May
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What’s the frequency Mary?
May 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment
It seems that Dan isn’t the only one still feeling the pain of those memos . More than four years on and the second-biggest name in the whole Rathergate business still finds it hard to let go.
Mary Mapes was the senior editor at CBS 60 Minutes back when the channel aired documents showing G.W. Bush had a less than perfect war record. The issue here isn’t whether Dubya dodged his duties or got preferential (read non-Vietnam) treatment during the war, the issue is that the documents aired by poor old Dan at the behest of Mary could not, in CBS’ own words, be “authenticated”.
This is the point I would suggest anyone interested in journalism should take to heart. Many of us wondered at the time if Mary’s own political beliefs were clouding her judgement, were those documents just too good not to air? To have suggested this at the time would have been unfair when the full facts weren’t known. Having read, and indeed enjoyed, Mary’s book “Truth and Duty”, and taking into account the above article from 1st May, I feel Mary is doing herself no favours.
There is still a very interesting story to be told about President Bush’s time as a young TexANG pilot: experienced journos like Mary Mapes would be well-placed to tell it if only they could reconcile the past.