This is not going to end well for CBS

[babylonsister]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200907230014


This is not going to end well for CBS

July 23, 2009 11:28 am ET by Eric Boehlert


Just a note about Dan Rather's lawsuit over his firing from CBS in connection with the so-called Memogate story and how it continues to haunt the network. As the New York Times reported, Rather and his lawyers just won a key victory and were given permission to look at thousands of internal CBS documents.

My guess is that that will translate into more embarrassments for CBS. Because you'll recall that late last year we learned, via Rather's lawsuit, that internal memos indicated that CBS when first facing the right-wing firestorm over its 60 Minutes report about Bush's National Guard years, considered appointing Matt Drudge to sit on an "independent" fact-finding board to investigate the scandal.(A board which Bush refused to answers questions about his Guard service from.)

In fact, we learned that CBS was in full panic mode and was willing to take whatever step necessary to placate the right-wing fanatics frothing about Memogate. The picture painted by the CBS memos and documents already reviewed by Rather suggest a craven news organization that was less interested in uncovering the truth about the disputed memos, and more interested in appeasing Rush Limbaugh. It wanted to "mollify the right," as one internal CBS memo put it.

As I said, my guess is that with Rather and his lawyers about to dive into a new batch of documents, that portrait will only become more vivid.

And here's the kicker for the former Tiffany Network: Rather has vowed to never settle the case out of court.

[KaryninMiami]

1. Good. CBS deserves whatever happens with this.

What they did to Dan Rather and his producer was horrendous.

[glinda]

2. Clean house. It would be good for the Company.

[wryter2000]

3. Go, Dan Rather n/t

n/t

[monmouth]

4. And I want Pacino to star in this film....n/t

[rvablue]

9. Can Pacino do a Texas accent?

:)

[monmouth]

10. Absolutely. He hung out with Puerto Rican guys in NY to get the

accent down for Scarface. Texas...no prob. Al can do it all.

[Gregorian]

15. Absolutely. I think it's the movie ...And Justice for All

George Bush. What a disaster. I want to see CBS admit that George was AWOL. And then... only dreaming.

[monmouth]

34. Al's Texas accent was used in "Scent of a Woman"....At least I'm

thinking it was close enough....LOL.

[DKRC]

18. Tommy Lee Jones for Rather

Al Pacino for the producer maybe.

[lildreamer316]

19. GREAT call.

Just a little extra weight and he'd be perfect (weight in the face, I mean).
OO, now I'm all excited about a movie idea that doesn't really exist yet.

[DKRC]

21. Thanks!

I'm always casting roles in my head when reading & this was just too good to pass up.

[monmouth]

27. Yes, I like that too. Maybe Al at directing. n/t

[truedelphi]

5. It certainly does not help CBS any that Mapes and Rather went on

To garner the Peabody award in Spring 2005, immediately after they were shit canned/forced into early retirement from the network.

Award went to them for their work on Abu Gharib.

[redqueen]

6. I don't get it... are we not as good at "frothing" or doing "firestorms"?

How is it that the M$M is always so very, very concerned about mollifying the right... but practically ignores liberals (unless it serves their purpose - such as smearing/trash-talking Obama)?

[FatDave]

14. I think I've got this one.

I put forth that it's at least partly because the right's decades-long screaming of "liberal media" has the media so scared of appearing biased that they will ignore the truth on occasions when the truth supports the arguments of anyone left of center.

I'm not sure if that was part of the original plan. I tend to think the plan was simply to discredit the media. I'm sure they're happy the media has become so complaint though.

[annabanana]

25. A) - we require facts to "froth" effectively and

B) - We don't usually support the status quo.

[elleng]

32. No money here.

.

[eShirl]

47. we have facts, not froth

pity it often seems facts are not enough

[NewJeffCT]

53. The RWers have a massive publicity machine in place

Just a few words from Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly and a few others and you get thousands of irate loonies shrieking at CBS (or whatever the target du jour is.) - calling them, faxing them, emailing them, etc.

On our side, it still takes time to gin up sufficient outrage to an offense, and our side often uses humor & sarcasm to deal with these offenses (See: The Daily Show, Colbert) - they don't ask people to start berating CBS and calling them out on the carpet.

[jemelanson]

7. however, it may be interesting to watch.

I hope that Dan Rather has the strength of character (which I think he has) to follow Thur with his vow to not settle out of court.

[northernlights]

16. it's probably about clearing his name and restoring

his reputation.

I'm sure he can afford the fight. Nothing left to lose...

[wiggs]

8. Maybe as a bonus it will become clear to everyone that Junior really was AWOL

and a loser and that CBS and the RW made a huge stink over the (unproven) forgery in order to bury the truth. An extra bonus would be finding out who was really behind the alleged forgery.

[Betty Karlson]

12. They spend eight years to hide the AWOL?

And then the fury of the right wings indirectly brings it out? Now THAT would be irony worthy of a Greek Play.

[monmouth]

28. I've always thought the "birther" nonsense was payback for Junior and

the AWOL charges...

[pleah]

11. K&R This is getting good.

Can't wait to see what pops up next!:popcorn:

[lunatica]

13. Action has to be accountable and have ramifications

The crap about people getting away with things just because Bush was President has got to stop. It's against Nature!, against reason, and against logic. Actions have consequences. IT's a law of physics dammit!

[formercia]

46. Junior was chosen by God

Rational thinking does not apply.

[Spazito]

17. This is certainly a case to follow with great interest!

It could well have all kinds of octopus tentacles growing from it, imo.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. You know, there was a time when chasing down stories like these was the

life's blood of the news. It's a bit hazy, but I am pretty sure I remember that sort of thing going on once upon a time.

[elleng]

33. Wasn't all that long ago.

Remember Watergate, and threat about 'Katie's ****?'

Since then, rw's 'mouth' has developed, along with other distribution vehicles, and meanness has become somehow legitimate public approach.

[sutz12]

41. Yep, and Dan was pretty good at it, too...

Probably why he got targeted, and why/how he got roped in.

I have my :tinfoilhat: on for this one. It definitely reeks of the "vast RW conspiracy."

[bvar22]

22. K&R

That whole episode STANK.
I hope Dan Rather can find some justice, and that our Media suffers more exposure.

[targetpractice]

23. I think the "birthers" are inspired by Memogate...

Remember when the right-wingers "debunked" the documents related to Bush's National Guard service?

They brought down Dan Rather, and now the same crowd thinks they can bring down President Obama.

I'm not sure that the authenticity of Bush documents were actually "debunked", but CBS caved to the right-wing uproar, anyways.

[Betty Karlson]

26. I am generally not a fan of abortion,

(Who is?), but can we please abort this "birther movement" before it hurts itself?

[dmr]

39. I think you're confused

Birthers - has nothing to do with abortion. Birthers are a lunatic right-wing fringe group who don't believe the president is a natural born citizen, thus he is an illegal alien.

What the previous poster was saying, and I agree is that perhaps the birthers are energized over how the right-wing sabotaged Dan Rather's reporting that when George Bush*, during the time of war, went AWOL while safely serving in the Texas National Guard.

Meaning if they could marginalized the worth GWB's spotty military records, they might be able to marginalize Obama's birth certificate.

It's a crazy world out there!

[sutz12]

42. Methinks you missed the point.....and the pun.

;)

[dmr]

44. Could be, but,

before I answered, I looked at the poster's profile, and since the poster is new to DU and from the Netherlands, it made me think the poster might be unaware of the birthers, and their wild-card quest for legitimacy.

:hi:

[Betty Karlson]

58. How thoughtfull of you

Thank you for accomodating me.

Even though I was aware that the birther movement was related to the provision that American presidents are supposed to be "natural born American citizens", I agree you can never be too carefull when right wing people and birth rights are involved - aspecially since they themselves are confused about what births actually count as American; or for that matter: which ones entail rights.

[dmr]

61. Shame on me for not saying "Welcome to DU"!

I realized it yesterday, and meant to come back, but I got busy with something else, and forgot.

Again, welcome to DU!
:) :hi:

[annabanana]

24. heh. . . grinding slow, but exceeding fine, I see. . . n/t

[MazeRat7]

29. Dans got my support, he got "screwn" in that deal and I hope he gets his day n/t

[Diane R]

36. Agreed. One day he'll be a Profile in Courage recipient.

[and-justice-for-all]

30. Fact finding and Matt Drudge??! LOL...OK. nt

[Hekate]

31. Go, Dan, go. nt

[ellie]

35. Awesome!

I hope Dan wins and wins big. Fuckers.

[mitchum]

37. CBS won't care; they knew this would happen when they agreed to carry...

water for Bushco.
They have been well compensated.

[Cha]

38. katie couric's first guest was the

small brained limpbaugh.

[dmr]

40. Which convinced me I would never watch CBS news again

I watched CBS faithfully every night since I was a kid- from Cronkite to Rather - and it ended that very first Katie Couric night with Limbaugh.

CBS drew the line that I would not cross.

[Kind of Blue]

49. Well said! I was a Cronkite to Rather kid, too

What CBS to Rather was it for me, too brutal.

[jotsy]

51. CBS cost the rest of us just as much

The state of news work in and of itself was perversely affected as a result of these darker days in media history. I believe this particular turn of events caused an industry-wide loss of stones, and thus reduced itself to becoming an echo chamber for the Bush crime family.

If CBS had chosen to stand, not so much by the story, but by the man who kept them a major player in the news business for so many years, our view of the media today might be a lot less skeptical.

A different outcome at that juncture might have saved this nation a lot of grief. If the gatekeepers had stood their ground and done their job, that sorry excuse for a presidential administration might have headed for the hills a lot sooner. Don't laugh, I can dream now can't I?

On the other hand, I can't say that this new, hi tech, digital media would have grown up as fast if its parental structure hadn't been such a public let down.

[TexasObserver]

43. Dan Rather is going to work CBS over for this.

Discovery rules!!

[SmileyRose]

45. Go git um Dan.

[Liberal In Texas]

48. I sure hope Dan has deep deep pockets. This probably already has cost a fortune. n/t

[JBoy]

50. Will be interesting to see if/how the other MSM outlets cover this story.

This will expose CBS's complete lack of journalistic integrity.

[Annces]

52. Hurray. I love it. n/t

[get the red out]

54. That's the story of the news media

appease the right.

[newtothegame]

55. "Haunt the network?" I get the impression these dousches don't give two shits. n/t

[David Zephyr]

56. Dan Rather will be vindicated. I admire him greatly.

Thanks for your thread.

[CoffeeCat]

57. George Clooney should play Dan Rather...

...in the blockbuster feature film that exposes CBS for the right-wing kow-towing institution that it is.

[MissDeeds]

59. Give them hell, Dan

Best part of the piece: "Rather has vowed to never settle the case out of court". He doesn't want the money so much as he wants the truth.

:thumbsup:

[Third Doctor]

60. The fact

that Rather was replaced with Couric is telling also. Has she really done any hard reporting or is it just what's popular with the guys upstairs? After watching her for a few nights I stopped, that was months ago.

[Triana]

62. Good news. I hope it ends badly for them and even more...

...that it sends a clear warning to the rest of the corprat-pwn3d lame$tream media that they can't get away with that shit anymore.

Let the documents fly . . .