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More Bad News for CBS, Mapes

Update: CBS' Report has been released and Mapes was fired. Rather and Mapes stand behind the accuracy of their story [more].

After the CBS scandal I'm learning not to trust the MSM or at least start entries with disclaimers. The New York Post has confidential sources from within CBS who are unnamed. This is what they've said about Mapes:

According to sources, Mapes told "60 Minutes" bosses that the questionable memos at the heart of the controversy were authenticated by four document experts.

In fact, only two experts authenticated them — and could not vouch for the documents themselves, only the signature, the sources said.

Mapes is said also to have told her bosses that her source for the memos — Bill Burkett, the former guardsman — wanted to be put in touch with high-level officials at the Kerry campaign, apparently as payback for providing the documents to CBS.

She was denied permission — but went ahead and did it on her own, the insiders contend.

It looks like CBS is poised to place the blame on Mapes and Burkett - I guess this is obvious. Meanwhile, as Mapes has become impugned the actions of the Kerry campaign will become more and more suspect and open to Republican attack. The question remains, did the DNC have the documents before CBS and what was the involvement of DNC operatives in the forgery?

Update: INDC has more on Mapes' prior blunders and Beldarblog discusses her violation of CBS policy...

Another question that is implied in Powerline is how deep (or high) the probe will go. In a New York Times article CBS President, Heyward, is clearly linked to and dirtied by the scandal:

In an interview on Monday, Mr. Rather said that on learning that Ms. Mapes had obtained the documents, he called Mr. Heyward.

"This is not verbatim," Mr. Rather recalled. "But I said: 'Andrew, if true, it's breakthrough stuff. But I need to do something unusual. It may even be
unique. I have to ask you to oversee, in a hands-on way, the handling of this story, because this is potentially the kind of thing that will cause great controversy.'

"He got it. He immediately agreed.''

Update:

Newsweek reporter Howard Fineman told MSNBC host Don
Imus Wednesday that he felt the CBS producer "Mary Mapes became
obsessed with this story. In 1999, she began looking for evidence
that then-Governor Bush had not shown up for and been derelict in
his duty in the National Guard. She probably didn't like him
politically, judging from everything I've read about her, and was
gonna save the world from a George Bush presidency." He added that
"if Roger Ailes and Fox had done something like this, you know,
the world would be on fire."

Posted by tim at September 23, 2004 12:47 AM

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