Free Republic

An internal CBS News investigation released today cleared veteran newsman Dan Rather of intentional wrongdoing, and blamed his use of a forged document in a 60 Minutes news story on an "integrity malfunction," similar to the wardrobe malfunction suffered by Janet Jackson on CBS. "The exhaustive, no-holds-barred probe found that Dan did not knowingly perpetrate the so-called 'memogate' hoax to drag down President Bush in the weeks leading up to the election," said Dick Thornburgh, the former U.S. Attorney General who helped lead the internal investigation. "The integrity malfunction was completely unintentional and Dan was as surprised as anyone to...

CBS affiliates hope that the panel investigating what led to a controversial "60 Minutes II" story about President Bush's National Guard service record will report its findings soon. There is growing speculation among affiliate stations that the report is near. But even the affiliate stations have been given no clue what the investigation has discovered. CBS affiliates are anxious to hear what the internal investigation by Dick Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi reveals. In some ways, they say, more than the network's reputation is at stake. The local stations have taken a lot of heat over this issue as well. "I...

RATHER REPORT COMING OUT FRIDAY?My source familiar with the discussions inside CBS News tells me that the long awaited report on the infamous CBS memo by former US Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and retired Associated Press President Louis Boccardi may be coming out Friday.Could this possibly be a Friday at 5PM press release?Also, you'll recall that the same source told me that that CBS was considering naming Dan Rather's replacement the same day they release the report.