CBS Apologizes

We're glad that CBS News finally said today what it should have said a week-and-a-half ago. But CBS must still be fearing the FCC since it refused to utter the f-word--forgery.

The network needs to apologize for relying upon a man with known mental problems and a history of lodging false, partisan accusations against President George Bush. To call such an individual--who once spoke of the need for "blood on the field" of politics--an "unimpeachable source" demonstrates a severe lack of judgment. That CBS would trust the unreliable word of Bill Burkett when other news organizations had not found him credible is another thing the network needs to apologize for.

The entire Memogate debacle will go down as another in CBS News's long history of being willing to lower journalistic standards when it comes to reporting negative information against Republicans.

In truth, CBS News was not tricked by a lone madman but was a willing participant in Bill Burkett's disinformation campaign, ignoring the testimony of its own experts and refusing to interview anyone with direct knowledge of the falsity of his charges out of fear that they would be "too pro-Bush."

It is hard to see how everyday Americans can trust CBS News unless every major player involved in the original report is dismissed considering that all of them have perpetrated a major violation against the CBS News Standards, a firing offense.

From the CNS manual:

"Anonymous sources should be used only when it is determined (1) that there is no other practicable way to obtain and report the information; (2) that the information is factual and of sufficient newsworthiness to warrant its use despite the fact that we cannot disclose its source; and (3) that the source and his information are highly reliable in the particular instance."

"Where the use of an anonymous source is necessary, as much information as possible about the nature [underlined] of the source should be provided to the audience, assuming, of course, that this information would not lead to disclosure of the source. Where the source may have a vested interest in the matter to be reported, it is especially important that information be provided as to the nature and/or motivation of the source."

In order to restore its credibility as a journalistic enterprise, CBS News needs to fire those who violated its own cardinal rules, be they anchorman, president, or producer.