by Brent Baker
CBS's Dan Rather pledged to give the government “the benefit of any doubt” in the early days of this crisis and the vice president of NBC News has promised to put patriotism ahead of putting out news which may place Americans in danger.
While Rather declines to wear a flag or ribbon on the air because, he asserted, “I have the flag burned in my heart, and I have ever since infancy,” on CNN on Saturday he promised: “I want to fulfill my role as a decent human member of the community and a decent and patriotic American. And therefore, I am willing to give the government, the President and the military the benefit of any doubt here in the beginning.”
Last week, USA Today quoted a memo from NBC News Vice President Bill Wheatley in which he urged his staff to “please take great care to make sure that our broadcasts don't inadvertently pass along information that could prove helpful to those who would do harm to our citizens, our officials and our
military.”
During a taped interview with Howard Kurtz aired at about 6:45pm EDT on September 22, as a mini-Reliable Sources show, Kurtz asked Rather if he fears “a danger” that “journalists would be reluctant to criticize the Bush administration and the Pentagon for fear of a public backlash?”
Rather replied:
I think that's probably true, but I think what is more important — and let me again just speak for myself — that particularly in the early stages — and I would continue to say these are the early stages — that it is less a fear of backlash. Listen, I've had backlash — man, have I ever had it — and a lot of times justified. I'm not afraid of backlash. What I want to do, I want to fulfill my role as a decent human member of the community and a decent and patriotic American. And therefore, I am willing to give the government, the President and the military the benefit of any doubt here in the beginning. I'm going to fulfill my role as a journalist, and that is ask the questions, when necessary ask the tough questions. But I have no excuse for, particularly when there is a national crisis such as this, as saying — you know, the President says do your job, whatever you are and whomever you are, Mr. and Mrs. America. I'm going to do my job as a journalist, but at the same time I will give them the benefit of the doubt, whenever possible in this kind of crisis, emergency situation. Not because I am concerned about any backlash. I'm not. But because I want to be a patriotic American without apology.
That prompted Kurtz to wonder: “Well, speaking of patriotic Americans, there is a bubbling controversy in the business, as you probably know, about whether journalists on the air should wear these little lapel flags. NBC's Tim Russert did it on Meet the Press. ABC News has barred its people from doing that. Does it seem to you that journalists who show the flag are being patriotic, or are they somehow kind of turning into cheerleaders for team USA?”
Rather insisted that he has “no argument with anyone who does it,” but he doesn't because “it doesn't feel right to me. I have the flag burned in my heart, and I have ever since infancy. And I just don't feel the need to do it. It just doesn't feel right to me. And I try to be — particularly in times such as these — and I have tried to be in touch with my inner self, my true inner self, and I tried to listen. And my inner self says you don't need to do that. But I have absolutely no argument with anyone else who feels differently.”
Last Wednesday USA Today quoted a memo from an NBC News VP in which he urged his staff to be careful to not give away any secret military information. In his September 19 “Inside TV” column, Peter Johnson revealed:
Loose lips sink ships. That famous World War II admonition
has been invoked by NBC News, which warned its correspondents and producers Tuesday to take care in their reporting because “that old saying has new meaning.”NBC News executive Bill Wheatley told staffers via memo that “it's now time to be extremely cautious about what we report. Please take great care to make sure that our broadcasts don't
inadvertently pass along information that could prove helpful to those who would do harm to our citizens, our officials and our military. Let's be careful about reporting specifics of presidential travel, of security arrangements, of secret military plans, troop movements and the like.”
(This update courtesy of the Media Research Center.)