How CBS' Big Story Fell Apart

[papau]

The "Big Story" that feel apart is defined in the LATimes as "a terribly flawed report that said President Bush shirked his military duty, a story that would backfire" - although LAT does note that "The roar of condemnation aroused by CBS' use of unverified documents drowned out other news accounts that exposed Bush's spotty service as a young pilot."

http://email.latimes.com/cgi-bin1/DM/y/elfr0H5DEY0G2B0GOOn0EW
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cbs16jan16.story
How CBS' Big Story Fell Apart
By James Rainey and Scott Gold
Times Staff Writers

January 16, 2005

Dan Rather was on the run, chasing big stories from New York to Florida to Texas and back to CBS headquarters in Manhattan. In less than a week: The Republican National Convention. A deadly hurricane. An interview for a blockbuster CBS investigation. Former President Clinton's open-heart surgery.<snip>

But Rather relied on the research of that producer, Mary Mapes, as both put their trust in Burkett. That fateful convergence helped produce a terribly flawed report that said President Bush shirked his military duty, a story that would backfire and cost Mapes and three others at CBS their jobs, while tarnishing Rather's storied career.<snip>

In their limited public comments, Rather and Mapes have said they continue to believe the content of the memos was real. They have been less clear about whether they think the documents themselves are authentic.

The producer issued a statement last week charging that the panel had not considered how the memos "meshed" perfectly with Bush's known service record. She said her superiors alone chose to air the segment without further research.<snip>