The fall out of "Rathergate."
>>> If affiliates get mad enough about "Rathergate,'' heads could roll.
"I'm sure it will be discussed at the affiliates board meeting'' on Oct. 5, Sehring said. "If it's like the Janet Jackson episode, we will let them know that they have put us in a very difficult position.''
Rather has long been a flaky national poster boy for media bias - despite stiff competition. He personally attacked Vice President George H. Bush in a 1988 interview, kissed up to Saddam Hussein, made excuses for President Clinton's lies, and "broke'' the lunatic 1992 election-eve story that President Bush disrupted the wedding of Ross Perot's daughter.
Now the 60 Minutes stopwatch is ticking on Rather. "He's had a long career and done a lot of good things, but I feel our viewers aren't satisfied yet,'' Sehring said. "I don't want to see his head on a platter, but CBS needs to do more than say, 'We were misled.' ''
Good point. "We were misled'' is nearly as misleading as the questionable memos. CBS and Rather ignored stoplights flashed by their own "experts,'' left out denials by the family of the alleged writer of the memo and relied on an avowed supporter of John Kerry, Bill Burkett, who had been peddling the story for years.
"This one didn't pass all the filters,'' Sehring said. "I can't imagine on a local level that it would even get this far. We stay non-partisan and check our stuff.'' <<<
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