Update (12:18 p.m.):
Matt Drudge EXCLUSIVE // Mon Sep 20 2004 11:58:02 ETSTATEMENT FROM DAN RATHER:
Last week, amid increasing questions about the authenticity of documents used in support of a 60 MINUTES WEDNESDAY story about President Bush’s time in the Texas Air National Guard, CBS News vowed to re-examine the documents in question — and their source — vigorously. And we promised that we would let the American public know what this examination turned up, whatever the outcome.
Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically. I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers. That, combined with some of the questions that have been raised in public and in the press, leads me to a point where — if I knew then what I know now — I would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.
But we did use the documents. We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism.
Please know that nothing is more important to us than people’s trust in our ability and our commitment to report fairly and truthfully.
Rush Limbaugh pointed out that if CBS were really an innocent party in this mess, Dan Rather should be expressing anger about being duped, a missing element in this statement.
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According to the New York Times (registration req.), CBS finally admits it was “misled.” How gracious of CBS.
After days of expressing confidence about the documents used in a “60 Minutes” report that raised new questions about President Bush’s National Guard service, CBS News officials have grave doubts about the authenticity of the material, network officials said last night.The officials, who asked not to be identified, said CBS News would most likely make an announcement as early as today that it had been deceived about the documents’ origins. CBS News has already begun intensive reporting on where they came from, and people at the network said it was now possible that officials would open an internal inquiry into how it moved forward with the report. Officials say they are now beginning to believe the report was too flawed to have gone on the air.
But they cautioned that CBS News could still pull back from an announcement. Officials met last night with Dan Rather, the anchor who presented the report, to go over the information it had collected about the documents one last time before making a final decision. Mr. Rather was not available for comment late last night.
No one but a liberal would believe that Dan Rather didn’t at least suspect the memos were fakes. Frankly, I don’t buy it, but whatever. They had no choice but to concede something, so I guess this is the concession.
Journalism is dead. Long live journalism!
Update: See Power Line and Michelle Malkin.
The American Mind: USAToday remains unaccountable. Read Scrappleface’s post about Rather’s “resignation.”
More web info at Blogs for Bush.
Power Line links to Kurtz, who recaps the role of bloggers.
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I remember Bill Clinton “regretted” “misleading” people when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”.
If CBS is truly sorry, they will gladly reveal their “confidential” source so they can face their just dues in federal court.
I thought I saw on CNN this afternoon that Bill Burkett admitted to making the fake memos… I’ll have to find an article on that, since the sound was off and the screen none-too close to our table.
Still, IMO, Rather and co aren’t sad they were wrong, just that they were caught.
Lame, lame, lame. CBS is still trying to save face, but it’s too little, too late. Burkett has been named as the source who provided the docs, but deliberately lied to protect his “confidential source”. How convenient that CBS is now off the hook — they can claim they have no idea where Burkett got the memos.
Considering the Washington Post’s huge spread this weekend, I have a feeling that Dan Rather’s “buddies” in big media aren’t going to let this drop with “oops” and “fake but accurate”.
ABC and the Post seem eager for blood.
“I remember Bill Clinton “regretted” “misleading” people when he said “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
We’re not getting into stuff like that on my blog, actus. – Admin
I think I’d like to see 60 minutes now do a full report on President Bush’s National Guard service – not just the end of it, when he was ready to move on to other things and they were downsizing anyway, but the first four years, is that right? when he got those great evaluations and logged more flight hours than he had to. A nice, positive report to try to balance the damage they tried to do, just to show CBS’s impartial, nonpartisan spirit.
I also think that if La Shawn’s blog and the way she runs it bothered me as much as it appears to bother some other folks, I wouldn’t visit it anymore.
Attention all Bloggers! Battle Stations! Shields up!
CBS has just released a Rather lame excuse (the LAME_EXCUSE Virus)in the biosphere and Cyberspace!
Impact – UNKNOWN!
Moving the BS meter to DEFCON 4.
Be ON GUARD!
Rather: “It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism.”
Should have read: “It was an error that was made, however, in
good faith no one would be inspecting these documents as closely as they deserved, and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of unconscious liberal investigative reporting without fear we could ever be wrong, or favoritism we could ever recognize.”
But the experts did inspect the documents and said they questioned their authenticity. CBS
Hmmmmm . . . as I was saying, CBS and Rather CHOSE to ignore the experts raising the red flags and went with the story anyway!
I believe that this is what RMN called a “Limited modified hangout”. There is a certain irony with CBS and Rather going the same route.
“We’re not getting into stuff like that on my blog, actus. – Admin ”
Which is why the original comment stays. And my Keyes fanhood is shot down.
“Rush Limbaugh pointed out that if CBS were really an innocent party in this mess, Dan Rather should be expressing anger about being duped, a missing element in this statement.”
I think that Dan & Co. are saving their anger for the bloggers in “pajamas” who exposed them.
I’m intrigued by the Clintonista-esque apologies — IOW they’re sorry they got caught peddling snake-oil. A quick look at my trusty M$98 Bookshelf regarding the semantics is revealing;
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noun
1. A sense of loss and longing for someone or something gone. [Dabnab it! Operation Fortunate Son could have been a slamdunk, but Rove blocked our drive]
2. A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different. [A pox on those non-profssional pajama-pundits upsurping our journalistic pedigree]
3. regrets. A courteous expression of regret, especially at having to decline an invitation [Black Eye of Sauron to Joe Public: We'd very much like to get to the bottom of this, but we're still waiting for Bush to answer the questions]
[Middle English regretten, to lament, from Old French regreter : re-, re- + -greter, to weep (perhaps of Germanic origin).]
- regret´ter noun
Synonyms: regret, sorrow, grief, anguish, woe, heartache, heartbreak. All of these nouns denote mental distress.
**Regret has the broadest range, from mere disappointment to a painful sense of loss, dissatisfaction, self-reproach, or longing, as over something lost, gone, done, or left undone: He had hoped that our policy of not dealing with terrorists would be an example to other countries but soon realized, to his regret, that we didn’t practice what we preached.
**Anguish implies agonizing, excruciating mental pain: “I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement” (Abraham Lincoln).
**Heartbreak is overwhelming grief: “Better a little chiding than a great deal of heartbreak” (Shakespeare).
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Waiting…waiting…still waiting for Rather to apologize.
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