See? B.S.!

The CBS “eye” is more than bloodshot. CBS has a shiner, and it’s not about to go away soon. They can pile on the beefsteak to help heal it, but the only part of the cow that’s piling up is what CBS and Dan Rather are shoveling – it’s what comes out of the back end of the steer.

Get out your hip boots – it’s getting pretty deep. Putting it politely, the official network line is B.S.

The messenger has become the story as a result of last weekend’s “60 Minutes” segment, reported by Dan Rather, which cast serious aspersions about President Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard during Vietnam. The report relied heavily on documents – which have turned out to be forgeries – and on individuals whose recollections are equally suspect.

The report wasn’t an investigative segment – it was a hit piece, made all the more unpalatable and unacceptable because it was based on a fraud. Clearly, it was a fraud on the American people because it was presented as truth by a network news department.

But it was also a fraud because, as the days have passed, it appears that even experts asked to validate the documents warned about their validity. That being the case, the overarching question is why the segment was even aired? One can only surmise that the intent was not the reporting of “truth,” but to create controversy over the president’s military service and undermine his re-election campaign. If the story were true, it would only serve to bolster Democrat challenger John Kerry.

Now why would a premiere network news division do such a thing? They are, after all, seekers of truth and reporters of fact, aren’t they? Sure, and if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

Hardly had the segment aired, then the truth came out. Examination of the documents showed they were produced on a computer with fonts not available at the time they were ostensibly written. Pretty dumb. And Rather, instead of acknowledging the discrepancies, defended the story despite them, saying that he “believed” the accusations to be true.

Sorry Dan, that is B.S. We know it and the suits at the network aren’t stupid. They know it, too. The difference is, they think we – the people – are stupid. They always have and they always do. Remember, the general rule of thumb of news operations is to aim the content at a 3rd- to 5th-grade mentality.

The media elites talk down to us because they believe themselves to be the anointed purveyors of news and information. For years, the public depended on mainstream media – print and broadcast – to report information concerning politics, government, society and anything else of importance. For years, broadcast media have been in the grip of the three major networks. They controlled it, with no competition.

For the most part, we trusted them. We’d been told reporters were seekers of truth, reporters of fact – that they were honest, thorough and impartial. Some even believed they were objective.

On top of that, broadcast media are part of “the press” and, because of that, are under the umbrella of constitutional protection with their own special inclusion in the Bill of Rights.

Talk about power. That’s pretty heady stuff. And it’s gone to a lot of heads – especially the talking heads on TV news – think Dan Rather, et al. All that power, enhanced by makeup, clothing, lights and cameras and money, has added up to emphasis on show biz and a lessening of the responsibility for truth, accuracy and, yes, balance.

It’s clear that mainstream TV news has lost control of its obligation to present facts, figures and information to the public and to let the public reach its own conclusions. Now, it takes a different tack, presenting conclusions supported by its own choice of facts and expecting viewers to accept them, without question.

Well, surprise, surprise. We dumbos out here aren’t as thick as they think we are. We have alternatives now, choices the mainstream ignore, ridicule and denigrate. Now, there’s cable.

Remember, when CNN started, the mainstream derided it as being the “chicken noodle network.” Well, it succeeded (never mind its politics) and now there are others, especially Fox, which presents its view of “fair and balanced,” providing a contrast to what mainstream news selects for us to know.

The fact that Fox beat the mainstream in ratings for the convention illustrates that the thrown gauntlet was a good move. Add to that Internet news sites, bloggers and independent websites, as well as the ability to research issues accurately and quickly. They’ve rocked mainstream media to the foundations.

The Tiffany network is no more and the ruins are piled deeply around the feet of Dan Rather and the staff who produced the “60 Minutes” segment. Whether he survives is open for debate, but despite his protestations of his personal belief, the reality is that CBS News is seriously damaged and the entire news staff will be tarnished by being part of an operation which allowed such a deception to be aired.

And that’s the way it is. See? B.S.!