CBS News Would Rather Not

Does anybody know anything about sexism in the workplace?

I confess that I am not a fan of Dan Rather, and I have not been eager to watch CBS-TV news for a very long time, but I know sexism when I smell it. It is still a man's world whether we women like it or not. Oh. I am starting to speak about the newly unfolding CBS News Report about that matter concerning the military stint of now President George W. Bush (No. 43).

During the 2004 Presidential campaign, CBS News was acting like a cat that swallowed the canary. They acted like they had the bull by the tail. As it turned out, all they had was bull.

Once reputable newscasters made the decision to be sneaky magazine cats. They decided to cast journalistic ethics and formats to the wind. After all, it was rare that any credible person was outspoken against the news media. Whatever their editorial board decided would be news was it! For a long time, we heard daily and nightly broadcasts about which neighborhood had the most black people killing one another. That type of reporting went on for so long that black-on-black crime became a brand new genre. And now we hardly hear anything about what is going on in the hood, whether it is good or bad.

I am sure today's news was met in some circles with much glee. CBS News let go three (3) staff members, and Dan Rather's producer, Mary Mapes, who was fired. She was accused of stirring up the mess that flooded the airwaves accusing President Bush ("W") of shirking his national guard service during the Viet Nam era. The news department made the decision to place that uncorroborated and defamatory story in Dan Rather's hands and let him run with it all the way to the mike. And he relished every letter he connected to make a sentence.

Somebody tell me something. Isn't Rather head of the news department who calls the shots?! Didn't Rather know he had a hand at CBS during the past five years (5) (at least) of going after anything and everything that would thwart the reelection of President Bush? Mapes was not the person in charge. I believe she was following direct orders from Rather. And I believe the current report that says she contends she was railroaded. But I do not condone what she did. However, I do believe Rather should have stepped up like a man and taken his share of the blame and then totally bowed out of his office instead of being eased out by March 2005. What a sad day for journalism.

Until and unless CBS executives take sterner action against Rather, to terminate him now and not wait, they will not be able to regain their journalistic credibility.

My questions are, How much did Senator John F. Kerry, former presidential candidate, know about the preparation of that CBS news report by Rather and when did Kerry and his campaign staff know about it within context of the time that story was reported on national tv?

How surprised was Kerry and his campaign staff once that story was found to have been bogus and defamatory against President Bush?

Are any of those players really sorry or are they just sorry they got caught with their paper hanging on the wrong side of the typewriter, thanks to "Little Green Footballs" and those other bloggers who would not let up until the truth of the matter was revealed? Kudos to them.