Rather INFURIATED
Let's look at the CBS story for a minute...
An anonymous person faxes Texas National Guard documents which are not complimentary to the President of the United States.
CBS sends the faxed documents to document analysists who indicate that the documents are questionable at best, both in typeface and in signature.
As a matter of fact the font in which the documents were created wasn't even INVENTED until YEARS after the "document" was written.
Yet CBS used the documents as part of the backbone of a report aired on their flagship news show - 60 Minutes.
After a furor started first on the internet, and then in the mainstream press, Dan Rather first defended CBS News and himself. It took Dan almost two weeks to come to terms with the fact that he was incorrect.
What happened?
Dan Rather didn't do his homework. He is paid millions of dollars as the Senior News Director at CBS News. What did this man do? Dan Rather passed the buck. He took the word of his underlings and let them run wild. I don't think wild is too strong a word.
When a news department attacks the reputation of a standing President - they better have gotten their facts straight. Saying that the meaning of the documents was correct but the documents were false doesn't cut the mustard.
Dan "let it slide".... WHY? because he either a) he didn't care enough to look at the details (a document expert rebuff is an document expert rebuff), or b) because he agreed politically with the point or c) there was an incentive - perhaps monetary, perhaps ego.
Let's say that Dan let the story slide for the sake of his ego. Then you have to call into question every single story CBS News has ever produced and broadcast. Dan singlehandedly broke his unwritten agreement with the people of the United States, and of the world and his place of employ.
Is a call for Dan's resignation too harsh?
No. Not when you look at his history, Dan attacked George Bush Senior during an interview in the 1980s, also with bad information. One can surmise that Dan Rather doesn't like the Bush Family.
Dan allowed his bias to blind himself and jeopardized the entire network's reputation.
Dan Rather shouldn't have apologized tonight. He should have explained WHY his judgement is clouded, and where else this cloud could have hurt the facts.
Until Dan's resignation or retirement is complete, steer clear of CBS News.
An anonymous person faxes Texas National Guard documents which are not complimentary to the President of the United States.
CBS sends the faxed documents to document analysists who indicate that the documents are questionable at best, both in typeface and in signature.
As a matter of fact the font in which the documents were created wasn't even INVENTED until YEARS after the "document" was written.
Yet CBS used the documents as part of the backbone of a report aired on their flagship news show - 60 Minutes.
After a furor started first on the internet, and then in the mainstream press, Dan Rather first defended CBS News and himself. It took Dan almost two weeks to come to terms with the fact that he was incorrect.
What happened?
Dan Rather didn't do his homework. He is paid millions of dollars as the Senior News Director at CBS News. What did this man do? Dan Rather passed the buck. He took the word of his underlings and let them run wild. I don't think wild is too strong a word.
When a news department attacks the reputation of a standing President - they better have gotten their facts straight. Saying that the meaning of the documents was correct but the documents were false doesn't cut the mustard.
Dan "let it slide".... WHY? because he either a) he didn't care enough to look at the details (a document expert rebuff is an document expert rebuff), or b) because he agreed politically with the point or c) there was an incentive - perhaps monetary, perhaps ego.
Let's say that Dan let the story slide for the sake of his ego. Then you have to call into question every single story CBS News has ever produced and broadcast. Dan singlehandedly broke his unwritten agreement with the people of the United States, and of the world and his place of employ.
Is a call for Dan's resignation too harsh?
No. Not when you look at his history, Dan attacked George Bush Senior during an interview in the 1980s, also with bad information. One can surmise that Dan Rather doesn't like the Bush Family.
Dan allowed his bias to blind himself and jeopardized the entire network's reputation.
Dan Rather shouldn't have apologized tonight. He should have explained WHY his judgement is clouded, and where else this cloud could have hurt the facts.
Until Dan's resignation or retirement is complete, steer clear of CBS News.
posted by impresario | 8:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home