Comments on: CBS fires Gen. Batiste over VoteVets ad.

By: ted bohne

ted bohne — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:13:03 +0000

Major General Bautiste IS one of the General Officers George the Dumb claimed he’d listen to. He is but one of the latest casualties of the greatest catastrophe in US history, and in some cases, the history of the world. It would be good to be able to render him a sincere hand salute, and my thanks for his effort. You sir are a respected soldier.

Ted Bohne, US Army, Sgt. 1972-1976.

By: James C Parkinson

James C Parkinson — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:25:26 +0000

“GOOD NIGHT, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA”
Address:http://www.veteransforamerica.org/index.cfm/page/weblog/subpage/display_blog/bid/0CB62877-123F-747A-1B48BBE5DB229B41

By: Walt Brasch

Walt Brasch — Sun, 13 May 2007 10:33:17 +0000

Why is anyone surprised over this firing? This is the network that hired Katie Couric over more experienced and able journalists (ANyone think she’s better than Russ Mitchell?) . . . This is also a network that once was the best in all of TV news and set the trends to responsible probing journalism, but like the other mainstream media has fallen to being mouthpieces for whatever the Bush-Cheney administration has said. Just report. Don’t question. Don’t challenge. CBS is NOT alone. Only when Bush’s approval ratings began a freefall did the mainstream media even begin to think they could question the authorities. Edward R. Murrow, Fred Friendly, and Walter Cronkite, each in his own way, is crying at the death of TV news.
--walt brasch–professor of journalism, Bloomsburg University, and author of “America’s Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government’s Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights.”

By: Mike Brown

Mike Brown — Sat, 12 May 2007 17:46:18 +0000

Batiste was a well-known critic of the war before CBS hired him. He and other generals made news when they retired and made public their opposition to war policy. Surely CBS can’t claim that Batiste loses his objectivity as an analyst due to participation in an anti-war ad. His very name recognition and credentials for the CBS job were derived from his stand on the war. CBS’s policy regarding political activism is sound journalistic policy for reporters, but not for those hired specifically to give their opinions.

By: Kilo

Kilo — Sat, 12 May 2007 04:34:33 +0000

As for comparing Imus and Batiste, no oneâ€™s mentioned that Imusâ€™ remarks were made on air while Batisteâ€™s were made on his own time and not as a part of his job at CBS.

Why would anyone mention that ?
Imus was fired for racist remarks. It would have been a similar case if Imus was employed to comment on race issues and he was fired because he portrayed himself as unobjective or biased on that matter.

It would save a lot of confusion among readers if TP would just come out and state what the problem is. That objective analysis in news isn’t a problem that should get you fired if it’s the right kind of bias.

Anyone going to lie and say that Bill Kristol shouldn’t be fired if he featured in a campaign advert attacking Democrats for a position he is employed elsewhere to comment on ? No ?

If my boss fired me explicitly for expressing my lefty opinions in public it might not be called censureship but Iâ€™d still have a pretty good case against him.
Comment by Tim â€” May 11, 2007 @ 4:36 pm

Not if you were employed to provide unobjective analysis of the same topic you were making objective political statements about in your own time you wouldn’t.

By: Whitney Robinson

Whitney Robinson — Sat, 12 May 2007 02:01:48 +0000

A lot has happened at CBS since the days of Edward R Murrow, who said on this once fabled TV network, and I paraphrase: We cannot fight for liberties abroad while disserting them at home. Or, famously, “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.”

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 12 May 2007 01:53:32 +0000

Each day Old Media dies a little more. Soon they will be relegated to the history books.

By: anne gabriel

anne gabriel — Fri, 11 May 2007 23:16:57 +0000

Went to the CBS “News” site and left a message indicating that this firing underscores their complete lack of credibility as a news source and expressing my plans not to support any of their corporate sponsors.

BTW, right on the CBS site is a plug for Exxon Mobil, one of the four corporate behomeths set to take control of Iraqi oil, which is after all why Bush took us to war. In the sense that the pending Iraqi Oil Bill will grant these four corporations unprecented profits for decades (none of which will ever “trickle down” to us), you could say “mission accomplished”, now couldn’t you?

Immoral thugs.

By: Mme Flutterbye

Mme Flutterbye — Fri, 11 May 2007 22:53:58 +0000

CBS is just trying to emulate Faux News. And they’re getting better at it every day.

By: GERRY LOSEY

GERRY LOSEY — Fri, 11 May 2007 22:33:53 +0000

Nit Romney stated today (05-11-2007) that he would cap all ENTITLEMENTS at the rate of inflation by minus 1%. This will make veterans get poorer at faster rate. Should I and other veterans vote for him?

Gerald T. Losey

By: Lee Dunkelberg

Lee Dunkelberg — Fri, 11 May 2007 22:13:04 +0000

I am anti-war.
I have always been anti-war.
If he had made an ad supporting the war, I would be howling for CBS to fire him, and I wager so would 99% of the disaffected who are posted here.
He surely knew the risk when he did it.
CBS had no choice.

By: Mike Grello

Mike Grello — Fri, 11 May 2007 21:52:14 +0000

It is true that the falsehood that corporations are people too and have human rights is the root of this disagreement. They are not, and they don’t. The American revolution was not so much about forming a new governement as it was freeing ourselves from a government that was owned by corporate interests. The founders weren’t rebelling against the british parlament, but rather the british west indies company, and their enumerations of citizens rights needs to be read in light of that (regardless of what Rupert Murdock has told you). So, a free and unencumbered press and free speech implies the citizens freedom from the whims of influence and power. The long and the short is that not only dose CBS not have the right to fire him, but they do not have the right to only report the news that benefits their powerful masters.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 11 May 2007 20:36:10 +0000

Has anyone gotton a confirmation from CBS that Batiste was indeed fired over his votevet ad?
There is absolutely no reference to it anywhere except the offhand remark by KO and Batiste didn’t confirm it or mention it in this clip.
As for comparing Imus and Batiste, no one’s mentioned that Imus’ remarks were made on air while Batiste’s were made on his own time and not as a part of his job at CBS.
If my boss fired me explicitly for expressing my lefty opinions in public it might not be called censureship but I’d still have a pretty good case against him.
Finally how can there be so many different, well researched and personally verified explainations of who owns CBS?

By: Dirk

Dirk — Fri, 11 May 2007 19:40:07 +0000

Folks,
CBS was until recently owned by Viacom, but viacom recently spun them off and they are an independently traded public corp (Ticker CBS). ABC is owned by Disney, NBC by GE (MSNBC is a JV between GE and Microsoft), Fox by News Corp (Murdock).

I agree that A) CBS was within its rights to fire the General
and B) It was a stupid and cowardly thing to do. and C) CBS news is a mere shadow of what it was under Murrow and Cronkite (or even under Rather).

By: The Existentialist Cowboy

The Existentialist Cowboy — Fri, 11 May 2007 18:35:38 +0000

I likewise think the time has come to BOYCOTT CBS.

Indeed, boycott fox and the entire mainstream media. Big corporate media was complicit with Bush from the get go.

It is time to face the face that Bush and his minions DELIBERATELY defrauded the American people about Iraq and that is a felony. That US citizens have died because Bush lied is impeachable. If that is not a “high crime or misdemeanor” their isn’t one.

By: johnny joe

johnny joe — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:59:49 +0000

I would say that the government of the people by the people and for the people need to get into gear and cancel the CBS public licence for there obvious attempt to censor free speech. I would say that Batiste as a former general has every right to speak out. After all he is a consultant to the CBS empire wich is granted it’s licence to print money from our public airwaves.

By: Yesca_Again

Yesca_Again — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:27:24 +0000

CBS et al of our supposedly independent media giants are either controlled or owned by the same small group who are reaping unbelievable profits from this misadventure. They put GWB gang in to do what they needed to further their control of us the American people.
The laws passed in the wake of 911 sure look & feel like the actions corporations are pulling & getting away with, Invasion of privacy, restriction of free speech, etc. In employment, there has always been the policy of â€œnexusâ€ of the outside actions of employees & the implications to the employerâ€™s business or image. However, of late the application has escalated. In watching the ad for â€œVoteVetsâ€ the General made no implication, he worked for CBS or that his statement reflected the policy of his employer.
If we the people believe that, the US Constitution & Bill of Rights must apply to the individual how can it not be part of our everyday life, not just our dealings with government? With the consolidation & merge of every facet of commerce being taken into fewer & fewer Corporate groupings, the dependence of these â€œholdings on Government contracts, the obligation in law of these contracts on such things as Non-discrimination, can we accept that free speech is not included. Yes, they made us believe that business can do more to us than our (?) government, yet, the end is the same. Speak out, get fired, and go hungry. Control is control, either thru law or thru employment.
We the people must cast off this shackle of intellectual blindness & spirit, when are we free, there isnâ€™t much left to be free in.
What one does as a â€˜workerâ€™ at work, is what they pay for, those hours you are their. Moreover, how one lives & believes as an individual should be yours. On the other hand, are we to the place where the Company is above the government, like some sci-fi novel where Corporations are in charge of everything? Do they, that cabal holding the fulcrums of power, control the majority of production & distribution, welcome to true Globalization?
What a shock & sadness that to speak the truth, even when we all know it, is cause for dismissal? They fired Dan Rather for one document after a lifetime of correctness, yet promoted those who knowingly sold the lies; they fired John Batiste for speaking the truth. Boycotting CBS, or their sponsors gets a little sticky when they sell everything under a million labels, like supporting major market workers strike at Ralphâ€™s or Albertsonâ€™s & buying food at Food 4 less or Max Foods, the money goes to the same owners. We the people hold the power for change but the change has to be fundamental core values change not this knee jerk, quick fix mentality. Impeach Bush et al & we can keep this type of witch-hunt from recurring or becoming acceptable. As for Imus, he was railroaded to, and so were we.

By: marlow

marlow — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:25:50 +0000

I think it will be an education for Mr. Batiste. I’m glad to hear him speaking out, but it’s good for a general(whom I’m guessing supported the war at the beginning despite its blatant illegality and fraudulence) get a taste of the relentless ostracization (apologies for the bushism?) that American citizens have had to endure for their legitimate political viewpoints. As for CBS, I’d pretty much forgotten it existed since the war started. This is what REAL patriotism looks like, General.

By: allys gift

allys gift — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:21:30 +0000

WESTINGHOUSE / CBS INC.
Westinghouse Electric Company, part of the Nuclear Utilities Business Group of British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL)
whos #1 on the Board of Directors? None other than:
Frank Carlucci (of the Carlyle Group)

Television Holdings:
* CBS: includes 14 stations and over 200 affiliates in the US.
* CBS Network News: 60 minutes, 48 hours, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CBS Morning News, Up to the Minute.
* Country Music Television, The Nashville Network, 2 regional sports networks.
* Group W Satellite Communications.
Other Holdings:
* Westinghouse Electric Company: provides services to the nuclear power industry.
* Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company: disposes of nuclear and hazardous wastes. Also operates 4 government-owned nuclear power plants in the US.
* Energy Systems: provides nuclear power plant design and maintenance.

By: uUtan

uUtan — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:14:14 +0000

Westinghouse does not own CBS. What was Westinghouse is no longer a company. CBS is owned by, surprise, CBS. British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) owns the nuclear business and the rights to use the name in that business. The defence business was sold to Northrupp Grumman. Power generation was sold to Siemens. I know, my job was one of the casulties of the breakup. CBS is listed on the NYSE, look it up. This stuff happened ten years ago.