January 17, 2005


Hello and welcome to the Cowardly Broadcasting System ...

IF YOU thought that the BBC had in any way been spineless in the way that senior executives succumbed to government pressure after the Gilligan 'affair, the death of Dr David Kelly and the Hutton 'fiasco', think again.

An award for cow-towing cowards of the century (so far) must go to CBS News.

Five months after the New York-based broadcaster broke a 'controversial' story about President George W Bush's military service, an internal inquiry has reported - saying four producers were 'myopic'.

After an ignomious apology in September 2004, CBS's previously venerated veteran anchor Dan Rather looked as if he was bringing his illustrious career to an end ignominously, by not standing up the the White House

What's the point, Mr Editor, of having second sources if you conveniently decide to ditch the second if its uncomfortable to either your corporate owners or their political friends.

CBS appears to have taken refuge behind a 234-page report of an investigation into its handling of the story

The similarities between the original CBS predicament and the BBC's are great. Indeed, both the US and UK governments have now admitted that the core of the story that David Kelly game Andrew Gilligan - that there were no weapons of mass destruction - has now confirmed.

The BBC had to cope with Lord Hutton. CBS had to deal with a firm of New York lawyers.

The BBC lost a chairman and a director general. Anchor Dan Rather apologized and stayed. Four 'middle-ranking' producers were squeezed out.

Gilligan could not reveal the identity of his source. That someone as experienced as Dr Kelly was worried was a story in itself. It could - by its very nature - not be corroborated by anyone else without, probably, that anonymity being compromised.

CBS had an authoritative second source that confirmed the core of their story - on camera - that President Bush's National Guard service record raised questions.

That CBS did not stand by its second source, both as a source per se and to protect the integrity of the individual, is nothing but cowardice: shame on you, Dan Rather.