Eminent Domain Stuff
New London Update (2/24/06)
Bad NLDC!
Coverage of the Rally at New London's City Hall (w/ pics)
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Interestinger And Interestinger
This CBS story just won't quit. Here are two stories on Drudge that caught my eye.
The question I have is: How many more of these Mapes-style producers still exist at CBS and at the other objective news outlets? That's what bothers me. One could argue that this scandal will flush some out and scare others straight...but for how long? I suppose the most optimistic (and for once perhaps even the most likely) is that the New Media (read: bloggers) will provide the high-quality fact-checking necessary to keep the Old Media on the straight and narrow. Hey, a guy can hope.
A bit more on Ms. Mapes:
Here's the second story that got my attention:
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CBS Says Producer Violated Policy by Putting Source in Touch With Kerry AideNo way! Tell me more. I honestly don't care what they do with Ms. Mapes. It is so painfully obvious that she violated that old 'journalistic ethic' of pretending to be objective that I'm sure she'll be strung up for this one.
By JIM RUTENBERG and BILL CARTER
Published: September 22, 2004
CBS News said yesterday that the producer of its flawed report about President Bush's National Guard service violated network policy by putting a source in touch with a top aide to Senator John Kerry.
"It is obviously against CBS News standards and those of every other reputable news organization to be associated with any political agenda," the network said in a statement.
The question I have is: How many more of these Mapes-style producers still exist at CBS and at the other objective news outlets? That's what bothers me. One could argue that this scandal will flush some out and scare others straight...but for how long? I suppose the most optimistic (and for once perhaps even the most likely) is that the New Media (read: bloggers) will provide the high-quality fact-checking necessary to keep the Old Media on the straight and narrow. Hey, a guy can hope.
A bit more on Ms. Mapes:
Her reputation was burnished in the spring, after the Wednesday edition of "60 Minutes," then called "60 Minutes II," reported in detail the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, Iraq.Humm...hard to imagine, huh?
Now executives at the news division say that high regard may have poked a fatal hole in its checking procedures, perhaps making some news executives less vigilant in asking hard questions about how the producer obtained documents.
Here's the second story that got my attention:
Well, this may or may not be true. I have no doubt that a major news organization should promise all of these things...and heck, maybe they should even follow through just for fun. The problem I'm having is deciding whom is more likely lying, CBS or Bill Burkett. It's a tossup as far as I'm concerned.
CBS DOC SOURCE SET TO SUE NETWORK FOR LIBEL
Wed Sep 22 2004 00:05:20 ET
Bill Burkett, the man identified yesterday by CBS as the source of the controversial documents used in its September 8 “60 Minutes II” report questioning President Bush’s Air National Guard service, plans to sue the network, the NY SUN reports.
Burkett has had “several meetings with lawyers to determine the best course of action.” The planned lawsuit would center on “defamation of character and libel.”
Mr. Burkett “told me everything about the process” of his dealings with CBS and how he came into possession of the documents at the heart of the controversy, a lawyer close to Burkett said.
The lawyer said the CBS News producer, Mary Mapes, promised to protect Mr. Burkett with complete anonymity and CBS was to “expend both time and money authenticating” the memos.
“Bill Burkett went with CBS News on this over ABC News, the New York Times, and the Washington Post because they promised to work the hardest to protect him and authenticate the documents. ,” Mr.Van Os told the Sun. “Bill leveled with [CBS] about his doubts over the papers, and they promised him they would take their time. They spent all of three days, maybe less, on authentication.”
Developing...
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