According to CBS Market Watch, "We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry," Rather said in a news release. "It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism."
Believable? Not exactly. And we can tell Rather is not repentent. There's no mention of a grave injustice by relying on false documents. And then there is this. In the new interview Burkett, a retired National Guard lieutenant colonel, also admitted that he deliberately misled the CBS News producer working on the report, giving her "a false account of the documents' origins to protect a promise of confidentiality to the actual source," CBS said.
What a surprise! There's a confidential source to be protected! So Rather and Burkett have concocted a way to stand on First Amendment freedom of the press as their vehicle for cover up. The next thing to look for is how long CBS stands by Rather. If he isn't gone soon, I will take it that CBS itself is complicit in Rather's fraud.
Update: I'm listening to Dan Rather in his interview with Marcia Kramer from The Man Without Qualities. Rather, answering a question about the original source of the forgeries, said it was "...a person whom he name asked that his confidence be kept and we agreed to that..." The "he" in that phrase is Burkett. That phrase was Rather laying the ground work for his upcoming First Amendment refusal to reveal that other source. CBS agreed to the other source's confidentiality at Burkett's request. No doubt that was the reason for the trip to Dallas, to get that story straight with Burkett. That having been settled he was free to apologize, and next he will play the part of the dedicated journalist, ready to go to jail to protect the source. Coverup.
Update II: Apparently Rather is smart enough to have figured out that the First Amendment defense wasn't going to fly. USA Today reports that the source of the memos has been revealed by Burkett to be one Lucy Ramirez. Up to now Ms. Ramirez has not been located, and questions persist as to her existence. And though Yahoo People Search shows four people by that name in Houston, I'd be willing to bet she is fictitious. It's a better ploy than trying to invoke the First Amendment for protection of a news source. Burkett, Rather, and CBS can maintain the facade of having been deceived. In a show of journalistic integrity they will waive consitutional rights for the sake of the "truth", and reveal their source -- a source who can never be found, never be questioned, and who will never blow their cover.
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