Mary Mapes speaks: Burlington grad defends her work on CBS story
By LEVI PULKKINEN
skagitvalleyherald.com
Mapes ‘disappointed' in report that led to firing
Accusing CBS executives of "vitriolic scapegoating," fired producer Mary Mapes defended her work on a now-discredited story about President Bush's Na-tional Guard service for "60 Minutes Wed-nesday."
Mapes, a Skagit Valley native and Burlington-Edison High School graduate, was fired Monday by CBS following an an independent investigation into the story that raised questions about Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
In a statement issued late Monday, Mapes disagreed with the investigators' findings and accused CBS management of putting corporate interests ahead of journalistic ethics.
"Airing this story when it did was ... a decision made by my superiors, including (CBS News president) Andrew Heyward," Mapes said. "If there was a journalistic crime committed here, it was not by me."
The investigation into the Sept. 8 "60 Minutes Wednesday" story found that Mapes vouched for documents that were later found to be forged and "presented half-truths as facts to those with whom she worked," according to a statement issued Monday by Leslie Moonves, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CBS.
Moonves said in the statement that an independent review panel led by former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and former Associated Press President Louis D. Boccardi found fault with Mapes's basic reporting for the piece. The story alleged that President Bush received special treatment 30 years ago when he was admitted into the Texas Air National Guard and that he joined the Guard to avoid service in Vietnam.
Mapes said she was "terribly disappointed" by the report's conclusions.
The 200-page report details numerous alleged failings of the Sept. 8 segment.
Reporters and producers failed to authenticate documents that formed the basis of the piece, and falsely claimed in the segment that they had been, the panel found. They also failed to scrutinize the background of key sources or adequately corroborate statements made by sources.
Investigators also found that a senior Kerry campaign official was contacted about the segment prior to its airing. This created, investigators said in the report, a "clear conflict of interest ... that created the appearance of a political bias."
The investigative panel also assailed CBS for making inaccurate press statements and marshaling a "strident defense" of the piece after it aired. Investigators chastised the network for allowing the same individuals who produced and vetted the controversial segment to produce the follow-up news reports.
Josh Howard, the executive producer of "60 Minutes Wednesday," and Mary Murphy, his top deputy, were asked to resign Monday, as was senior vice president Betsy West. Four other CBS employees, including anchor Dan Rather, were criticized in the panel's report but not asked to resign. Rather announced last November that he would step down from his position as CBS anchor, though he said the timing of the move was not connected with the investigation.
Mapes was most strongly criticized in the report, and by Moonves in a statement to the press Monday.
In her statement Monday evening, Mapes accused Moonves of blaming her for the segments' failings to protect CBS interests.
"I am shocked by the vitriolic scapegoating in Les Moonves' statement," she said. "I am very concerned that his actions are motivated by corporate and political considerations — ratings rather than journalism."
Mapes also rebutted several of the investigators' findings.
In her statement, she said the documents used in the Sept. 8 piece "were corroborated" by a key source before the segment aired. She also said photocopied documents are often a basis for verifying stories and that she was honest with the panel.
Mapes' sister Peggy Mapes said today she was glad her sister was able to break the long silence she's held at CBS's request since the broadcast came into question.
"I can personally say, that it was great for me to finally see the words ‘Mary Mapes says,' with a quote from her next to it," Peggy Mapes said from her Seattle home.
Mary Mapes graduated from Burlington-Edison High School in 1974. Her family has lived in Burlington since 1902.
She went to work for CBS News in 1989 and joined "60 Minutes Wednesday" in 1999, working exclusively as a producer assigned to Rather, according to the investigative panel's report.
Many people familiar with Mapes held her in high regard, according to the panel's report.
Her reputation at CBS grew dramatically in 2003 and 2004 as she produced a number of noteworthy stories with Rather, including stories about Sen. Strom Thurmond's biracial daughter and the Iraq prison abuses.
Mapes lives in Dallas with her son and husband, Peggy said. While she said her sister enjoys having a "house with a yard" in Dallas, Peggy said she's "selfishly hoping that she'll be moving home to the Northwest."
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Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 360-416-2138 or by e-mail at levip@skagitvalleyherald.com
The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post contributed to this story. |
