January 11, 2005

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > News Analysis: CBS Struggles in Wake of Discredited Report

This sums it up. Jones is the director of the Shorenstein Center on Press and Politics at Harvard University. Of course politics played a part in this. Anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken and naive.

"Ms. Mapes, who lives in Texas, was also known inside CBS for her long-time aggressive coverage of President Bush, going back to his days as governor. Though Mr. Moonves and other CBS executives yesterday pointed to the panel's exoneration of the network on charges of political bias against the president, not everyone agreed that it played no role at all.

"It sounds like you had a star reporter here who fell in love with a story," Mr. Jones said. "Her previous work had given her a reputation sufficient to bowl over everyone else. It seems like it was a combination of competitive pressure, hubris and a little politics. I think it's foolish to separate this entirely from politics, no matter what the report says. All in all that's a witches' brew."

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