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09/10/2004: "CBS’s Disgraceful Behavior Tops CNN’s this week, Film at Eleven."

TV Journalism is rapidly flushing any remaining credibility down the toilet this week with two networks proclaiming to be political stooges for the Kerry campaign.

MSNBC told Maria Shriver that she would no longer be able to cover political stories for them when her husband ran for Governor. To maintain any sense of journalistic integrity, they all understood that even a perceived conflict of interest could destroy their credibility. They did the right thing.

So how is it that Paul Begala and James Carville are able to simultaneously keep their show Crossfire on CNN while advising the Kerry Campaign? Must be that CNN knows they have no credibility to put at risk. Judging from their ratings, it’s a consensus we all have reached.

Not to be outdone by CNN, the veterans at CBS’ 60 Minutes are vying for the new Emmy category of “Most Blatantly Biased “News” Team” by accepting documents from the Kerry campaign that are forgeries and purporting them as new smoking gun evidence in an assault on President Bush’s character. I have a few questions for CBS.

First, who were the “experts” who examined and authenticated these documents? I ask this as a public servant so we all know whom not to call if we ever need a document authenticated. Second, did it ever dawn on you that when the Kerry campaign turned over this smoking gun to you that perhaps the death knell heard throughout the country on his campaign might have driven them to deception? After all, James Carville is now advising them. Thirdly, can you define the phrase “investigative reporting” and any minimum standards that may apply to it?

The New York Times and other Kerry propaganda machines jumped right on this story with the zeal only attributable to a philosophy of “If it is potentially hurtful to President Bush then it must be true!” It took a couple of great bloggers over at powerlineblog.com to take a close look at the documents and question their authenticity to start the avalanche.

Bloggers delivered another blow a couple of weeks ago to the “mainstream media” with the Swifties story they covered tirelessly and the MSM tried its best to bury. Forced to finally go to print with the story and attempt to minimize the damage caused by it, the MSM and the Kerry campaign failed to recognize the power of freedom of information that the Internet provides. Having had control of the information flow for so many years, it must come as a bitter pill to swallow. Turn about is fair play; their reporting has made me gag for quite sometime.

I will tune into CBS to watch Dan Rather grovel and make his apology to the President for his unprofessional and substandard work. Oh and Senator Harkin, what station should I watch for yours? Could be their best ratings in a long time.