Hypocrisy and Bias: The Old CBS News Yet Lives

Realistically there has never been any doubt that Katie Couric is a political and social liberal. Her years at NBC's 'Today Show' are a living record of her point of view. That much is not up for debate.

What WAS up for debate was whether or not CBS News would continue with its long-standing policy of slanting news in favor of Democrats and liberal politicians. Walter Cronkite single-handedly changed public opinion on the War in Viet Nam by declaring we had lost. This prompted President Johnson to lament, 'If I have lost Cronkite, I have lost the country.' Then came Dan Rather who publicly humiliated President Nixon unnecessarily in a news conference during Watergate. His waning years at CBS solidified the notion that Rather is an ultra-liberal purveyor of yellow journalism. He supports Democrat politicians in Texas. And then,there was the attempt to ruin President Bush's re-election by fabricating false documents, a shameful display that led to Dan's banishment from the network, in addition to one of his subordinates being fired.

Some of us actually had the faint hope that CBS would see the changing of the guard as an opportunity to change direction. The fact that they chose Katie Couric notwithstanding, it appeared for a season that CBS and Couric were attempting to forge a new trail in network news by going out into the heartland and talking to the people to get their opinions as to focus and direction.

The result has been less than flattering. CBS News has steadily LOST viewer share in the ratings since the Couric ascendancy, and in one large market she now ranks 7th in her time-slot among viewers, which is a new low in news viewership.

Tonight's broadcast dispelled any doubt that CBS ever seriously attempted to amend its tendency to slant the news. One of the lead stories was a piece about Pentagon plans to build a 100-million-dollar courthouse at Gitmo, a facility that would not only provide courtrooms to try those being detained but would provide much more comfortable and humane detention cells for prisoners, as well as a large area to house military vehicles.

The plan has sent liberals in Congress howling. CBS chose to interview Senator Diane Feinstein of the People's Republic of California, who bemoaned the plan as misguided and a 'waste of taxpayers' money.'

Since when has ANY leftist been concerned with 'taxpayers' money?'

Yet this was the theme of the CBS News report. At least four times during the segment, the statement was made by Couric, the reporter on the field, and Feinstein, 'This is YOUR MONEY.'

It is interesting that CBS News never uses those words to describe any other government program designed to rob me of my money to give to someone else.

Senator Feinstein certainly never uses that term, never in her entire tenure in the Senate, when proposing legislation that will result in higher taxes and more government power. The pricetag of government programs, when proposed by liberals, is never an issue. The issue always becomes, 'compassion,' or the program being 'for the good of the American people.'

Excuse me, but does the mere fact that something is 'compassionate' and 'for the good of the American people' automatically trumps the cost to the taxpayers? No matter what program the government sets up, there IS a huge cost to American citizens in the form of taxes. The money doesn't come from thin air.

So, why is the term, 'It is YOUR MONEY,' conspicuously missing from CBS News reports about OTHER government programs? How is it that Feinstein has suddenly seen the light and gotten religion over the 'cost to the taxpayers?' What a hypocrite.

Feinstein's hypocrisy is not surprising. This is her modus operandi. For CBS News, however, to be a willing co-conspirator in using phrasing that slants the news is the height of tabloid journalism at best.

CBS News hasn't changed a bit. It's the same old song and dance. Dan Rather's legacy lives on, obviously. This is just one more reason why I never watch it anymore. I'm sorry I did so this evening, except for the fact that Ms. Couric played right into my hands with her biased reports.

But be assured, Ms. Couric, I won't be watching again. Apparently millions of Americans agree with me.