts up with from Rick Berman and Star Trek. However, you have fallen prey to still believing that the Old Media is some type of monolithic monopoly of truth. Not anymore, not with bloggers out here looking into the falsehoods and spin that the Old Media has consistently thrown our way.

To see Dan Rather's ratings and career fall into the toilet does my heart good. However, I can hear the lib spin idiots now: Rather is a hero for speaking out (it doesn't matter that his story and evidence were fabricated!), and he is being discriminated against by people for his opinion. Sorry, but he is not being discriminated against for his opinion, but rather for letting his opinion get in the way of his job and responsibility of fair reporting. Rather's lame circular logic of standing behind the story even when the sole piece of evidence was a forgery leaves one baffled....What IS the frequency, Kenneth? The level of hate for anyone outside of liberal purviews has been showcased, and it has made America turn ever more to the New Media, out here serving as foils and watchdogs to the propaganda Press.

What is galling also is the reaction from liberals, who claimed that Republicans were fabricating evidence against Bill Clinton (then came that dress, the documents, the tapes, etc.) who are now fabricating things in a vindictive display of going after a President. Funny, isn't it? Not really, considering the consequences.

What also is galling is the hypocrisy of liberals, who criticized and poo-pooed the relative of the supposed author of the documents, saying that her relative would not write such a thing. Oh, she must be naive to his job, they said. However, when A POOL SECRETARY who worked for about 8 different people said she thought the officer would write such memos, libs jumped up and exclaimed it must be the gospel truth. Utterly disgraceful and lacking in class and integrity. However, when you look at their candidate, it makes sense; what with all the questionable 'seared' memories and such....I'm just saying....

8:00 PM Update

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt:
"Mr. Rather's statement raises more questions than it answers.

"If any of the 39 Members of Congress who signed that letter with me promoted a theory that was later found to be based on unreliable information, the press would demand accountability.

"I still expect an answer from CBS president Andrew Heyward."
This isn't over. If seeBS thought this would do it, they haven't been paying attention to the Pajamahedeen at all. And they really should...

John Kerry Delenda Est!