This is proof CBS does not have a shred of ethics left.
- Thread starter Pete
- Start date
Penn
Dancing Up A Storm
An article from Peggy Noonan: MSM Requiem
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006150
"Is it annoying that the panel that issued the report did not find liberal bias in the preparation and airing of the Bush National Guard story?
Yes, but only that.
It's not as if anyone has to be told. I hate to be cynical, and this is cynical, but the panel that produced the report *was not being paid by CBS to find liberal bias.* It was being paid to do the anatomy of a failure with emphasis on who did what wrong."
"It found fault with the anchorman, the producer and their overseers, a conclusion CBS likely welcomed because CBS has wanted to remove Dan Rather for a long time because of low ratings."
_________________________________________________________________
(asterisks are mine)
So, let me see if I have this correct: This was an Independent Report, paid for by CBS with financial ties to both individuals, or so I've read elsewheres.
That's about as unbiased as you can get, right?
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110006150
"Is it annoying that the panel that issued the report did not find liberal bias in the preparation and airing of the Bush National Guard story?
Yes, but only that.
It's not as if anyone has to be told. I hate to be cynical, and this is cynical, but the panel that produced the report *was not being paid by CBS to find liberal bias.* It was being paid to do the anatomy of a failure with emphasis on who did what wrong."
"It found fault with the anchorman, the producer and their overseers, a conclusion CBS likely welcomed because CBS has wanted to remove Dan Rather for a long time because of low ratings."
_________________________________________________________________
(asterisks are mine)
So, let me see if I have this correct: This was an Independent Report, paid for by CBS with financial ties to both individuals, or so I've read elsewheres.
That's about as unbiased as you can get, right?
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Penn
Dancing Up A Storm
Even the Left is ganging up on Dan Rather these days. I ran across this article in the New York Observer calling for Dan to fess up.
http://observer.com/pages/frontpage4.asp
"The way it looks now, you’ll be remembered as the craven boss who let all his underlings get fired because they went the extra mile to please you. You’ll be remembered as the Nixonian character who hid behind a screen of "My underlings made mistakes, not me; I wasn’t in on it."
While everyone in the world knows they rushed the "story," skipped steps, rushed the verification process for the greater glory of you, Dan. What if the bloggers hadn’t blown the whistle, and you and your crew never learned how pathetically you were gamed by your "sources" ("Lucy Ramirez," come on down!)—and you succeeded in putting one over on the public? Who would be getting the credit? Mary Mapes? No it would be Dan (the President Slayer) Rather."
Wow!
http://observer.com/pages/frontpage4.asp
"The way it looks now, you’ll be remembered as the craven boss who let all his underlings get fired because they went the extra mile to please you. You’ll be remembered as the Nixonian character who hid behind a screen of "My underlings made mistakes, not me; I wasn’t in on it."
While everyone in the world knows they rushed the "story," skipped steps, rushed the verification process for the greater glory of you, Dan. What if the bloggers hadn’t blown the whistle, and you and your crew never learned how pathetically you were gamed by your "sources" ("Lucy Ramirez," come on down!)—and you succeeded in putting one over on the public? Who would be getting the credit? Mary Mapes? No it would be Dan (the President Slayer) Rather."
Wow!
I also caught a tidbit on TV the other day that three from CBS that were asked to resign have not done so yet, and CBS isn't exactly tripping over themselves to force them out. I'm willing to bet that CBS is waiting for it to all die down and will keep those three employed quietly. I didn't catch the whole story so I don't know which three the news was refering to.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Getting rid of Dan Rather...
...is like picking fleas off a dog with tweezers; there is NO point.
If institutional integrity (fair, accurate unbiased reporting) was even remotely
important at CBS Rather would have been gone long, LONG before now.
If Rather goes, fired for disgracing CBS and his profession, then look at the barn door that comes open; all of a sudden the bias that 1/2 of us have taken for granted for the last 30 years and the other 1/2 has turned a blind, uncritical eye towards, from CBS, ABC and NBC, comes into question.
At that point, the question those institutions would have to face is no longer 'is there bias?' but 'how bad has it been?'. They could no longer pretend. They'd have to revisit story after story just like they do when some big name is found to be doing wrong; they sift through their whole life.
As it is, things will in fact blow over, Dan and Co. simply crossed a line THIS ONE TIME and all is well.
Be honest; these are NOT stupid people. The only reason they stretched so far was they knew they could get away with it. This is nothing new.
There is a thread on here somewhere about conspiracy. Well, there is a clear conspiracy among the top dogs in the news to let this go because it could bring them all down.
What Rather did is THE smoking gun, THE deepthroat, THE grassy knoll, THE closed door backroom intrigue and the big media interest is...cue crickets. Nothing to see here.
...is like picking fleas off a dog with tweezers; there is NO point.
If institutional integrity (fair, accurate unbiased reporting) was even remotely
important at CBS Rather would have been gone long, LONG before now.
If Rather goes, fired for disgracing CBS and his profession, then look at the barn door that comes open; all of a sudden the bias that 1/2 of us have taken for granted for the last 30 years and the other 1/2 has turned a blind, uncritical eye towards, from CBS, ABC and NBC, comes into question.
At that point, the question those institutions would have to face is no longer 'is there bias?' but 'how bad has it been?'. They could no longer pretend. They'd have to revisit story after story just like they do when some big name is found to be doing wrong; they sift through their whole life.
As it is, things will in fact blow over, Dan and Co. simply crossed a line THIS ONE TIME and all is well.
Be honest; these are NOT stupid people. The only reason they stretched so far was they knew they could get away with it. This is nothing new.
There is a thread on here somewhere about conspiracy. Well, there is a clear conspiracy among the top dogs in the news to let this go because it could bring them all down.
What Rather did is THE smoking gun, THE deepthroat, THE grassy knoll, THE closed door backroom intrigue and the big media interest is...cue crickets. Nothing to see here.
Lenny
Lovin' being Texican
Larry Gude said:
I prefer Goldberg's analysis. The bias is so ingrained the media executives don't recognize it as bias. They live in it so much and all their upscale friends share it so it's natural for them to believe they are the mainstream. Anyone more right wing than they are "crackpots" while they are mainstream.
Read Arrogance by Bernard Goldberg. I still have to find Bias by the same author.
Larry Gude
Strung Out
Vrai's been through them both...
...and all the others along the lines of media bias including the one that explains the most; Hardball.
Goldbergs point is probably correct among the mid level folks on down, the 'beleivers' but there isn't even a remote possibility that Dan Rather, Leher, McNeil, Mapes, Jennings, Judy Woodruff etc, etc, etc, don't know what they are doing.
They are agenda, not faith, driven. They are do'ers, movers and shakers, not followers.
A 12 step program for those who don't see might bear fruit. Dan ain't going to no meeting to get him off a 'bottle' that has no intention or desire to put down.
Hell, if they all just didn't know any better, there would be stories done for the simple novelty of it all. On top of that, these are some of the most trained and educated people on the planet.
Dan Rather, if nothing else, knows damn well what voice inflection and body launguage are all about. They know well exactly how they come off on camera.
BushCo story: Raise eyebrow, look stern, exhibit worry, foreboding.
ClintonCo story: Smile, hope, happy, happy, joy, joy.
...and all the others along the lines of media bias including the one that explains the most; Hardball.
Goldbergs point is probably correct among the mid level folks on down, the 'beleivers' but there isn't even a remote possibility that Dan Rather, Leher, McNeil, Mapes, Jennings, Judy Woodruff etc, etc, etc, don't know what they are doing.
They are agenda, not faith, driven. They are do'ers, movers and shakers, not followers.
A 12 step program for those who don't see might bear fruit. Dan ain't going to no meeting to get him off a 'bottle' that has no intention or desire to put down.
Hell, if they all just didn't know any better, there would be stories done for the simple novelty of it all. On top of that, these are some of the most trained and educated people on the planet.
Dan Rather, if nothing else, knows damn well what voice inflection and body launguage are all about. They know well exactly how they come off on camera.
BushCo story: Raise eyebrow, look stern, exhibit worry, foreboding.
ClintonCo story: Smile, hope, happy, happy, joy, joy.
..that's exactly why I refuse to watch CBS at all...for anything. Tired of the news division's liberal slant - hell - if they slanted anymore they'd be on the ground!
This will all quiet down someday, Rather will retire with boatloads of accolades from his peers, the 3 staffers asked to resign will still be working for CBS and everything will be back to the old ways again, except with a new mouthpiece at the helm.
This will all quiet down someday, Rather will retire with boatloads of accolades from his peers, the 3 staffers asked to resign will still be working for CBS and everything will be back to the old ways again, except with a new mouthpiece at the helm.