Latest ‘60 Minutes’ Apology Not Enough—Leading Critics Demand Full Probe

[Hissyspit]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/177107/latest-60-minutes-apology-not-enough-leading-critics-demand-full-probe

Latest ‘60 Minutes’ Apology Not Enough—Leading Critics Demand Full Probe

Greg Mitchell on November 11, 2013 - 10:29 AM ET

After last night’s ninety-second “apology” by Lara Logan on 60 Minutes—the show spent more time on photos of the Beatles with their wives in 1964—it’s certain that CBS wants to turn the page. An insider even confirmed this was the case, according to The New York Times: No internal or independent probe, no disciplining of reporter or producer.

Clearly CBS is terrified of where a probe might lead—for example, revealing why they did this story in the first place and didn’t vet their source. (See my piece on The Nation.com yesterday on the CBS News chief’s background as a honcho at Fox News throughout the Bush years—and Lara Logan revealing her own bias last year. And then there’s the Mary Matalin book connection.)

Only a strong push from other journalists will force CBS to launch such an investigation. I’ll log below what key journalists are saying. Many are making strong statements, although some are still giving CBS points for making any sort of limited apology—as if it could not do that after their source was thoroughly discredited. Others are presuming—with no evidence that I’ve seen—that CBS will make a much longer statement later.

Mike Calderone, who has been on this since beginning, offers a list of unanswered questions at the Huffington Post. For starters:

“Sunday’s brief acknowledgment didn’t resemble a news program seriously trying to get to the bottom of how it got duped. Logan didn’t address during the show how Davies came to be a source for ‘60 Minutes,’ the vetting process of his account, whether the FBI was contacted during the original reporting or after doubts were raised, and the connection between the television booking on Oct. 27 and publication by a CBS subsidiary on Oct. 29.”

Brian Stelter of The New York Times on TV today raises the question I have asked: Did Lara Logan come in with “an agenda”? And why did it take so long to react and will they probe? This may be “in some ways worse” than the Dan Rather affair, but those charging “liberal bias” are louder than critics on the left.

Jay Rosen at his blog:

“Attention now turns to Jeff Fager, as the person at CBS (executive producer of ‘60 Minutes’) who approved the final cut of a deeply flawed report starring a source CBS knew to have lied to his employer, and the executive at CBS, boss of the news division, who decided that it was time to move on from that mistake. Can that conflict of interest stand? So far it looks like it will.”

Frank Rich: “Failure of @CBSNews to report how Lara Logan was duped for ‘a year’ (her claim) by a Benghazi hoax guarantees others will do it for them.”

MANY MORE AT LINK

[tridim]

1. Coincidentally, "Quiz Show" was on AMC tonight. nt

[WinkyDink]

7. Where? I don't have it on my AMC.

[Corruption Inc]

2. CBS, as with the rest of our corporate media, is free to lie at will

No consequences. The only effect any of their lies has on anyone is the listeners fault for being stupid enough to listen to and then believe the corporate media to begin with.

It's great that people point out the media's lies but it's been that way for decades now and people who want to know the truth already know it.

[spanone]

3. i agree, republicans used the deceptive report to attack the President & Ms Clinton

incessantly

[MissDeeds]

4. How quickly CBS threw Dan Rather under the bus

I haven't watched CBS "News" since. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[bullimiami]

6. Once upon a time I believe 60 minutes did real news. I also have not watched CBS news since Rather.

[Hekate]

8. You and me both

[MannyGoldstein]

19. Because they knew there'd be consequences

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024013677

[MissDeeds]

22. Yep

I steadfastly believe Rather had it right about Bush, but the documents were questionable. Since his ouster, CBS seems to have taken a a sharp right turn. It makes me sick.

[KoKo]

5. 60 Minutes nees to be held ACCOUNTABLE! The minor apology last night

was not enough. That they thought they could get away with that weak "non-apology" after what happened to Dan Rather means they think they are ABOVE Accountability these days.

Time for them to learn a lesson...and BOYCOTT "60 Minutes" if they don't.

[navarth]

9. Dan Rather = 500 Lara Logans. Firing her isn't enough IMO

And whatever clowns they have producing LL don't amount to 1/100th of Mary Mapes.

[paulkienitz]

14. they should fire her and repossess her implants

[navarth]

21. ha! nt

[Berlum]

10. Probe the corporate propagandists (R)

[ljm2002]

11. That so-called apology was misleading in itself...

..."An incident report surfaced but he denied he had anything to do with it" ... yet she has said he told her upfront he lied to his commanding officer in the incident report ... and after 1 year, "an incident report surfaced"????? 60 Minutes is supposed to be an investigative reporting program but they never got their hands on the incident report from the guy who was sourcing their supposed blockbuster story? Yeah, sure.

Then the FBI report is brought to their attention... again, after they spent 1 year on this story, it is left to others to find the FBI report, wherein their source's story AGAIN (like the incident report to his CO) does not agree with the story he is spinning to CBS? Uh huh...

Finally, the actual apology was worded thusly: "It was a mistake to include him in our report. For that, we are very sorry."

That's what they're apologizing for: including him in their report. But he wasn't "included" in the report; his story WAS the report.

Shame on them. It's sad to see a once-respected show circle the drain, but that apology was exactly that. Mealy-mouthed, weasel-worded, pathetic and essentially false.

[arthritisR_US]

12. Thank you! These are the very thoughts that came

to mind for me which I hadn't seen others addressing. To me, these are at the heart of her insincere apology.

[bvar22]

13. Jon Stewart destroyed 60 minutes and Laura Logan in last nights show.

The full episode is here,
but it begins with the segment of 60 minutes.
The individual segments will be available later tonight.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/#tool_tip_0

When the best journalism and commentary in the USA is hosted by the Comedy Channel,
then you KNOW we are in deep trouble.

[HoosierCowboy]

15. For those of you that might have thought

...for a minute that the MSM News wasn't totally bogus.
Today isn't your day.
Right now the MSM is bombarding the general population with more BS about how we all have to take medication for cholesterol and you wonder who's paying them off.

[REP]

16. Morgan Jones, Dylan Davies ... What next, Welshy ap Welsh-Welsh?

I literally laughed out loud at both names. Taffy ap Daffodil?

[chervilant]

17. "Nothing to see here, folks; move along."

That's the attitude I think we're seeing from CBS. Ironic, given the "Look what WE uncovered!" eagerness of the initial report.

[MannyGoldstein]

18. @#$% off.

Unless we do something that pisses off the right, there will be no consequences for us.

We could report that the White House holds weekly satanic rites and it would be fine.

Regards,

CBS

[Tanuki]

20. It also makes me wonder how much of what Logan has "reported" in the past is b.s.

driven by her own agenda, or that of her handlers. I hope the investigation of her will be thorough.

[blkmusclmachine]

23. 60 Minutes has lost a lot of credibility.