Posted on 09/18/2004 6:32:19 PM PDT by quidnunc
"This is not about me," Dan Rather insists. Well, it's certainly more about Rather and the credibility of CBS News — now — than about Rather's intended target, the President of the United States.
As just about all the world has learned, CBS has four purported memos faxed from an Abilene, Texas, Kinko's. They allege that when he was in the Texas Air National Guard, George W. Bush — among other things — (a) ignored a direct order and was grounded, and (b) generally received preferential treatment to avoid service in Vietnam.
Yet regarding the memos, as a colorful Virginia pol used to say, there's a lot going around in the dark besides Santa Claus.
The memos have a distinct odor about them strongly suggesting they're fakes. Typographically, they contain all sorts of elements common to today's word processors but practically non-existent on typewriters in 1972 and 1973, when they supposedly were written by Bush's squadron commander, who died 20 years ago. They're stylistically suspect, containing abbreviations not used in the squadron at the time. The commander's secretary, now 86, says she didn't type them. The commander's wife and son say he didn't write them, didn't type, and didn't feel about Bush the way the memos indicate he did.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...
Great article. He nailed it perfectly.
MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT SEEKS FCC RULING AGAINST CBS NEWS FOR RATHERGATE
Media Ethics Project (“MEP”) of New York today petitioned the FCC to sanction CBS News and its parent organization, Viacom, Inc., for its recent broadcast of news reports based on forged documents.
In announcing the FCC filing, MEP Chairman William L. Whitely stated: “Most people familiar with Dan Rather’s reports have seen solid evidence from various credible sources showing the documents to be forged. Yet, day in and day out, CBS has stubbornly continued to maintain that the memos are authentic. This supremely arrogant conduct violates the public trust and FCC rules and policies. Viacom cannot be allowed to flaunt the Commission’s rules in this manner. ”
MEP seeks a ruling by the FCC finding that the deliberate actions of CBS and Viacom maintaining the authenticity of the documents, constitute broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports in violation of Commission policies. MEP is asking the FCC to sanction Viacom including imposing fines and ordering forfeiture of one or more broadcast licenses .
Mr. Whitely added that, “This whole episode must be regarded as a remarkable failure of management. It is truly sad that the proud traditions of professionalism of CBS News, the division built by the likes of Morrow, Severeid, Reasoner, Mudd and Cronkite, have been allowed to slowly fade away. In their place is an organization where unprincipled ego, bias, negligence, partisanship and vindictiveness apparently determine the setting of management policy. Such changes are not in the best interest of CBS, the CBS affiliates and CBS shareholders, nor, most certainly, are they in the public interest as well. Staying to this course, the House that Paley Built will likely become the Network that Rather Wrecked.”
MEP has asked that the FCC expedite its consideration of the group’s Petition for Declaratory Ruling against CBS News.
See a full copy of the MEP Petition for Declaratory Ruling at http://mediaethicsproject.blogspot.com/ or www.mediaethics.8k.com
With MEP's filing, the FCC now has a formal Petition to review requesting that CBS be found guilty for violating Commission policy prohibiting the broadcasting of falsified, faked, distorted or staged news reports as contrary to the public interest.
All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.
FCC Contact Information:
Chairman Michael K. Powell: Michael.Powell@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: Kathleen.Abernathy@fcc.gov --- Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov ---
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
Dear mr. McKenzie:
Your article is more than fair to dan rather , In fact lets say it takes him off the hook in your opinion. You state that Mr Rather was the victim of a hoax.
I do not believe Mr Rather was the victim of a hoax, but the perpetrator of that hoax.. CBS states that their producer Mary Mapes has been working on this story for 5 years. How can an internet forum reader discover a hoax in 20 minutes that escaped this woman and Dan Rather for 5 years.
No sir : I am not as generous as you. It is my belief that Dan Rather was a full partner in an attempt to slander and impugn the integrity of a sitting President of the United States.This is not the first time Rather has used his position to attack those he does not agree with. My only hope is that the next time it will be in a letter on an op-ed page somewhere and not as an employee of CBS. He does not deserve to be called a journalist as he has broken the rules of fair and honest journalism.
Except that DUN BLATHER was not duped into aiding SKERRY.
DUN BLATHER HAS BEEN A philosophical Commie for decades. He's been deliberately complicit in undermining our Republic for decades.
He's a traitor of the worst sort--smiling and denying all the while.
I heard an interesting conversation on talk radio tonite about Viacom owning CBS, Viacom owning Simon & Sheuster (sp?) who published Richard Clark's book, Kerry is doing interviews with only Oprah, Letterman and someone else - all Viacom shows. The point being that this huge (hugh) media company is involved in all these efforts to sway this election. Is Viacom the Dem's "Halliburton"?
The Kinkos conspiracy includes Dan Rather at its worst or it includes Dan Rather in the cover-up. He has no moral or journalistic obligation to hide the identity of those who were perpetrating this fraud. The fact that he is and CBS is allowing it shows this is bigger than some disgruntled former Guardsman that's a kook. It is hard to believe that the Kinkos conspiracy does not go straight to the DNC. CBS should change its name to DNC or come clean.
"Is Viacom the Dem's "Halliburton"?"
Viacom / CBS should at least have the common courtesy of filing as a 527.
Good going...gosh, I hope they succeed.
All interested parties will now be able to contact the FCC to request that it take immediate action on the MEDIA ETHICS PROJECT Petition For Declaratory Ruling Against CBS News.
FCC Contact Information:
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Good info.
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You are correct and I am in no way insinuating that Halliburton has done anything but dare to exist. But I think we should be screaming "Viacom! Viacom!"
"smiling and denying all the while"
Unless, of course, they are making little three year girls cry.
Mackenzie forgot to mention Rather's reporting during the Florida recount battle...when he had to report on a decision made by Katherine Harris at one point he kept interjecting "as she sees it" or a similar phrase so often that it would have been funny, if it had not been pathetic.
This is an excellent summary of the scandal by Ross Mackenzie. He must have written it a couple of days ago or he certainly would have included reference to yet another shovelful of dirt on Rather's coffin - - the interview with Brig. General (Ret.) Staudt.
And some of the idiots smile even then.
Kind of like an evil idiot rapist thinking the whole act is funny.
The FCC sent me a routine email in reply to my earlier complaint, as follows:
Wow!
ping
Dan Blather is not a deity, just because he has been in the news business since the Civil War.
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