MEMO-GATE (one of CBS's "lousy analysts" speaks

qdewill ^ | not shown | Emily J. Will

[bilhosty]

On Friday, September 3, 2004, I was closing down my office and thinking about the Labor Day Weekend ahead when the phone rang and the caller asked whether I would be willing to work over the weekend on some important, time-sensitive documents. This was the beginning of my involvement in the examination of documents in the Bush National Guard Document/Memo-Gate news story.

This week, the book "Truth and Duty" by Mary Mapes, former CBS producer, was released. The book contains several inaccuracies in the description of my participation. Because the book is a public document, I see it as my duty to publicly state the truth about what I said and did.

[Tribune7]

ping

[ANGGAPO]

I like that question. Did the investigation just go down the drain or was it derailed by a vested interest?

[NonValueAdded]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! "No, I don't think that's the standard." Good grief. She really believes that. You've documented the "game over" quote.

[Prov3456]

"No, I don't think that's the standard."

That is "full-circle" of the "situation-ethics" nonsense which was taught to Baby Boomers and younger in school. She/They create their own reality, depending on each situation. Since she wanted the story and the documents to be true/real, they are. Simple as that. Anything which doesn't fit into that reality is simply ignored.

Unfortunately, there are millions of Americans who were raised on that ethic and its re-named successors. IMHO, it will be nearly impossible to change their minds on anything: that's how they view the world. (Even another 911 would simply be seen from the perspective of "Why didn't [Bush] stop it? We [America] deserved it because...." etc.)

[FairWitness]

This rebuttal by Emily Will is devastating to Mapes, but Mapes seems oblivious to any criticism.

I have come to understand that to an MSM "reporter" the phrase, "I stand by my story", is meant to clinch the argument. After that we mere mortals are meant to defer to their superior judgement.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this. What may be even more upsetting to Mapes is what CBS News is sending to those who will be interviewing her after her GMA debacle.

Look at the CBS News response to her appearance on GMA. This was sent to Larry King before and he read it before he interviewed Mapes. Apparently O'Reilly got the same response before Mapes was on his show.

"(After yesterday's Mapes' Good Morning America appearance, CBS issued the following statement, which Larry King read to Mapes last night):

"KING: We're here with Mary Mapes, the book "Truth and Duty, the Press, the President and the Privilege of Power." CBS News gave us this statement today.

"Mary Mapes' actions damaged CBS News as an organizational and brought pain to many colleagues with whom she worked. Her disregard for journalistic standards -- and for her colleagues -- comes through loud and clear in her interviews and in the book that attempts to rewrite the history of this complex and sad affair.

As always, revisionist history must be tested against the facts. Not only are those facts contained in the extensive media coverage that took place at the time, but also in the 200-plus-page report of the independent panel which investigated the matter for more than three months.

We believe those facts speak for themselves. The idea that a news organization would not need to authenticate such important source material is only one of the troubling and erroneous statement in her account."

(Mapes only reply was: CBS has been working on that statement for months.)

Hey Mapes, your former employer, CBS News is setting the record straight about your lying past. CBS is not Free Republic.

[wildbill]

Somebody ouught to find a way to get this into the MSM talks shows when they interview Mapes.

What's interesting however is how the MSM is rallying around Mapes and her book.

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz for example wrote a column that virtually accepted most of Mapes' accusations and explanations.

We will have to fight this fight again or they will sell the public on the issues and rehabilitate Mapes, Rather, and all the MSM who jumped on the story. (Sigh)

[js1138]

Hey Mapes, your former employer, CBS News is setting the record straight about your lying past. CBS is not Free Republic.

In addition to FreeRepublic. What the CBS memo leaves out is that Mapes was no alone. It was All of CBS News that let this dog off the leash. I notice that after a face-saving interval, Rather and the CEO are gone.

[ThanhPhero]

Reality is a mental construct and my construct is better/more compassionate than your construct.

[Grampa Dave]

"In addition to FreeRepublic. What the CBS memo leaves out is that Mapes was no alone. It was All of CBS News that let this dog off the leash. I notice that after a face-saving interval, Rather and the CEO are gone."

We know this young lady, a daughter of some very close friends. She is an independent consultant for PR work for companies needing PR to mend their image or just to let people know what the company represents.

She said even before the election of 2004, the program that Blather and Mapes used to as a platform for their lies had become a no go for most of these companies re any ads. After the election, no one wanted to advertise with the program and many didn't want spend money in ads with CBS News on any program.

[oldbrowser]

But Mapes pushed them aside in her Ahab-like zeal to run with this story.

I have not seen this level of Chutzpah since that guy a couple of years ago that claimed the Holocaust never happened.

[Cicero]

According to her bio page, Emily J. Will is a certified documents examiner in private practice, working out of Raleigh, NC. Does anyone know what her position was with CBS, and whether she was fired for telling the awkward truth during Rathergate?

Here's her internet business card, as it were:

http://qdewill.com/cv.htm

[Always Right]

MAPES: No, I don't think that's the standard.

Strange, then why even bother having a specialist look at them to authenicate the documents? What's the point if you don't care and are going to ignore the specialists anyways?

[Alex Murphy]

What is fascinating to me is that Mapes, by her own admission, CONTINUES to "work" this non-story.

And O.J. Simpson remains, even at this very minute, relentless in his pursuit to find Nicole Brown Kidman's real killer.

There's no "story" here to "work" and Mapes (deep down) knows it. Any "work" that she claims to be doing involves media appearances to promote her new book, which can be redefined as "the interviewing of sycophants, seeking help in the promotion of this psychotic fantasy of hers."

[Question_Assumptions]

That's about all I need to know about Mapes. I wonder if she also thinks that our criminal justice system works under a similar presumption of guilt. Hey, Mary, prove that you aren't lying and weren't trying to unseat a sitting president with lies. I'm waiting, Mary, because that's what you need to do given your own standards of proof.

[cgbg]

from your link:

Ms. Mapes asked if I were 100% certain that superscripting could not have existed in 1972. I said that I was as certain as I could be, but for 100% certainty she should contact a particular examiner whose office is in New York City.

Bwahahahaha

Sounds like a right-wing conspiracy to me--to obliterate all evidence of superscripts in 1972. ;-)

It is incredible that Mapes is willing to subject herself to public humiliation this way.

The networks want her to go away--she is the poster child of media bias, bad reporting, and falsification of data.

Every time she defends herself she digs a deeper hole.

[cgbg]

What you are suggesting is that the MSM has become a cult.

Their "secular humanism" and leftism is not falsifiable since everything in the universe is further evidence of its truth.

I think their crusade against Evangelicals is classic projection.

They have the "true faith" in their view, and all who do not share it are heathens.

[dirtboy]

I have not seen this level of Chutzpah since that guy a couple of years ago that claimed the Holocaust never happened.

Initially, I thought her stance was a way to sell books. After all, if she admitted screwing up, no one would want to book her on the TV talk show circuit. No controversy.

But after seeing her on O'Reilly, I think she really and truly believes this nonsense. As does much of the MSM. Which is why they keep repeating these kind of errors - their standards have gradually drifted so far away from old-school journalism that they are oblivious to the shift and treat whacked-out views like Mapes' as mainstream.

[dirtboy]

What you are suggesting is that the MSM has become a cult.

I don't know if they are a cult per se, but they sure have a lot of the mannerisms. Mapes sure seemed like a zombie last night.

[cgbg]

we will have to fight this fight again.

This is a good fight to have. We have all the facts on our side. The issues are fairly straightforward and easy to explain. Better yet, this humiliates the major media and assists in its decline vis a vis the Internet.

That is why her network is trashing her and wants her to disappear.

Network lying slimeball vs. Pajamadeen honest investigators.

That is a good contest to have. Let's go out and get some popcorn. :-)