The ‘60 Minutes’ Benghazi Scandal—a Fox News Connection?

[Hissyspit]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/177082/60-minutes-benghazi-scandal-fox-news-connection#

The ‘60 Minutes’ Benghazi Scandal—a Fox News Connection?

Greg Mitchell on November 10, 2013 - 9:59 AM ET

Tonight’s the night 60 Minutes promises to come clean(er) about its bogus Benghazi report two weeks back. After stonewalling for so long, claiming that their source only told “one story,” and suggesting critics were mere “partisans,” CBS pulled the segment for its site and Lara Logan and the gang offered a hasty “apology” Friday morning—but only after The New York Times blew their “source” out of the water.

- snip -

Rosen, as I have done previously, also raises the issue of the story’s link to Mary Matalin’s right-wing imprint at Simon & Schuster, which just pulled the book co-authored by the same “source.” Did the whole segment come from that Matalin valley of wackiness? If so, you might say 60 Minutes got “Breitbarted.” Or as the saying goes, if you lie down with dogs, don’t complain if you get fleas.

But here’s another angle that’s gotten little attention so far, and I’ll do more on it later: Few seem to realize that a former Fox News exec became the head of the CBS News in February 2011. He is David Rhodes. His bio at CBS declares:

He directs network newsgathering for all CBS News platforms including television, CBSNews.com, and CBS News Radio.

With CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, Rhodes has led a division-wide rejuvenation of the storied CBS News brand, emphasizing the Original Reporting of top broadcast journalists around the world. A rededication to the news division’s hard-news roots runs through every broadcast.

- snip -

The bio also reveals:

Rhodes began his career as a Production Assistant at the newly-launched Fox News Channel in 1996, where he later became Vice President of News. At the network he managed coverage of three presidential elections, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, hurricanes including Katrina, and was the channel’s Assignment Manager on the news desk the morning of September 11, 2001.

So, imagine: This was the guy who worked hand-in-glove on the biased, often propagandistic, Fox “coverage” of the run-up to the Iraq war, the 2000/2004/2008 elections, the Plame affair, the worst years in Iraq, and all other things Bush and Cheney, and so on.

What are his own political views? In a Crain’s mini-profile not long ago he cited his “eclectic” voting record. His brother Ben Rhodes famously works for President Obama as his oft-criticized national security adviser, and David Rhodes has said “no one in that house” growing up “agreed on anything.” Brit Hume actually visited Twitter earlier this year to point out that while David’s brother was serving Obama, David “was hardly thought a liberal” while helping to run Fox News during its key years.

Just one month ago, 60 Minutes aired what I called “a hatchet job” on alleged disability fraud.

MORE[p]

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[warrior1]

2. k

[Turbineguy]

3. "....rejuvenation of the storied CBS News brand...."

Yeah, how about that!

[Kingofalldems]

4. Kick and rec

[libodem]

5. There is a new trend

I've noticed around here, and that is the local Fox chanel has combined with chanel 6 and co-op'ed the local news. It's peculiar.

[Enthusiast]

7. They do the same thing in Columbus Ohio.

24/7—365 of propaganda.

[libodem]

9. I couldn't recall

Which national broadcast our six on your side was, but I looked and it's ABC. So they are in bed with each other. Faux is tainting all noozzze, these days.

[Enthusiast]

11. We have the same Six on Your Side bullshit.

They were pushing a story on "welfare fraud" the other day. There is a whole bunch of fraud out there that does the nation more damage than this piddling amount of welfare fraud. Of course they would never breathe a word about the billions lost to war profiteering that went on in Iraq.

[libodem]

15. Of courrrrse

Not a word about 'cost plus' war private profiteering.

[Pathwalker]

22. Same thing in Lansing, MI. The local NBC channel teams

with the local Faux channel, and ever since, their coverage has been unwatchable.

[malaise]

6. K & R

for truth

[lpbk2713]

8. I'm done with 60 Minutes.

After recording 60 Minutes for more years than I can count, I deleted them a few days ago. Learning to check your facts and your sources is covered in the first week of high school journalism class. At the very least they are guilty of laziness or outright stupidity. I find neither one entertaining, so I have no further use for 60 Minutes.

[StrictlyRockers]

10. 60 Minutes has been corporatist propaganda for a while.

Back in the 80's it used to be good.

[lpbk2713]

12. That's true

Until this latest episode I could more or less tolerate them out of curiosity and fast forward through the really lame shit. The Logan piece was the straw that broke the camel's back. I need 60 Minutes now a lot less than they need me. I'm glad Ed Bradley wasn't around to witness this.

[libodem]

13. About 10 years ago

I dated a Republican man. It wasn't an issue at first. I took a little good natured ribbing about being a 'liberal'. But what I learned from him about Republican style campaigning was in the way they did their press releases.

They would host a speech at some little venue, and then make a news blurb and send it to the paper or news station, as a complete piece. He bragged about how easy it was to push their point of view, without any push back, because it was so easy to use what was handed to them. He made a point that it was lazy.

He'd worked for that horrible Helen 'you get salmon from a can' Chenowith, a helped get her elected. Gack.

[ellenfl]

16. 60 minutes just ran out of time for me. eom

[Enthusiast]

14. 60 Minutes used to be objective cutting edge investigative journalism.

No longer.

We used to have objective journalism on NPR too. Gone.

The hosts on C-Span's Washington Journal do nothing but quote the heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal.

This does not bode well for the future of the nation. The media is now clear gone.

Don't let a day go by that you do not remind someone of the dire state of the nation's media.

This is a crisis.

[MinM]

17. CBS wanted "a piece of that right-wing narrative" on Benghazi

Media Matters ‏@mmfa: On MSNBC's All In, Eric Boehlert explains: CBS wanted "a piece of that right-wing narrative" on Benghazi. http://mm4a.org/16Olxjq

[MinM]

31. "60 Minutes" doesn't mind, fear or worry about "pissing off" liberals

Greg Mitchell ‏@GregMitch: Claim: "60 Minutes" doesn't mind, fear or worry about "pissing off" liberals, so don't expect major probe of scandal. http://bit.ly/HPbRfJ

Eric Gumpricht, PhD ‏@DrGumpSays: @GregMitch Substitute anything for "60 Minutes" and you have the politico-media landscape since 1993. #whitewater

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Faux has infested the hallowed halls of Cronkite?

They are through.

[nightscanner59]

19. I'm afraid we live in what will be reflected upon as a shameful period of history

I truly think the Murdoch's, the Koch's and ilk have nothing short of Joseph Goebbels and company at this point.
" If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself."

[Blue_Roses]

20. well this explains a lot

I recognized a shift to the right and wondered if it was just me.

Listening to Jan Crawford is like hearing fingernails grind down a chalkboard.

[ctsnowman]

21. Double rec

for calling the disability show out as well.

[MinM]

23. @FAIRmediawatch: CBS does PR for CIA

@FAIRmediawatch: CBS does PR for CIA

http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/10/29/cbs-does-cia-pr/

This Fox News connection explains a lot about the direction 60 Minutes and CBS News have been going lately.

[Rhiannon12866]

24. After the departure of Don Hewitt, "60 Minutes" hasn't been the same...

[MinM]

25. The continued Breitbartization of the 'News'

Last edited Mon Nov 11, 2013, 09:56 AM - Edit history (1)

Greg Mitchell is still on the case this morning...

@GregMitch: If you missed: CBS News chief was at Fox News for 12 yrs until 2008, and Lara Logan revealed her own bias last year. http://bit.ly/1ccajoP

[rgbecker]

26. When choosing 60 minutes to watch....

It's important to know this about the personnel putting the show together.

[loudsue]

27. There has to be some way that we can push back against the propaganda that is

passing for news in this country.

[marsis]

28. Dan Rather

got fired for running a true story about GWB. We all know he got fired in a high profile lynching.
Why hasn't this future Faux Newts girl been fired yet? Just askin....

[Berlum]

29. Wow. CBS, Inc. has gone completely right-wing Republicon has sold out America

They have totally shit the cred bed with this evil propaganda push.

[Blue Owl]

30. More of a "concoction" than a "connection" IMO

n/t

[WinkyDink]

32. Well, that about explains a helluva lot, does it not? FOX also "called" FL for Bush, too.