60 Minutes Exec Producer Jeff Fager assigns an underling to investigate Jeff Fager
by digby
Fergawdsakes:
Politico media reporter Dylan Byers reports that Al Ortiz, an executive producer at CBS News, will be "conducting the 'journalistic review' into the controversial '60 Minutes' report on Benghazi." As Byers notes, this presents a problem for Ortiz and a potential conflict of interest for CBS News, as the executive producer of 60 Minutes, Jeff Fager, is also the chairman of CBS News and Ortiz's boss.
Does everyone remember the huge production they made out of the stale, tabloid gossip story about George W. Bush's draft dodging? Let's just say they went the extra mile.
September 9, 2004: A CBS spokesperson responded to early right-wing allegation by insisting, "As is standard practice at CBS News, each of the documents broadcast on '60 Minutes' was thoroughly investigated by independent experts, and we are convinced of their authenticity." The statement added that CBS reporters had verified the documents by talking to unidentified people who saw them "at the time they were written."
September 9: "CBS News released a statement yesterday standing by its reporting, saying that each of the documents "was thoroughly vetted by independent experts and we are convinced of their authenticity." The statement added that CBS reporters had verified the documents by talking to unidentified people who saw them "at the time they were written."
September 10: CBS released another statement: "CBS released another statement: "This report was not based solely on recovered documents, but rather on a preponderance of evidence, including documents that were provided by unimpeachable sources, interviews with former Texas National Guard officials and individuals who worked closely back in the early 1970s with Colonel Jerry Killian.... In addition, the documents are backed up not only by independent handwriting and forensic document experts but by sources familiar with their content. Contrary to some rumors, no internal investigation is underway at CBS News nor is one planned. We have complete confidence in our reporting and will continue to pursue the story."
September 10: Rather's rebuttal aired on The CBS Evening News.
September 11: The CBS Evening News aired an update about the memo controversy, which contained yet another statement from the network: "We believe the documents to be genuine. We stand by our story and will continue to report on it."
September 14: CBS Evening News again revisited the story, reporting that in a radio interview Laura Bush suggested the disputed Guard documents were "probably" forgeries, while noting "CBS News continues to stand by its reporting."
September 20: CBS News chairman Andrew Heyward issued an apology: "Based on what we now know, CBS News cannot prove that the documents are authentic, which is the only acceptable journalistic standard to justify using them in the report. We should not have used them. That was a mistake, which we deeply regret." Dan Rather added, "If I knew then what I know now -- I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question."
September 20: CBS announced the creation of the review panel.
September 22. CBS announced Richard Thornburgh, who served as President George H.W. Bush's attorney general, and Louis Boccardi, former executive editor and CEO of the Associated Press, would led the review panel.
Incredibly, it was later discovered that CBS officials were so spooked by the conservative attacks on the network in 2004, that when it came to assembling its "independent" panel the network did the following:
*Included Rush Limbaugh, Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and Matt Drudge on a list of possible review panel candidates.
* Conceded the list of panel candidates tilted towards the right in order to "open itself up to its harshest conservative critics and to ensure that the Panel's findings would be found credible."
*Reached out to "GOP folks" prior to assembling its "independent" panel and took their temperature on who should oversee the work.
*CBS insiders were concerned that former GOP senator Warren Rudman would not "mollify" the network's right-wing critics; he was not selected for the "independent" panel.
Earlier this year in an interview with USA Today, CBS CEO Les Moonves reflected on his tenure at the network and singled out the Guard memo "mess" as among the most difficult situations he had to deal with. It "was extremely trying," Moonves said. "We had to protect the integrity of CBS News, which had this great legacy, and I wanted to make sure we did it properly so that CBS News could thrive again, which I think they've done."
That was about a story that was nearly 40 years old. There are current hearings and investigations going on about Benghazi, which just happened 2 years ago. And they're blowing it off. As I wrote earlier, it's clear that CBS has become a full blown right wing news outlet. Now we know.
If you feel like listening to a podcast while you're on the treadmill or stuck in traffic or something I chatted about this story with Brad Friedman on KPFK yesterday.
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