CBS continues to dig hole:
Statement by the President of CBS News, Andrew Heyward:
"We established to our satisfaction that the memos were accurate or we would not have put them on television. There was a great deal of coroborating [sic] evidence from people in a position to know. Having said that, given all the questions about them, we believe we should redouble our efforts to answer those questions, so that's what we are doing."
Killian's fromer secretary will appear with Rather tonight to confirm that the documents are forgeries. No. Wait. That's not right.
CBS has lost it...big time. what are they thinking?
Even if one believed that Killian grumbled to his secretary about the young Bush receiving special treament in the Guard, that is not news, nor a viable charge to lay on an incumbant seven weeks before an election, it is gossip.
CBS is pulling a classic bait & switch.
CBS's most serious charge, that Bush ignored a direct order to take his flight physical, was based on a forged document. That is a serious charge and if it can't be documented it is slanderous in the least. CBS needs to address their mistake on air or provide real documentation. Heresay of partisans is not good enough.
Rather brazenly demands Bush answer the charges contained in forged documents. What is he smoking and where can I get a bag?
The MSM realizes what is at stake even if CBS is too blinded by Rather's obsession, the competition will not back off any more than they backed off the Jayson Blair story.
On Fox, even Kerry cheerleader Juan Williams scoffed at the idea that the secretary confirms the story and justifies going to air.
I predict that after tonight's 60 Minutes II attempt to shore up the story, and a wholesale rejection and piling on from the MSM, Viacom will force an embarrassing capitulation and Rather will never recover his reputation.
Jeff Quinton is blogging the events as they unravel. Nick Queen thinks through the statement.
Posted by feste at September 15, 2004 04:38 PM | TrackBackHere are the sponsors for 09.14.2004 - Please contact them relentlessly:
------------------------------------------------
Pillsbury Products, General Mills
Stephen W. Sanger
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Toll-free Phone 1-800-248-7310
Phone: (763) 764-7600
Media Line 763-764-6364
---------------------------------
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP (U.S. Headquarters)
P.O. Box 15437
DE 19850-5437
Wilmington,
Tel:+1 302 886 3000
Fax:+1 302 886 2972
USA Media Contact: Rachel Bloom-Baglin +1 (302) 886 7858
---------------------------------
Lifesavers, Nabisco/Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Corporate
Nancy Daigler, Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Kraft Foods North America
847-646-4106
Donna Sitkiewicz, Director, Corporate Affairs
Kraft Foods North America
847-646-5770
North America
Kraft North America Commercial
Kathy Knuth
Senior Director, Corporate Affairs
847-646-2666
United States
For information on operations and manufacturing facilities, please contact one of the following:
Cathy Pernu, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
847-646-3946
Jill Saletta, Senior Manager, Corporate Affairs
847-646-5808
----------------------------------
Capital One
U.S. general correspondence:
Capital One
Attn: Customer Relations
PO Box 85015
Richmond, VA 23285-5015
Phone: 1-800-955-7070
1-804-747-7200
----------------------------------
Windex
SC Johnson
1525 Howe Street
Racine, Wisconsin 53403-5011
USA
Telephone
1.800.494.4855
----------------------------------
Zocor - Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc.
One Merck Drive
P.O. Box 100
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100 USA
Phone: 908-423-1000
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM ET
Anita Larsen:
(908) 423-6022, Media inquiries
Tony Plohoros:
(908) 423-3644, Media inquiries
Christopher Loder:
(908) 423-3786, Media inquiries
----------------------------------
Shuteye.com
Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc.
90 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212.551.4000
For information on
Sanofi-Synthelabo's U.S.
Press Relations, contact:
Corporate Communications
at 212.551.4325.
Investor Relations
at 888.516.3002.
----------------------------------
B. R. K. Brands, Inc. First Alert
Address : 3901, Liberty Street Road, Aurora- 60504, United States of America
Phone: +(1)-(630)-4993362 Fax: +(1)-(630)-8517538
----------------------------------
Novartis
US Media Contacts
Novartis US
Media Relations
Novartis Corporation
608 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10020
Journalists Only:
Tel: +1 212 830 2457
Fax: +1 212 246 0185
Sheldon Jones
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Novartis Corporation-US
For general media inquiries, contact Bob Laverty, Vice President of Communications, 862-778-3564.
All Other Inquiries:
Tel: +1 888 669 6682
Posted by: aeroblog at September 15, 2004 05:08 PM