Why would news outlets go to so much trouble to debunk memos so fast

[mbali]

Within one day, they had hired experts and were running stories, not about what the memos said, but whether the "th" was proof of a forgery, yet they wncritically presented Swift Boat lies for WEEKS before showing any skepticism.

I think they're just trying to cover their own butts. They know they gave Bush a free ride in 2000 and now must continue to make the story seem like it's no big deal. Otherwise, it will be obvious that they didn't do their jobs.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. you ned a tin foil

they want bush to win, ain't it obvious, they benefit.... follow the money

[movonne]

2. I don't think they give a rats ass. They are doing just as much(media)

as this administration to ruin this country and they know they are doing it. I would think that this country should mean more to them than their crappy jobs, but I guess not. They are traitors to this country and its people.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

3. Corporate owned media, newspeople with Multi Million Dollar saleries...

to protect, and intimidation from the right wing for the last 40 years ought to do it.

We on the left must do the same now.

[74dodgedart]

4. That's what amazing to me.

In less than 24 hours, everyone was attacking the memos.

I think part of it is that the Repubs just have a better network for this sort of thing. Something gets posted on Drudge and it is immediately echoed by Rush, Hannity, Fox, Free Republic, etc..

It's really incredible.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. Consider that they are competing media rivals

against CBS. Whereas the swift boat thing was a paying customer.

[coalition_unwilling]

6. The power elite is fracturing

The original poster says "They", as if the corporate media are a monolith. But consider that CBS issued a very forceful support of the authenticity of its materials.

The media thrives on 'access to power' and they're trying to make sure they preserve their access, no matter who wins.

My own feeling is that divisions in the corporate-owned media reflect deeper fractioning among the power elite, as it tries to decide who will be a better care-taker of post-industrial global capitalism.

[Lefty48197]

7. The news media are trying so hard to be "fair and balanced"

that they will give a forum to every single right wing paranoid conspiracy theory. Even if the theory is completly baseless, then they'll run it anyways, in order to be fair.